PAX Aus 2026 - Survival Guide

When you've been in this line of work as long as I have, you start to measure the passage of time through certain events. PAX is one such occasion. Despite being an evergreen, dependable event in the Aussie gaming scene, it still seems to hit me by surprise. Time goes from “Oh, PAX is soon” to “Wait, PAX is WHEN?!" quicker than you can say the word “whiplash”.

If you're reading this, you're probably at least curious about what is probably Australia's biggest gaming convention. Split between the Show Floor, the Tabletop Floor, the Free Play Area and the plethora of panels and talks, here's everything you need to know about PAX Aus 2026.

When and Where Is It?

This year, PAX Aus 2026 runs from Friday, 9 October through Sunday, 11 October. The event is once again back at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, the same venue that's hosted it for almost every one of its past 13 years. (Having covered the very first one all those years ago, just saying that has made me feel terribly old).

The Show Floor

The Show Floor is where all attending publishers show off their upcoming games and hardware, as well as where all the various exhibitors spruik their wares. This year is notable for the following publishers showing:

• Activision will have Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's multiplayer mode playable ahead of its launch later this month.

• Nintendo returns with its stage this year, and seems to be centering its showcases around competitive Nintendo Switch Sports Resort action, as well as a Pikmin Bloom interactive event, and demos for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and the Pokemon Pokopia Expansion Pass.

• SEGA: will have Alien: Isolation 2, Total War: Warhammer 40,000, Stranger than Heaven, and Persona 4 Revival playable on the show floor.

• Square-Enix will be showcasing its ongoing MMO Final Fantasy XIV Online, including the chance to play the Switch 2 version.

Just as important to the show floor is the Aus Indie Showcase, which is a whole section of the floor carved out with a bunch of great Aussie titles to check out (and, while you're there, have a chat with the developers that make them possible!)

Tabletop Arena

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention videogame's cardboard cousins. Whether you're looking to check out the latest in tabletop RPGs, board games, or card games, looking to roll some dice with some mates, join a Magic draft or just want to find a relatively chill place to sit and take a breather, the Tabletop Area is definitely not somewhere to ignore.

Exhibitors typically do learn-to-plays, which is another good way of both getting some gaming in and letting your legs rest for a tad. Plus, y'know, the human connection can be pretty nice after a day of staring at screens and ads.

Free Play

This year there's some PC and Console free play areas at the back of the Tabletop Arena where you can take a breather and just play some goshdarn videogames. The downside: there's usually some queues, so you might have to wait a bit to get a station.

Panels and Talks

If the Show Floor is where you see what's coming, the panels is where you hear about how it gets made, and the people behind them.

This year kicks off with a Storytime with Holly Longdale, Executive Producer of World of Warcraft, who'll share some insights into the game's history and evolution (not a bad time to do it, as we head into Forever launching next month).

On Saturday, CD PROJEKT RED and Fool's Theory will run a live demo of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Songs of the Past, followed by a panel with the devs.

But panels are more than just about the games, they're about the community that surround them. There's some cosplay workshops, voice acting, games writing, and far, far more. The best way to plan out your day is to visit the PAX Schedule. It's a little bit annoying to sift through, but you can definitely catch some diamonds if you spend a few minutes to look it through.

Panels are another great way to settle down after a day of running around the show floor. Some of my favourite PAX memories over the years have come from the panels I stumbled into because I needed a moment to rest my weary legs.

The Community

By far the best part of PAX is the stuff that happens to the side of the Convention Centre. The best place to take a breather, and check out some cool cosplay, is on the Yarra side of the convention side, just next to the boardwalk. There's plenty of space to sit and enjoy a (rare Melbourne) moment of sunshine (we've been blessed this year!) and take in the sights.

And that's it! That's PAX. For those of you that can't make it, we'll be there, so keep an eye on our PAX Hub for all the latest from the show floor.