One of the nation’s largest gatherings of tabletop-game enthusiasts will come to Houston next summer. PAX—previously known as the Penny Arcade Expo—announced on Friday plans for a PAX Unplugged in Houston next June 25-27 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Founded in 2004, PAX is a multi-annual collection of conventions that celebrates gaming and gaming culture. PAX Unplugged serves as the convention dedicated to board games, card games, role-playing games and any-and-all tabletop games that aren’t electronic; the 2024 PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia drew more than 30,000 estimated attendees.
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PAX will hold a PAX Unplugged convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia in December, then hold the PAX East 2027 convention in Boston next April, before heading south to Houston.
One Unplugged just isn’t enough. We’re launching a second PAX Unplugged in Houston: June 25-27, 2027! See y’all in Texas next summer 🤠🧡 pic.twitter.com/VgTeO4Sg6y
— PAX (@pax) September 4, 2026
PAX hasn’t held an event in the Lone Star State since its PAX South was cancelled after 2020’s event in San Antonio, ending a six-year run in the Alamo City. Now, event organizers believe Houston is a perfect host city for its return to Texas. Polygon’s Francesco Cacciatore reports Houston was selected, in part, for its airport size, hotel availability and general infrastructure advantages. But there is one added incentive in choosing the Bayou City to host PAX Unplugged, per event organizers.
“We think the dork population is quite high in Houston,” PAX co-founder Mike Krahulik told Cacciatore.
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Stay informed, and entertained.
PAX now has annual gatherings for PAX West, Pax East, PAX Australia and PAX Unplugged. Badges for PAX Unplugged in Houston will go on sale later in 2026.
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