PAX East brought all the games to the Thomas M. Merino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, MA! It was a celebration of all things gaming & gaming culture from March 26-29, 2026, complete with top publishers, all-weekend panels, meet & greets, and countless in-booth demos of video games, tabletop games, card games, board games, and more. Indie or mainstream, you name it and PAX East has it: names like Limited Run Games, Magic: The Gathering, UVS & Riftbound, Neopets, Atari, Aerthlings, and the return of Nintendo to the Expo Hall!
Digital gaming was in full swing this year, and there’s no better place to discover what’s up & coming than at PAX East. Wishlist the nearly-final Cat Secretary on Steam, jump into motion with Nex Playground’s motion-based Avatar: The Last Airbender game, play something spooky with Blumhouse Games, and try out Atari’s “Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch” ahead of its April 20th release… Not to mention Nintendo’s massive comeback to PAX with not one, not two, but three of their latest demos, as well as photo ops (below), giveaways, and My Nintendo & Pokemon Home perks. Some of the longest lines at the convention were for Nintendo’s upcoming Pokemon Champions (releasing April 8), Pokemon Pokopia (released March 5), and Super Mario Bros. Wonder for Switch 2 (released March 26).
You’ll even be able to shop for game-related electronics, components, and peripherals, from controllers to ready-to-go PCs, and everything in between! But what makes PAX East special is that it’s not just about digital gaming. In fact, analog gamers, behold & rejoice, for there’s lots to see & experience when it comes to board games, card games, and other hands-on experiences. Join one of UVS Games’ CCG demos including the popular Riftbound: The League of Legends TCG; demo Brother Ming Games’ puzzle fighter Re;MATCH board game (still live on Kickstarter); learn more about OverPower Card Game’s upcoming Invincible set (releasing August 2026); sit in on limited sessions of IDW Games’ Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game (still live on Kickstarter); meet the team behind Gem Blenders TCG & their latest release, Idols & Omens; try out the official Cyberpunk TCG (the highest crowd-funded TCG to date); and much, much more.
All the while, you could shop for all the dice, card singles, miniatures, and accessories you can imagine! But it’s not just four days of gaming & shopping. In fact, there were hundreds of free-to-attend panels, workshops, meetups, shows, and even autograph sessions with fan-favorite content creators, Legend of Zelda voice actors, Overwatch & Apex Legends voice actor Anjali Bhimani, and a special appearance by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman who was signing for free at the Magic: The Gathering Booth:
It’s no wonder why PAX East is one of the biggest and best gaming conventions in the U.S.! With a wide range of representation and a complete takeover of the Merino Convention Center on every level, all kinds of gamers from all over the world come together to be a part of the fun. And with 2026’s 4-Day & Saturday badges selling out, you’ll want to take note that next year’s dates are already set for April 22-26, 2027! For even more from PAX East 2026, check out our photo gallery and highlight video below:
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