Get your game on, y’all! Summer’s basically here–depending on where you live, it’s getting hot here in Texas–and that means more gaming conventions coming up in the next few months. We compiled a list of gaming conventions in 2018 you don’t want to miss out on.
Austin, TX
June 1-3, 2018
This 24-hour-a-day, non-stop gaming festival will be jam-packed with more than $400,000 in pro esports tournaments, amateur and varsity gaming tournaments, the world-famous 24-hour LAN party, music concert, cosplay championship and more. Founded in 1994, DreamHack’s core has always been the LAN party where attendees bring their computer from home and set up for three straight days of gaming.
Los Angeles, CA
June 12-14, 2018
E3 is THE Holy Grail of gaming conventions. The video game industry’s top talent pack the Los Angeles Convention Center, connecting thousands of the best, brightest, and most innovative in the interactive entertainment industry. For three days, leading-edge companies, groundbreaking new technologies, and never-before-seen products will showcase. E3 connects you with both new and existing partners, industry executives, gamers, and social influencers, providing unprecedented exposure to the entire video game industry, all under one roof.
Irving, TX
July 27-29, 2018
The Let’s Play Gaming Expo celebrates all of gaming–whether it be board games, card games, video games. Its fourth year will feature vendor tables, arcade cabinets, the national Smash Bros tournament Low Tier City, the fighting game tournament Kumite in Texas, the only Classic Tetris World Championship regional qualifier, the only Tecmo Madison qualifier, retro game tournaments, modern game tournaments, panels, special guests, and much more! Children ages 7 and under get in free of charge!
Austin, TX
July 28-29, 2018
Classic Game Fest is an annual retro gaming convention celebrating the world of classic video games. The fest features free play arcade, consoles, retro game tournaments, concerts, speakers, costume contests, and more!
Austin, TX
Aug. 3-5, 2018
RTX is the world’s greatest celebration of gaming, animation, comedy, and internet culture. With events in London, Sydney, and its flagship convention in Austin, TX, RTX is where amazing entertainment and the best fans in the world meet up for the best weekend of the year.
Dallas, TX
Aug. 9-12, 2018
QuakeCon is an annual celebration of games and the people who play them. Founded in 1996 by a group of friends on IRC, QuakeCon has grown to become one of the most distinguished festivals in gaming, welcoming thousands of gamers from around the globe to participate in the annual four-day event. QuakeCon is free and open to the public thanks to the support of id Software, Bethesda Softworks, the QuakeCon volunteer staff, and its event sponsors and exhibitors.
Phoenix, Arizona
Aug. 10-12, 2018
Game On Expo began in August 2015 and is the largest gaming convention in Arizona. It covers all types of gaming from video games and arcades to board games and tabletop games. Game On Expo is also host of the annual event “Retro World Championships.” This event is organized by Dorion Whitlock (Nintendo PowerFest ’94 finalist), Mike Iarossi (Nintendo PowerFest champion, Chris Tang (Sega’s Rock the Rock champion), and Thor Aackerlund (original Nintendo World Championships champion.) The Retro World Championships is sponsored by RetroUSB who provides a limited edition special Game On Expo edition cart as the main prize.
Seattle, WA
Aug. 30 – Sept. 3, 2018
The Penny Arcade Expo AKA PAX is a series of gaming culture festivals that are held annually all over the country and in Australia. PAX West and PAX Dev are in Seattle, PAX East is in Boston, PAX Unplugged is in Philadelphia, and PAX South is in San Antonio. PAX was originally created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcadewebcomic, because they wanted to attend a show exclusively for gaming.
San Jose, CA
Oct. 26-28, 2018
Organized by live video gaming platform Twitch, Twitch Con started in 2015 and has since celebrated the culture of live streaming gameplay.
Anaheim, CA
Nov. 2-3, 2018
For the 12th year in a row, Blizzard Entertainment is back to celebrate games and e-sports. The convention celebrates its major video game franchises Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch. The convention started way back in 2005 and has grown significantly with major concert performances. Closing night concerts in the past has featured Foo Fighters, Blink-182, Linkin Park, Muse, and many others.
Featured image credit: DreamHack
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