The very first Tokyo Game Show was held in 1996 and this year the event celebrates its 30th anniversary as one of the largest video game events in the world and the largest in Japan. If you’d like to explore more of the history of Tokyo Game Show please check out their 30th anniversary website: https://tgs.cesa.or.jp/2026/en/30th
I’ve been attending TGS every year since I first starting living and working permanently in Japan from 2014 so the anniversary took me by surprise since I am always shocked by how much time has passed since I moved here. While I do have a family now we decided again not to take our little one just yet for various factors but I do see more and more families with little ones of all ages at the event each year. It is actually quite a family friendly event if you plan correctly and time things right but there is also a dedicated family area for little ones. Personally I just feel that at her age she won’t be able to enjoy it or relax as much as say going to an aquarium or theme park since at its core TGS is a gaming showcase event.
Seeing as this is far from my first time attending the event I thought I’d write up a report including some tips and tricks along with some new parts of the event this year. Do be aware I only attended by myself so my reporting abilities on a public day were very limited as was my time and energy. Lots of other places cover everything and from the comfort of business days where there are far fewer attendees and more of the production staff on the floor to meet and greet people. One day we hope we can bring you that kind of coverage but from now enjoy what a real public day experience is like.
This was the first year TGS offered three new categories of tickets for the event:
- Fast Ticket: Gives you access to a priority entrance where you can wait at from the first train to arrive at the JR Kaihin Makuhari Station.
- Premium Ticket: Included fast tickets and entry for all public days along with access to a special premium lounge.
- 30th Anniversary Ticket: Included regular admission to all public days and a limited edition pure gold medal set to commemorate the event at a whopping 3,300,000 yen.
Please Note: You can’t just roll up to the event and buy a ticket on the day of. As with most popular destinations and events in Japan, you have to order them ahead of time. There are lots of methods available to visitors locally and overseas so be sure to check the website for details for next year! Personally we found that buying at Animate was the cheapest since they don’t charge the extra ticket processing fees but we’re lucky enough to live close enough to buy them in store.
I attended on Saturday which was the first public day and ended up not really having much rain so everything went as scheduled compared to Sunday which had lots more rain and Monday that was ultimately cancelled due to inclement weather with a typhoon looming. The first thing you’ll notice especially if you’re arriving to the JR Kaihin Makuhari Station is just how crowded it is. Just take your time and be sure to follow the instructions of the staff. If you’re confused on where to go chances are you just have to follow the flow of the crowd after exiting the stations but advertisements will also be there to light the way. Monster was handing out free energy drinks to everyone bright and early and stayed setup by the station throughout the day to keep everyone fueled.
Once you make it up to the bridges leading toward the Makuhari Messe you’ll come to a crossroads where you choose which entrance you plan on getting into. This is the biggest decision for those arriving at opening as you’ll be lined up and waiting and most likely stuck in that area for your first few hours at the event.
- Family Park: a special area just for families accompanying children who are junior high school age or younger. While I have not personally checked out the area before from the pictures it seems like a very relaxing and fun area for families to get away from the more crowded main venue. They even have their own food court so families could spend the whole day there without having to worry about other facilities if needed.
- Halls 1-8: This the main showcase area that will have the majority of the big and small game and entertainment company booths including the main event stage. If you’re aiming to try the bigger game demos or see performances this is where you want to line up first.
- Halls 9-11: This is where all the stores are located and merchandise adjacent booths along with smaller creators and the indie games showcase. If you have your eyes on limited merch this would be where you want to start your day.
I always head to Halls 1-8 and leave my shopping odds to supply and fate because by the time you finish in the main halls you’re bogged down by so much free swag and all that walking it ends up draining a lot of your energy. That’s just my personal choice of not wanting to carry around more stuff all day long.
This year the event partnered with various companies to help keep attendees cool. In the past even though the event is always held around the same time because of the odd time of the year technically still being summer and the amount of people things tend to get hot. So this year they were giving out Garigari-kun popsicles by the entrances for free along with Biore brand cooling wipes. In addition large fans were set up in the rest areas between halls.
There’s also last minute storage for suitcases and strollers but you have to pay a pretty steep price of 5,000 yen for your suitcase.
For a breakdown of how long the line wait took me here is my timeline:
- 8:45 My train arrived at the JR Kaihin Makuhari Station
- 9:10 I made it to Makuhari Messe on foot and got in line
- 9:39 I finished baggage check and ticket exchange for my wristband
- 9:46 The line stopped due to crowd control by the hall entrance
- 9:55 I finally made it into Hall 1
All in all not a long wait considering how many people were around and with the curveball of the new fast pass system. Apparently the venue had opened a bit earlier as well to accommodate the sold out crowd for the day too which showed when our line stopped a bit.
Despite how many years I’ve attended I still couldn’t give up hope so when we were guided into Hall 1 instead of the usual Hall 8 I made a beeline for the Capcom booth to see if there was any chance I could play the first Monster Hunter Ascendance demo. Of course by the time I got there not only was the crowd of people bottlenecking right in front of the booth but all of the numbered tickets for entry were gone. Visitors should always expect the demo slots for big game demos to either be a very long wait from the start of the event or to have run out of slots or timed entry tickets. On top of that things like photo spots and activities at more popular booths may also have long waits or have entry closed periodically for crowd control.
Even if you visit partner booths like PlayStation chances are entry will still be restricted or closed much like this case. On the other hand it frees up the rest of your day to explore booths freely and check out things you may not have thought to check out. This is the greatest element of luck when it comes to visiting on not just public day but any day. Back when I worked in the industry and sometimes attended business days the demo slots would fill up within the first hour too so it’s gacha for all at the end of the day.
Speaking of PlayStation they were definitely the booth to be at featuring not just Monster Hunter Ascendence but also Grand Theft Auto VI, Final Fantasy VII Revelation, and more. All of which of course were completely filled up.
I was surprised to see the name Neo Geo in big bold letters but it had its very own booth that felt like a history lesson. That was a bit of a theme for a lot of other booths throughout the event as well I noticed. It’s so interesting how so many franchises are celebrating their big anniversaries around the same years.
There were so many amazing cosplayers and mascot characters any time I came across them I had to snap a pic but of course they’re also crowd pleasers too so I didn’t always catch them myself. Definitely send all the love and likes their way if you see them pop up on your social media.
I spent the rest of my time flitting between as many of the big booths and meandering through the smaller ones as I could because there was just so much to see and do. Honestly I barely scratched the surface but I think I did a pretty good job of getting around as best I could for just attending solo. If you’ve never had to juggle your own bag and all the free swag you get weighed down with alone you’re a lucky attendee but just like carrying around an itabag we do it for the love of the games!
Look forward to my next few entries featuring more in depth information about my time at TGS including shopping and gacha! And for those of you who couldn’t attend fear not as almost every company has shared either their shows or their booth pictures online and will continue to as things wind down. Some may even have giveaways so be sure to look up your favorites and keep an eye out.
Did you get to attend TGS 2026? How was your experience? Have you ever gotten to go to any Tokyo Game Show in the past? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Useful Links
4Gamer TGS Coverage: https://www.4gamer.net/words/001/W00124/
Dengeki Online TGS Coverage: https://dengekionline.com/article/202609/86099?pickup
