List of gaming conventions
This is a list of noteworthy gaming conventions[nb 1] from around the world. This list is sectioned by location, and each gaming convention includes the dates during which it is typically held. Dates listed are approximate or traditional time periods for each convention.
Multiple locations
- Game Market, location varies
- Knutepunkt, alternating between Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland
- MineCon, location varies
- Penny Arcade Expo, annually at several locations in the US, and in Melbourne, Australia
- TwitchCon, semi-annually once in different venues across Europe & once in the US
Asia-Pacific
Australia
- Arcanacon – Melbourne in January
- AVCon – Adelaide typically in July at various locations
- Melbourne International Games Week – Melbourne, October–November, various locations
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Aus – Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in November
- RTX Australia – International Convention Center in January/February
- Supanova Pop Culture Expo – various dates and locations
Bahrain
- SaikoroWars – Paddock Halls, Bahrain International Circuit, irregularly
China
- ChinaJoy – Shanghai in July
- Penny Arcade Expo GC Play – Guangzhou, China in November
Iraq
- Ziggurat Con – Tallil Airbase, Iraq; premiere of this event and the first con in a combat zone
Japan
- Tokyo Game Show – Tokyo in September
New Zealand
- Armageddon – Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Christchurch
- Chimera – Auckland, in November
- KapCon – Wellington, in January
- Wellycon - Wellington, in June
Philippines
- Philippine Game Festival – Manila in October
Saudi Arabia
- Gamers' Day – Riyadh in September
South Korea
Europe
Czech Republic
- Game Developers Session - Prague in November
Denmark
- Fastaval – Århus during Easter
- Nordic Game Jam – Copenhagen in January - February
Finland
- Ropecon – Helsinki in late July
- Assembly - Helsinki in early August (Assembly Summer), and in early February (Assembly Winter)
France
- Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (FLIP) – Parthenay in July
- Paris Games Week (PGW) – Paris in November
- DreamHack – Centre international de congrès de Tours in May
Germany
- Gamescom – Köln in August
- Internationale Spieltage Spiel – Essen in October
- Nuremberg International Toy Fair – Nuremberg in February
Italy
- Lucca Comics & Games – Lucca in early November
- PLAY: The Games Festival – Modena in April
- Hellana Games - Agliana in April
- Romics - Rome in April and October
Ireland
- Games Fleadh – LIT Tipperary in late March
- Itzacon Eire – NUI Galway in early March
- Warpcon – University College Cork in late January
Norway
- The Gathering – Hamar during Easter
Poland
Portugal
- Lisboa Games Week – in November, in Lisbon
Romania
Russia
- IgroMir – Moscow at the end of September
- Russian Game Developers Conference
- Comic-Con Russia
Sweden
- DreamHack – Jönköping & Skellefteå since 1994
Switzerland
United Kingdom
- EGX – Birmingham, England & London, England
- Multiplay's Insomnia Gaming Festival – NEC Birmingham
- Northern Lights Pinball Show- annual hobby gaming convention held in Manchester, usually October/November
- UK Games Expo – annual hobby gaming convention held at the Hilton, NEC in May/June
North America
Canada
- Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo (Calgary Expo) – Calgary, Alberta in April
- CanGames – Ottawa, Ontario in May
- Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo – Toronto, Ontario in October
- FallCon – Calgary, Alberta in October
- Fan Expo Canada – Toronto, Ontario in August or September
- Hal-Con – Halifax, Nova Scotia in November
- Montreal International Games Summit (MIGS) – Montreal, Quebec in December
- Pure Speculation – Edmonton, Alberta in November
- VCON – Vancouver, British Columbia in October
- DreamHack – Montreal, Quebec in September
United States
Arranged by regional divisions used by the United States Census Bureau
North East
- Arisia – Boston, Massachusetts in January
- Carnagecon – Killington, Vermont in early November
- ConnectiCon – Hartford, Connecticut in July
- FlightSimCon – New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Connecticut in June
- Intercon – Chelmsford, Massachusetts in early March
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East – Boston, Massachusetts in March or April
- PortConMaine – Portland, Maine in late June
- Vericon – Cambridge, Massachusetts in late March
Middle Atlantic
New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
- DexCon – Morristown, New Jersey in July
- Genericon – Troy, New York in February/March
- Historicon – Lancaster, Pennsylvania in July
- I-CON – Long Island, New York at Stony Brook University in March/April
- IndieCade East – Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York in February
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Unplugged – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in December
- PrinceCon – Princeton, New Jersey
- TooManyGames – Oaks, Pennsylvania in June
- World Boardgaming Championships – Seven Springs, Pennsylvania in late July
Midwest
East North Central
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin
- Archon – Collinsville, Illinois in October
- ConCoction – Cleveland, Ohio in March
- Gary Con – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in March
- Gen Con – Indianapolis, Indiana in July/August
- Marcon – Columbus, Ohio on Mother's Day weekend
- Marmalade Dog – Kalamazoo, Michigan in the first quarter
- Midwest Gaming Classic – Milwaukee, Wisconsin in April
- Origins Game Fair – Columbus, Ohio in late June
- Penguicon – Troy, Michigan in April
- Winter Fantasy – Fort Wayne, Indiana in January
West North Central
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
- DemiCon – Des Moines, Iowa, first weekend each May
- Gamicon – Iowa City, Iowa, in February
South Atlantic
Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia
- Dragon Con – Atlanta, Georgia on Labor Day weekend
- Historicon – Fredericksburg, Virginia in July
- MAGFest – National Harbor, Maryland, in January
- MegaCon – Orlando, Florida, in May
- MineCon – Orlando, Florida on the 2nd weekend of November (2013; other years may vary)
- MomoCon – Atlanta, Georgia in May
- PrezCon – Charlottesville, Virginia, President's Day weekend
- RavenCon – Richmond, Virginia, in April
- Stellarcon – High Point, North Carolina in March
East South Central
Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee
- Chattacon – Chattanooga, Tennessee at the end of January
- CoastCon – Biloxi, Mississippi in early March
- Games Workshop Games Day – Memphis, Tennessee, Tennessee in mid-summer
- Hypericon – Nashville, Tennessee in early summer
- Lexicon Gaming Convention – Lexington, Kentucky in April
- MidSouthCon – Memphis, Tennessee, in March
- MOBICON – Mobile, Alabama in May
- Yama-Con – Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in December
South West Central
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
- BGG.CON – Irving, Texas in late November
- Comicpalooza – Houston, Texas over Memorial Day weekend in late May
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) South – San Antonio, Texas in January
- QuakeCon – Dallas, Texas in early August
- RTX – Austin, Texas in early July
- SXSW – Austin, Texas in mid-March
West
Mountain
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
- Denver Comic Con – Denver, Colorado in June
- Game On Expo – Phoenix, Arizona in August
- Phoenix Fan Fusion – Phoenix, Arizona in June
- SaltCON – Layton, Utah in March
Pacific
Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington
- BlizzCon – Anaheim, California in the Autumn
- Dragonflight – Seattle, Washington, second weekend in August
- DunDraCon – San Ramon, California on Presidents' Day weekend in February
- Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) – Los Angeles, California in June
- Game Developers Conference – San Francisco, California in March
- GameStorm – Portland, Oregon in March
- GameSoundCon – Los Angeles, California in the Fall
- Gamex – Los Angeles, California on Memorial Day weekend in May
- Gateway – Los Angeles, California on Labor Day weekend in September
- GaymerX – San Francisco, California
- IndieCade Festival – Los Angeles, California in early October
- Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show – Seattle, Washington in June
- Norwescon – Seattle, Washington in March/April (Easter weekend)
- OrcCon – Los Angeles, California on Presidents' Day weekend in February
- OryCon – Portland, Oregon in November
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Dev – Seattle, Washington in August
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) West – Seattle, Washington on the last weekend in August or Labor Day Weekend
- RadCon – Pasco, Washington on Presidents' Day weekend in February
- SpoCon – Spokane, Washington in August
Latin America
Brazil
- Brasil Game Show (BGS) – São Paulo, São Paulo in October
- Gamercom – Florianópolis, Santa Catarina in July
Mexico
- Electronic Game Show – Mexico City in October
Defunct and on-hiatus conventions
These are notable conventions that have at one time existed, but have either gone on hiatus for more than one year, or have finished operating entirely.
- CONduit – Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- E for All – Los Angeles, California, United States
- GottaCon – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Trinoc*coN – Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
See also
- List of anime conventions
- List of comic book conventions
- List of multigenre conventions
- List of science fiction conventions
- List of Worldcons
Notes
- ^ A convention is presumed noteworthy if it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the convention and satisfies the inclusion criteria for a stand-alone article.