Mark the calendar and maybe set an alarm. Gen Con 2026 opens event registration at noon Eastern on Sunday 17 May, the annual rush where badge-holders lock in tickets for the specific games, tournaments and seminars they want at the show.
Stop juggling Meetup, WhatsApp, and spreadsheets. One platform for your gaming group's events, RSVPs, and member management.
See how it worksGen Con is the four-day tabletop convention that takes over downtown Indianapolis every summer, running 30 July to 2 August 2026 across the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. The exhibit hall and open gaming pull big crowds, but a huge part of the Gen Con experience is the ticketed events catalogue: a vast programme of scheduled sessions covering learn-to-play demos, RPG one-shots, painting classes and headline tournaments. Anything with a limited table count can fill quickly once registration opens, which is why noon Eastern has become a minor sporting event in its own right.
If you already hold a badge, this is the stage that actually shapes your weekend. Browse the catalogue beforehand, build a wishlist, and have your top picks ready to add the second the clock ticks over. Badges remain on sale too: a four-day badge is $164, with single days running from $41 on Sunday up to $112 on Saturday.
Run game nights? Backseat Gamer handles RSVPs, waitlists, date polling, and game voting so you can focus on playing.
Start organising for freeFor UK gamers, Gen Con is a bucket-list trip rather than a weekend jaunt, but the underlying idea travels well. It scales right down to a local club: publish what you are running, let people sign up ahead of time, and nobody arrives to a full table. If you are organising sessions for your own group, you can set up events and let members RSVP on Backseat Gamer without the noon-Eastern stress. Advance scheduling buys the same thing everywhere: more time at the table and less time queuing.
Sources: Gen Con | GamingTrend
