Tokyo Game Show 2026

Tokyo Game Show by the numbers

Every figure links to where it came from. Attendance for an event that has not happened is a projection, and each row says so rather than presenting it as a count.

• Business days17 to 18 Sep

  Trade only, 10:00 to 17:00. The two days on which industry meetings actually happen, before the public arrives. Tokyo Game Show

• Public days19 to 21 Sep

  Opening 09:30 and closing between 16:00 and 17:00 depending on the day. Tokyo Game Show

• Edition30th

  The anniversary edition, and the first to run five days. Previous editions were four. Tokyo Game Show

• Halls1 to 11

  Makuhari Messe exhibition halls 1 to 11 plus the International Conference Hall, with additional space at TKP Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall. Tokyo Game Show

What is Tokyo Game Show?

Tokyo Game Show is the largest games industry event in Asia, run by CESA at Makuhari Messe outside Tokyo. The 2026 edition runs 17 to 21 September and is the thirtieth, extended to five days for the first time. Its structure is the thing to understand: two trade-only business days come first, then three public days, and they are effectively different events sharing a floor.

Who goes to Tokyo Game Show?

Publishers, developers, platform holders, distributors and press on the business days, and an enormous consumer audience on the public days. Japanese and wider Asian publishers dominate the floor in a way they do not at gamescom, which is the main reason to attend both rather than treating them as interchangeable.

Tokyo Game Show side events

Publishers run their own showcases, press events and parties around Makuhari and central Tokyo during the week, and the business days carry a conference programme in the International Conference Hall. Little of the informal schedule is public. Aspire does not run any of it.

Tokyo Game Show tickets and costs

Decide which days you need before booking. Business days on 17 and 18 September are trade only and run 10:00 to 17:00; the public days from the 19th open at 09:30 and close between 16:00 and 17:00. No pricing was published on the page checked, so none is quoted here. Makuhari is in Chiba, not central Tokyo, and the commute is the main practical constraint.

Getting to Makuhari Messe and TKP Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall

Kaihimmakuhari station on the JR Keiyo line is a short walk from Makuhari Messe, roughly 30 to 40 minutes from Tokyo station. Narita is closer than Haneda to Makuhari. The Keiyo line is heavily congested on public days, so arriving early matters.

Where to stay for Tokyo Game Show

The hotels around Makuhari are closest and fill first, and they are convenient but isolated. Central Tokyo means a daily commute of 30 to 40 minutes each way but a far better evening. Business-day attendees generally stay central; public-day attendees benefit more from being near the venue.

What to know before booking Tokyo Game Show

Makuhari Messe is about 30 to 40 minutes from central Tokyo, so the public days produce serious congestion on the Keiyo line and long queues for popular booths. Anyone attending on business should treat the two trade days as the event and the public days as optional. Note also the five-day format is new for the thirtieth edition, so older guidance describing four days is out of date.

Tokyo Game Show: common questions