If you're heading to Gen Con this summer, circle May 17 on your calendar. That's when event registration opens at noon Eastern for Gen Con 2026, and if the past few years are any indication, the most popular tournaments, RPG sessions, and demo slots will fill up within hours.
Gen Con 2026 runs July 30 to August 2 at the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and surrounding downtown Indianapolis hotels. The convention's exhibit hall has already sold out, and the full slate includes thousands of ticketed events, an outdoor Block Party with the Sun King Beer Garden, food trucks, and live entertainment.
Four-day badges are $164, with single-day options ranging from $41 (Sunday) to $112 (Saturday). If you haven't grabbed a badge yet, they went on sale back in February and tend to sell out well before the convention. Hotel registration through Gen Con's discounted housing block also opened in February.
The event registration date matters because Gen Con's catalogue typically runs to tens of thousands of individual events. First-timers often underestimate how fast headline events fill up. If there's a specific tournament, True Dungeon run, or publisher demo you're after, have your wishlist ready before noon on May 17 and be logged in early.
With SPIEL Essen maxing out its venue and UK Games Expo celebrating its 20th anniversary, 2026 is a packed year for board game conventions. Gen Con remains the biggest in North America, and the planning window is open now.
Sources: Gen Con Official | Gaming Trend
