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
Asia-Pacific
Australia
- Arcanacon – Melbourne in January
- AVCon – Adelaide in July
- EB Games Expo - Sydney Olympic Park
- Melbourne International Games Week - Melbourne - 31 October - November 6, Various Locations
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Australia - Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in November
- RTX Australia - International Convention Center in Jan/Feb
- Supanova Pop Culture Expo - various dates and locations
Bahrain
- SaikoroWars (at Paddock Halls, Bahrain International Circuit, irregularly)
China
- ChinaJoy – Shanghai in July
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 & Christchurch
- Chimera - Auckland - in November
- KapCon – Wellington - in January
Philippines
- Philippine Game Festival – Manila in October
Saudi Arabia
- Gamers day – Riyadh - September
South Korea
- G-Star – Busan in November
Europe
Denmark
- Fastaval – Århus during Easter
- Nordic Game Jam - Copenhagen in Jan - Feb.
Finland
France
- Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (FLIP) – Parthenay in July
- Paris Games Week (PGW) - Paris in November
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
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 (computer party) - Hamar during Easter
Poland
Russia
- IgroMir - Moscow at the end of September
- Russian Game Developers Conference
- Comic-Con Russia
Sweden
United Kingdom
- EGX – Birmingham, England & London, England
- GEEK - Winter Gardens, Margate, England in February
- Multiplay's Insomnia Gaming Festival - England
- UK Games Expo - Annual Hobby Gaming convention held annually 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
- FallCon – Calgary, Alberta in October
- GX – Toronto, Ontario in August or September
- Hal-Con – Halifax, Nova Scotia in November
- Pure Speculation – Edmonton, Alberta in November
- VCON – Vancouver, British Columbia in October
United States
Arranged by regional divisions used by the United States Census Bureau
North East
Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont
- 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 late March
- 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
- Fall In! – Adams County, Pennsylvania in November
- Genericon - Troy, New York in February/March
- 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
- Lunacon - Ryebrook, New York at Ryebrooke Hilton in March
- PrinceCon – Princeton, New Jersey
- TooManyGames – Oaks, Pennsylvania
- World Boardgaming Championships – Lancaster, Pennsylvania in August
Midwest
East North Central
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin
- Archon - Collinsville, Illinois in October
- ConCoction – Cleveland, Ohio in March
- Gen Con - Indianapolis, Indiana in July/August
- Gary Con - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in March
- Marcon – Columbus, Ohio on Mother's Day Weekend
- Marmalade Dog – Kalamazoo, Michigan in the first quarter
- Midwest Gaming Classic – Brookfield, Wisconsin in April
- Origins Game Fair – Columbus, Ohio in late June
- Penguicon – Troy, Michigan in April
- U-Con – Ann Arbor, Michigan in November
- Winter Fantasy – Fort Wayne, Indiana in January
West North Central
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
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
- MACE – Charlotte, North Carolina - November
- MegaCon – Orlando, Florida, in May
- MAGFest – National Harbor, Maryland, in February
- 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
- Lexicon Gaming Convention - Lexington, KY in April
- ChargerCon - University of Alabama in Huntsville in Spring
- Chattacon - Chattanooga, Tennessee at the end of January
- CoastCon - Biloxi, Mississippi in early March
- Games Workshop Games Day - Memphis, Tennessee in mid Summer
- Hypericon – Nashville, Tennessee in early Summer
- Yama-Con - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in December
- MidSouthCon – Memphis, Tennessee, in March
- MOBICON – Mobile, Alabama in May
West South Central
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
- BGG.CON - Irving, Texas in late November
- Comicpalooza - Houston, Texas over Memorial Day weekend in late May
- RTX - Austin, Texas in early July
- Southwest Video Game Showcase - Phoenix, Arizona in May
- Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) South – San Antonio, Texas in January
- QuakeCon - Dallas, Texas in early August
- SXSW - Austin, Texas in mid-March
West
Mountain
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
- CONduit - Salt Lake City, Utah in May
- Denver Comic Con - Denver, Colorado in June
- Game On Expo - Mesa, Arizona in August
- Phoenix Comicon - Phoenix, Arizona in May
- 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
- Gamex – Los Angeles, California on Memorial Day weekend in May
- Gateway – Los Angeles, California on Labor Day weekend in August/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) 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 – São Paulo in October
- Gamercom - Florianópolis in July
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.
Defunct and On Hiatus:
- E For All – Los Angeles, California, United States
- Trinoc*coN – Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
- GottaCon – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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.
See also
- List of anime conventions
- List of comic book conventions
- List of multigenre conventions
- List of science fiction conventions
- List of Worldcons