GM, COT❣️ Yuzunoko here.
Have you checked the results from Tokyo Game Show 2026 yet?
For its 30th anniversary, Tokyo Game Show, one of Japan's biggest video game trade shows, was supposed to run for five days at Makuhari Messe (a convention center in Chiba, just east of Tokyo), the longest in its history. But with Typhoon No. 25 approaching (Japan numbers its typhoons by the order they form each year), the in-person event on the final day, September 21, was canceled for the whole day, so the venue was open for four days, September 17 to 20.
According to the organizer, the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA, a Japanese game industry association), total attendance over those four days was 257,642.
The co-organizers were Nikkei BP and Sony Music Solutions, and the venues were Exhibition Halls 1 to 11 and the International Conference Hall at Makuhari Messe, plus TKP Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall.
Planned for five days, cut to four by a typhoon
The original schedule had business days on the 17th and 18th, and public days from the 19th to the 21st. The theme was "The longest ever: 5 DAYS packed with play."
On the 19th, the organizer announced that the 20th would go ahead as planned and the 21st would be canceled for the whole day.
They explained that with wind and rain expected to pick up in the afternoon and likely to affect public transportation, they put visitors' and exhibitors' ability to get home safely first.
For the 21st, they announced that the official programs would still stream as planned, without using the venue. There were two: an invitation-only Street Fighter 6 showmatch and the ending stage, and some exhibitors were also set to run their own online streams.
Having the fifth day turn into streams only is honestly a little sad (a typhoon showing up in the 30th anniversary year? Isn't that a little too mean?).
Attendance, as announced by the organizer
Here's the attendance by day from the closing release.
- September 17 (Thu), business day: 53,630
- September 18 (Fri), business day: 52,545
- September 19 (Sat), public day: 78,678
- September 20 (Sun), public day: 72,789
- September 21 (Mon, holiday), public day: in-person event canceled, online streams only
As a bar chart, it looks like this.
According to the same table, 2025 drew 263,101 over four days.
This year lost a day, but the public day on the 19th came in slightly above the previous year's Saturday (77,415).
There were 1,138 exhibiting companies and organizations from 53 countries and regions. The organizer writes that this beat the previous year, which had been the record.
Business meetings arranged through the show's business matching system also hit 3,673, which is apparently a record too.
Online, 25 official programs were streamed, on YouTube, X and Twitch, and on Niconico (a Japanese video-sharing site) as well (whenever I spot Niconico's name, I can't help getting a little happy).
The indie game Grand Prix goes to Kao UFO
On the 17th, the first business day, the indie game developer pitch contest SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2026 was held. This was its 19th year.
According to the organizer, eight finalists were chosen from 151 entries, and the Grand Prix went to Kao UFO (literally "Face UFO"), entered from Japan. The Semi-Grand Prix went to UNKNOT!, entered from China.
Just from the titles, I really want to know what kind of games they are.
The cosplay areas: east and west sides of Hall 9
There were two cosplay areas, on the east and west sides of Hall 9.
They were set to be open from opening time until 16:30 on the public days of the 19th and 20th, and from opening time until 15:30 on the 21st, but the event itself was canceled on the 21st.
Of the rules posted on the official site, these are the ones worth knowing.
- To cosplay, you need a cosplay ticket (2,000 yen regular, 3,000 yen early morning, tax included) on top of a one-day ticket, plus cosplay registration on the day
- You can only change in the changing room on the east side of Hall 9. Arriving in costume and leaving the venue in costume are both banned
- Long items with an overall length of 50 cm or more are banned, whatever they're made of
- Photos only inside the cosplay areas, with the subject's permission. Kakomi shooting (a crowd surrounding one cosplayer to take photos) is banned in principle, and so is video
A 50 cm limit on long items is pretty short. AnimeJapan, held the same year, 2026, allowed prop weapons up to 130 cm.
If you want to go as a character who carries a weapon, check this number before you start making props (the cooler a character's sword is, the more this one's going to hurt❣️).
Refunds for September 21 tickets
After canceling the 21st, the organizer announced refunds for tickets.
If you bought a one-day ticket or cosplay ticket for the 21st through Lawson Ticket (the ticketing service of the Lawson convenience store chain), you process the refund at the Loppi terminal in the convenience store where you picked up the ticket, between 10:00 on September 26, 2026 and 23:59 on October 9. It says refunds won't be accepted after the period ends.
Premium tickets, fast tickets, and tickets bought through asoview! each have a different procedure. Check the instructions for wherever you bought yours.
The next show, Tokyo Game Show 2027, has been announced for Thursday, September 16 to Monday, September 20 (a holiday). The in-person venue is planned to be Makuhari Messe.
About this article
I put this article together from CESA's closing release, its announcement about the event and the typhoon, its refund instructions, and the cosplay area page on the official site.
For refunds for the 21st, the deadline is October 9 if you bought through Lawson Ticket, but it varies depending on where you bought, so if this applies to you, check the instructions on the official site soon.
Quotes from Japanese sources are our own translations.
Translated from the Japanese original.
See you next time on COT❣️