TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026 opened Saturday at Rotterdam Ahoy for its final run in the Netherlands, with Twitch using the European convention's keynote to announce a raft of platform upgrades — including 2K/1440p streaming for all Partners and Affiliates, a new Auto Clips tool, GIPHY GIFs in chat for higher-tier subscribers, and confirmation that TwitchCon Europe will move to Berlin in 2027. For the roughly 20,000 attendees expected over the two-day event, the weekend also brings the first Minecraft LIVE broadcast at a convention since MINECON 2016, a €100,000 PUBG prize tournament, and a complete overhaul of how Meet & Greets are managed on the floor.
Minecraft is the presenting sponsor for the first time in TwitchCon history, and its footprint across the venue reflects that: four dedicated zones, five creator Meet & Greet sessions, a themed Minecraft Arena, and a Twitch Rivals Arena stage hosting multiple competitive events across both days.
TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026 Schedule: What Happens Today
Saturday's program is anchored by Minecraft LIVE, which airs today at 11:30 a.m. ET (4:30 a.m. PT / 5:30 p.m. CET / 15:30 UTC) live from the Twitch Rivals Arena. This marks the first time Mojang has staged the showcase in front of a convention audience since MINECON 2016 at Anaheim Convention Center — and the first Minecraft LIVE ever broadcast from TwitchCon. Agnes Larsson hosts. The headline content is expected to center on the Chaos Cubed drop, first teased at the March 2026 Minecraft LIVE, which introduces the Sulfur Caves biome and the Sulfur Cube mob. Attendees who miss the Twitch Rivals Arena can catch a simulcast on the Cherry Grove Stage inside the Minecraft Arena or in the NomNom Theatre on the second floor. The broadcast is also free to watch on the official Minecraft YouTube and Twitch channels.
The Opening Ceremony in the Glitch Theatre kicked off the day at 4:30 a.m. ET (10:30 a.m. CET). Tubbo's Midoffs LIVE speedrunning tournament ran in the Minecraft Arena this morning beginning at 3:30 a.m. ET (9:30 a.m. CET). Saturday afternoon includes NoWay4U_Sir's ARAM Chaos Mode — a League of Legends ARAM tournament on the Twitch Rivals Arena stage at 6:30 a.m. ET (12:30 p.m. CET) — and the Drag Showcase in the Glitch Theatre at 10:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. CET), featuring performers loogabarooga, MargeMellow, and ReneeDeLait. The tabletop stage hosts Dungeon Delivery, a live D&D one-shot session.
ZeratoR's Ascension, a PUBG: Battlegrounds tournament, runs across both days with a €100,000 prize pool. ZeratoR is a French streamer whose community events — including the long-running ZEvent charity marathon — have set European streaming viewership records.
Minecraft LIVE at TwitchCon: What to Watch For
Free exclusive in-game capes are tied to the event. The Builder Cape goes to anyone who watches the Minecraft LIVE broadcast through any official online stream. The Crafter Cape is reserved for TwitchCon attendees who collect three in-game emeralds by completing three separate on-site activities during the weekend. Both capes are redeemable through June 30.
Mojang has signaled that the show will also feature early details on future drops planned for late 2026, with developer insights and sneak peeks beyond the Chaos Cubed release window. Minecraft Dungeons II, the action-RPG sequel announced at the March Minecraft LIVE, is expected to receive a more specific release window during the broadcast.
Sunday Schedule: MC Championship, GeoGuessr, and More
Sunday's Twitch Rivals Arena opens with Crowd Control with JellyYT and Crainer at 4:45 a.m. ET (10:45 a.m. CET), in which a live audience controls on-stage chaos across interactive games. At 6:00 a.m. ET (12:00 p.m. CET), professional players compete in the GeoGuessr World Championship Wild Card qualifier finale for a spot in the World Championships.
MC Championship: Project G.L.O.P. — an edition of the long-running Minecraft creator tournament organized in collaboration with Mojang Studios — follows at 8:00 a.m. ET (12:00 UTC). The Craftys awards ceremony for Minecraft content creators will take place as an interlude during that broadcast. Sunday afternoon brings Lifesteal SMP: Inside Minecraft's Deadliest Server at 8:00 a.m. ET (2:00 p.m. CET), in which creators battle on the notorious server where players steal each other's hearts to survive, and VTubers LIVE with Shylily, Limealicious, and Saiiren at 8:30 a.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CET) in the Glitch Theatre — described by Twitch as the first time three of the platform's biggest VTubers have shared a stage.
Twitch New Features 2026: What the Keynote Announced
Twitch used today's keynote to announce a significant set of platform updates, published in an official post on the Twitch blog this morning.
Dual Format and 2K streaming. Starting in June, Twitch will offer Dual Format streaming, which lets creators broadcast in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously. Mobile viewers will see a full-screen vertical view; desktop viewers see the standard horizontal layout. Alongside this, 2K/1440p streaming — with bitrates up to 9 Mbps for 1440p and 7.5 Mbps for 1080p — will roll out to all Partners and Affiliates in June. Both features are part of Twitch's Enhanced Broadcasting infrastructure.
Auto Clips and caption tools. Auto Clips automatically generates captioned highlight clips from streams using chat activity, vocal inflection, and on-screen events as signals. Twitch says that among streamers currently in the Auto Clips beta, 85% have a clip to share after a given stream, compared to 50% for the broader streamer population. Beta signups are open now. Starting next week, Twitch will also roll out the ability to add automatic captions to community clips, with editing controls for timing, style, and text.
Mythic Train, GIPHY in chat, and Gift 'Em All. The new Mythic Train rewards Hype Train contributors with a golden limited-edition version of emotes including PogChamp, CoolCat, and WhatFace, usable across Twitch for 24 hours. Higher-tier subscribers — Tier 2 and Tier 3 — will soon be able to add GIFs in chat through a new GIPHY partnership; streamers control whether the feature is on and how often GIFs appear. The "Gift 'Em All" sub feature, which lets a viewer gift subscriptions to up to 1,000 followers at once, is also entering broader rollout in coming weeks.
Euro payout savings for EU streamers. Starting this summer, streamers in eurozone countries will receive SEPA payouts in euros with no currency conversion fees — eliminating the 1–2.5% conversion cost that has historically been deducted from EU streamers' earnings.
New Unity Guilds. Twitch is expanding its Unity Guilds program — groups for creators of shared identity — with three new additions: the Asian Guild, the Disability Guild, and the Indigenous Guild. The existing four guilds together have more than 8,000 participating streamers.
Mods get anniversaries and smarter AutoMod. Starting next week, Twitch will show Mod Anniversaries in chat on a six-month cadence, mirroring the format already used for subscriber anniversaries. AutoMod is also receiving a machine learning upgrade — a context-aware detection model that updates automatically as moderators take action, with no configuration required on the streamer side.
What's New at TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026
IRL streaming policy. For the first time, TwitchCon Rotterdam has a formal IRL streaming policy. Streamers must keep all walkways and emergency routes clear, may not film in areas marked with No Streaming signage, and must follow a lanyard system that lets attendees signal they prefer not to be filmed. Violations can result in temporary streaming suspensions or removal from the venue.
Reservation-only Meet & Greets. Walk-up Meet & Greets are gone this year. All five Minecraft creator sessions inside the Minecraft Arena require advance reservation through the TwitchCon Mobile App. Twitch has also redesigned the physical Meet & Greet layout and improved entry flow and crowd management.
Where Is TwitchCon Europe Next Year
TwitchCon Europe 2027 will be held in Berlin on May 22–23, 2027 — the first time the European edition will leave the Netherlands since launching in Berlin in 2019. Rotterdam Ahoy has hosted TwitchCon Europe for its last three consecutive editions. Twitch has opened a waitlist for Berlin tickets. TwitchCon San Diego 2026 follows on November 13–15 at the San Diego Convention Center, with the North American convention confirmed through 2028.
The full two-day schedule, including session times and reservation windows, is available at TwitchCon.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Twitch announce at TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026?
Twitch confirmed at today's keynote that TwitchCon Europe 2027 will move to Berlin on May 22–23. The company also announced 2K/1440p streaming and Dual Format broadcasting rolling out to all Partners and Affiliates in June, Auto Clips for automatic highlight generation, GIPHY GIFs in chat for Tier 2 and Tier 3 subscribers, the Mythic Train Hype Train variant, and the elimination of currency conversion fees for eurozone streamers starting this summer.
When is Minecraft LIVE at TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026?
Minecraft LIVE airs today, Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CET / 15:30 UTC) from the Twitch Rivals Arena at Rotterdam Ahoy. It is free to watch on the official Minecraft YouTube and Twitch channels. This is the first Minecraft LIVE held at a physical convention since MINECON 2016.
Is TwitchCon Rotterdam the last one in the Netherlands?
Yes. Twitch confirmed today that TwitchCon Europe 2027 will move to Berlin on May 22–23, 2027. Rotterdam Ahoy hosted the European edition for three consecutive years. The next North American edition, TwitchCon San Diego 2026, takes place November 13–15.
How do Meet & Greets work at TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026?
All Meet & Greet sessions at TwitchCon Rotterdam 2026 require advance reservations through the TwitchCon Mobile App — walk-up access is no longer available. Five Minecraft creator sessions are scheduled inside the Minecraft Arena. Twitch has also redesigned the physical layout and staffing to improve crowd management.
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