John TuftsIndianapolis Star
July 28, 2026, 12:50 p.m. ET
Note: An earlier version of this story ran in 2025. The article has been updated with new information for 2026.
Grab your favorite 20-sided die and finest anime costume – Gen Con, the four biggest days in tabletop gaming, returns to Indianapolis this week.
That means you can expect roughly 70,000 people meandering through downtown Indy for the largest and longest-running tabletop gaming convention in North America.
Whether you’re a local Indy resident or from out of state, here’s what to know about Gen Con: scoring tickets, where to park and what to do if you lose your coveted badge (pro-tip: don’t).
What is Gen Con?
Gen Con is a four-day event catering to enthusiasts of all things gaming (minus sports and gambling): tabletop and RPG’s (Role-Playing Games) as well as video, computer, and trading card games.
If it involves throwing dice while pretending to be an saucy bard or a moody rogue with a tragic backstory, this is your place.
When is Gen Con 2026?
This year’s Gen Con takes place at the Indiana Convention Center from July 30 to Aug. 2, 2026.
When is the exhibit hall open at Gen Con?
Itching to get your hands on the latest cool games or a brand new set of dice? More than 500 companies are showcasing products for sale this week inside Gen Con’s exhibit hall.
The Gen Con exhibit hall hours are open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
What do people do at Indy Gen Con?
It’s more like what can’t you do at Gen Con.
In addition to a sea of merch at the exhibit hall, there are tabletop games of every shape and size to play, along with game tournaments, a film festival, hundreds of exhibit booths, thousands of scheduled programs, a costume and cosplay contest, an art show, geek merch and more events than you can shake a lightsaber at.
Last year, Gen Con attendee and Kokomo resident Mark Polk said getting his “Magic: The Gathering” cards signed was a top priority, as well as supporting local tourism by dining at local restaurants, he said, such as St. Elmo Steakhouse and Harry & Izzy’s.
“You got to get good food, play games and have fun,” Polk said.
The life-size 10,000 square foot “True Dungeon” in Lucas Oil Stadium is back this year. So too is one of the country’s largest sci-fi and fantasy art shows. There’s library’s worth of books at “Authors’ Avenue,” as well as seminars, panels and Q&As with industry and media celebrities.
So pack a comfortable pair of shoes if you plan on attending this year’s convention; you’ll need them.
How many people went to Gen Con in 2025?
Short answer: a LOT. Gen Con drew in a record-breaking sold-out crowd of more than 72,000 people in 2025, according to a news release, setting a new attendance record.
That’s roughly the equivalent of Muncie, Indiana’s total population (along with 7,000 of their pets), spending nearly a week in Circle City.
Economic impact of Gen Con on Indianapolis
According to organizers, Gen Con’s estimated economic impact added more than $82 million for Indianapolis hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses in 2025.
Story continues after photo gallery.
Parking at Gen Con 2026
There also are more than a dozen other parking facilities within walking distance of Gen Con, including the Capitol Commons Garage and Marriott Garage along West Maryland Street.
Parking lots close to the Indiana Convention Center
How much does it cost to park in downtown Indianapolis?
The Downtown Indy website has a Park Whiz map that shows the cost of parking when you enter the date and time. You can see rates for Indianapolis parking at ParkWhiz.com, or download the Park Whiz app on your smart phone or mobile device.
How expensive is Gen Con? What to know about badges and event tickets
If you’ve procrastinated on getting a badge to Gen Con, you’ll need to hurry. On Monday, July 27, organizers reported badges were nearly sold out, and badge sales end at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
This year, Gen Con badges cost the following:
- Four-day badges: $164, up from $155 in 2025.
- Thursday, Friday badges: $83, up from $78 in 2025.
- Saturday badges: $112, up from $95 in 2025.
- Sunday badges: $41, up from $39 in 2025.
- Trade Day: $302, up from $258 in 2025.
- Children younger than 10 get in free but must be accompanied by an adult with a valid Gen Con badge.
Attendees participating in the convention’s more than 30,000 scheduled ticketed events can score those online at GenCon.com, the convention’s official website.
Some events are free. Gen Con attendees are strongly encouraged to check the availability of each event to ensure they’re not fully booked or sold out.
What happens if you lose your badge?
For starters, don’t. Gen Con cannot replace or refund lost, stolen, or forgotten badges or ticketed events per its terms of service. That means if your badge disappears, you have to buy a new one (assuming they’re still available) at full cost.
I can’t attend Gen Con in person. Is there a way to watch it online?
Yes! You can watch streamed online content both on the Gen Con Twitch channel and through Discord.
Story continues after photo gallery.
Where is Gen Con?
The biggest four days in gaming takes place at the Indiana Convention Center, at 100 S. Capitol Ave., in downtown Indianapolis.
Is Gen Con always in Indianapolis?
Gen Con moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Indianapolis in 2003. The popular convention has been held in Circle City ever since, and that doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon. In 2023, Gen Con renewed its contract with Indianapolis through 2030.
Why is it called Gen Con?
What does the “Gen” in “Gen Con” mean? Generation Convention? Generic? Generousness? Genuflect? Actually, the answer lies in Wisconsin of all places.
Gen Con was founded in 1968 by Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax who met with friends to play games in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, according to event organizers.
Thus the name Gen (Geneva) Con (Convention) was adopted: Gen Con.
📩 Start your morning with the top Indy news delivered straight to your inbox with IndyStar’s Daily Briefing. Sign up for free at indystar.com/newsletters.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at JTuftsReports.
