Top Gaming Conferences To Attend in 2024-2025
Wondering where to find the cutting-edge gaming innovation? Check out our guide to the premier gaming conferences, where experts discuss everything from game design to market dynamics and player engagement. Below, check out our up-to-date table of must-attend events.
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Most Influential Gaming Events
1.
2D Con is Minnesota’s largest gaming and esports event, offering various activities, including consoles, arcades, tabletop, LAN, vendors, artists, guest speakers, and esports. It’s a community-focused event that raises money for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.
Anime Gaming Con is a large convention celebrating anime and gaming. It features cosplay contests, video game tournaments, trading card game tournaments, an anime cars show, and special guests.
The Cleveland Gaming Classic is Ohio’s largest weekend event dedicated to gaming, featuring video games, arcades, pinballs, toys, celebrities, collectibles, competitions, and more.
4.
CORGSCON is a gaming convention focusing on retro video games. It features a range of activities and special guests, making it a must-attend event for retro gaming enthusiasts.
5.
DerpyCon is a convention for anime, gaming, sci-fi, and comic fans. It offers a range of activities, including a dealer’s room, artist alley, video gaming, tabletop gaming, panels, workshops, and cosplay events.
Gaming Istanbul is not just a computer games event but a comprehensive one. It welcomes everyone interested in various games, from realistic FPS games to nostalgic 8-bits, and includes activities like cosplay.
7.
Kawacon in San Antonio is a winter anime and gaming convention dedicated to Otaku and Gaming culture. It features a variety of vendors, special guests, a game room, panels, and entertainment for all ages.
8.
LVL UP EXPO in Las Vegas is a dynamic event for gamers, anime fans, and cosplay enthusiasts. It features over 102,000 attendees, 50+ special guests, and 250+ exhibitors, offering a blend of competitive gaming, inspired artistry, and community-building.
9.
MAGFest, short for “Music And Gaming Festival,” is a unique event dedicated to appreciating video game music, gaming of all types, and the gaming community. The event runs 24 hours a day and offers a variety of gaming activities and live music performances.
10.
MegaCon is a large convention for comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming fans. It features celebrity guests, panels, cosplay, comics, anime, and much more, making it a comprehensive fan culture event.
The Midwest Gaming Classic is a trade show featuring various gaming activities, including retro and modern home game consoles, pinball machines, arcade video games, tabletop games, and more.
12.
MomoCon is an all-ages Geek Culture Convention celebrating Japanese Anime, American Animation, Comics, Video Games, and Tabletop Games. It offers cosplay, a vast exhibition hall, celebrity voice talent, and more.
13.
OMG!Con is a convention offering a fun-filled experience focusing on gaming, anime, and pop culture. It features exhibitor applications for Artist Alley and Vendor Halls.
The SBC Summit North America is a leading conference and tradeshow dedicated to the online betting and gaming industry in the U.S. and Canada. It occurs in New Jersey, a sports betting and gaming hub, and features executives from significant regional operators.
The Southern-Fried Gaming Expo features over 300 arcade and pinball machines, new and retro console systems, a massive tabletop library, RPGs, wrestling, music, tournaments, and more.
16.
Tezal-Con is a video game convention hosted by TezalCo Studios. It brings the world of gaming to the Wiregrass area, featuring free-play game rooms, game development panels, a gaming-themed cosplay competition, and more.
The Washington State Gaming Expo offers an all-encompassing gaming convention featuring video gaming, tabletop, RPG, and retro gaming. It includes gaming voice celebrities, PC gaming stations, console mega stations, retro gaming stations, arcade and pinball cabinets, and more.
Methodology
I’ve selected events based on enthusiastic feedback from past attendees, large attendance numbers, and high-quality speakers. These factors ensure the conferences offer excellent networking, learning, and engagement opportunities for gaming professionals and enthusiasts.
Further reading
FAQs
Gaming conferences explore crucial issues in the video game industry, including game development, design, marketing, and community management. These events also delve into the latest trends in technology, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and game streaming platforms. Discussions often cover the business aspects of gaming, including funding, sales strategies, and the growing importance of diversity and inclusion within game narratives and development teams.
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is widely regarded as the most prestigious gaming conference. It attracts game developers and industry professionals worldwide to participate in sessions covering all aspects of game development, from programming and design to business and management. GDC is known for its high-quality talks, workshops, and networking events that provide deep insights into the art and business of making games.