Best Indie Gaming Events and Festivals

Some of the most interesting games at a gaming event aren’t attached to enormous booths, 20-screen displays or franchises you’ve been playing since childhood.

They’re sitting on a laptop or small demo station with one of the developers standing a few metres away.

That’s a big part of the appeal of indie gaming events.

Indie festivals and showcases give smaller developers somewhere to put unusual, experimental and genuinely original games directly in front of players. You might arrive because you’ve been following one particular game and leave with another six added to your wishlist.

The best indie gaming events range from dedicated festivals such as Day of the Devs, BitSummit and A MAZE. / Berlin to indie showcases operating inside much larger gaming conventions.

Some are built primarily for players. Others lean towards developers, experimental game design, networking or the wider creative side of games.

This guide looks at the best indie gaming events and festivals, what makes each one interesting and which events are most worth following depending on what you actually want from the experience.

If you’re still exploring the wider event scene, our guide to the best gaming events in the world covers everything from huge conventions to major esports tournaments.

Here, we’re going indie.

🎮 1. What Makes an Indie Gaming Event Worth Attending?

An indie gaming event isn’t simply a smaller gaming convention.

The best ones feel different.

Instead of walking between enormous publisher booths promoting games you’ve already seen advertised everywhere, you’re often discovering projects you knew absolutely nothing about ten minutes earlier.

You Can Actually Discover New Games

Discovery is arguably the biggest reason to attend.

Indie events can feature:

• Unreleased games
• Early prototypes
• Experimental projects
• Student games
• Alternative controllers
• Narrative games
• Local multiplayer games
• Games from very small studios
• Projects that don’t fit neatly into traditional genres

Some will eventually become major indie releases.

Others will remain wonderfully strange things you played once at a festival and then spent three years trying to describe to your friends.

Both are part of the fun.

Developers Are Often Right There

At many indie showcases, the person explaining the game isn’t a promotional representative.

They made it.

That creates a completely different interaction. You can play a demo and then ask the developer why a mechanic works the way it does, how the idea started or what they’re planning to change before release.

For developers, watching real players interact with the game can also provide valuable feedback.

For players, it makes the experience feel considerably more personal than watching another trailer.

Smaller Games Get More Attention

At huge gaming conventions, indie games compete with blockbuster announcements, enormous booths, merchandise stores, esports stages and approximately 40,000 other things trying to steal your attention.

Dedicated indie festivals reverse that.

The games themselves become the attraction.

That makes them particularly good for anyone who enjoys discovering games before they become widely known.

They’re Not All the Same

“Indie gaming event” covers a surprisingly broad range of experiences.

You might find:

Some events combine several of these.

So the “best” indie event depends heavily on whether you want to play games, meet developers, discover experimental projects or make industry connections.

🌎 2. Best Indie Gaming Events at a Glance

There isn’t one indie event that automatically beats everything else.

A player wanting dozens of playable demos has very different priorities from an indie developer hoping to meet publishers or someone looking for genuinely experimental game design.

Here’s a useful starting point:

We’ll get into what makes each one worth following below.

One useful thing to remember is that event formats can change between years. Dates, venues and public access should always be checked with the organiser before booking travel.

If you’re specifically planning a trip rather than browsing from home, our guide to how to find gaming events near you can help uncover smaller events that don’t have the international profile of the festivals on this list.

🕹️ 3. Day of the Devs – Brilliant for Actually Playing Indie Games

Location: San Francisco, USA
Best for: Discovering and playing upcoming indie games
Style: Free, player-friendly indie celebration

If your main goal is to walk into an event and start discovering interesting games, Day of the Devs is one of the strongest indie events to have on your radar.

Its flagship San Francisco event is built around playable games rather than simply showing trailers on a stage.

The 2026 San Francisco edition took place on 8 March 2026 and featured 67 games. Day of the Devs says its flagship event typically attracts thousands of attendees and showcases around 60–70 unreleased games.

Even better for players: admission to its in-person events is free.

Why Day of the Devs Stands Out

The event has a very simple appeal:

Walk around → find something interesting → play it → find something else

There’s a strong emphasis on games people can actually interact with, including unconventional projects and alternative-control games alongside more traditional indie releases.

That matters because indie games are particularly well suited to hands-on discovery.

A screenshot of a strange experimental game might tell you almost nothing.

Five minutes playing it can tell you everything.

Who Should Attend?

Day of the Devs is particularly appealing if you:

• Love discovering upcoming indie games
• Want lots of hands-on demos
• Enjoy unusual game concepts
• Want to meet developers
• Prefer games over enormous commercial booths
• Don’t necessarily need a full multi-day convention

It’s also approachable for someone who likes games but doesn’t consider themselves part of the games industry.

You can simply turn up and play.

The Best Part

There is very little pressure to know what you’re looking for.

In fact, I’d argue Day of the Devs is better when you don’t.

Don’t spend the entire event chasing games you’ve already seen online. Leave enough time to walk up to something purely because the art style, controller or person playing it caught your attention.

That’s where indie events are at their best.

🇯🇵 4. BitSummit – One of Japan’s Biggest Indie Game Festivals

Location: Kyoto, Japan
Best for: Japanese indie games and international developers
Style: Dedicated indie gaming festival

Japan has one of the most influential gaming industries in the world, but you don’t have to spend your entire gaming trip looking at Nintendo, PlayStation and enormous publishers.

BitSummit puts independent games firmly in the spotlight.

The festival describes itself as one of Japan’s leading independent game development events. The 2026 edition, BitSummit PUNCH, ran from 22–24 May at Miyako Messe in Kyoto and featured a substantial collection of independently developed games across PC, console and mobile platforms.

Why BitSummit Is Worth Following

BitSummit gives players access to a mix of Japanese and international indie development that can be difficult to experience in one place elsewhere.

Expect to encounter:

• Japanese indie developers
• International indie studios
• Upcoming games
• Playable demos
• Developer booths
• Awards
• Industry guests
• Creator activity

For international visitors, the location makes it particularly interesting.

You’re discovering indie games inside Kyoto, rather than spending another day wondering whether buying additional gaming merchandise counts as a cultural activity.

It does.

Probably.

It’s Particularly Good for Japanese Indie Games

Steam and digital storefronts have made Japanese indie games much easier to discover internationally, but plenty of smaller projects still struggle to attract attention outside Japan.

An event like BitSummit puts those games directly in front of players, creators, publishers and media.

That makes it a particularly strong choice if you’re interested in seeing what smaller Japanese developers are creating beyond the country’s globally recognised studios.

Players and Developers Can Both Get Something From It

BitSummit isn’t purely a consumer gaming convention.

There’s an industry element too, which means developers can use the event for exposure, networking and connections while players get the much more enjoyable job of wandering around trying games.

If you’re travelling internationally specifically for indie gaming, BitSummit is one of the events I’d put high on the shortlist.

🎨 5. A MAZE. / Berlin – For the Weird, Artistic and Experimental Side of Games

Location: Berlin, Germany
Best for: Arthouse games, experimental design and playful media
Style: International games and playful media festival

If your idea of an interesting game is something that makes you say “I’m not entirely sure what that was, but I want to play it again,” A MAZE. / Berlin deserves attention.

This isn’t simply an exhibition of smaller commercial games.

A MAZE. describes itself as an international festival for independent and arthouse games that explores games and playful media beyond the mainstream. Its 15th edition ran from 13–16 May 2026 across multiple Berlin venues.

This Is the Experimental One

The 2026 programme extended well beyond conventional PC and console demos.

It included:

• Arthouse games
• Interactive installations
• Custom controllers
• Playful media
• Performances
• Workshops
• Talks
• Experimental audiovisual work
• Full-dome experiences

The official exhibition programme specifically featured games, installations, interactive full-dome experiences and playful artwork.

If Day of the Devs is somewhere you go to discover your next indie wishlist obsession, A MAZE. can feel closer to exploring an interactive art festival where games happen to be the language everyone is using.

Why That’s a Good Thing

Indie development is interesting partly because small teams don’t always have to design around the expectations attached to enormous commercial releases.

They can experiment.

A MAZE. pushes that idea further than most events.

You may encounter games that challenge what a controller should look like, interactive installations that barely resemble conventional games or projects designed around an idea rather than a familiar genre.

That makes it especially interesting for:

• Indie developers
• Game designers
• Artists
• Experimental game fans
• Students
• People interested in interactive media
• Players thoroughly bored of seeing the same ideas repeated

There’s a Strong Creative Community Around It

A MAZE. isn’t only about walking through an exhibition.

Its 2026 programme included talks, workshops, performances, an awards show, a market for arthouse games and multiple social events across Berlin.

That makes it considerably more attractive for developers and other creatives who want to meet people rather than simply play demos.

For an ordinary player, though, the appeal is simpler.

You’ll see things you probably aren’t going to find in the featured carousel on your console.

🏅 6. IndieCade – A Long-Running Celebration of Independent Games

Location: USA + online
Best for: Creative, innovative and experimental indie games
Style: Juried independent games festival

IndieCade has been supporting independent games for years, and its focus has always been broader than simply finding the next commercially successful indie release.

It describes itself as an international juried festival of independent games, with its programme spanning festivals, talks, game clubs, education and other activities around independent game creation. Its current calendar has the 20th Annual IndieCade Festival scheduled for January 2027, following its Anywhere & Everywhere festivals in previous years.

That makes IndieCade slightly different from an event where the main objective is simply to walk around playing upcoming Steam releases.

Why IndieCade Stands Out

IndieCade has traditionally embraced a broad definition of what a game can be.

That can mean:

• Experimental games
• Narrative projects
• Student games
• Multiplayer experiences
• Alternative controllers
• Interactive installations
• Unusual game mechanics
• Games exploring social or cultural ideas

For players who enjoy indie games precisely because they’re willing to take risks, that’s a big part of the attraction.

Not everything needs to become the next Hades, Balatro or Stardew Valley.

Sometimes you want to see somebody attempt an idea that would cause a major publisher’s finance department to quietly leave the room.

It’s Particularly Interesting for Developers

IndieCade also has a strong developer and educational side.

If you’re making games yourself, the opportunity to see how other independent developers approach design can be just as valuable as playing the finished projects.

It can also be useful for:

• Game design students
• New developers
• Artists
• Writers
• Educators
• Researchers
• People exploring unconventional game development

For a player, the appeal is discovery.

For a developer, there’s another layer: seeing just how many different directions independent game development can take.

Keep an Eye on the Event Format

IndieCade’s format has evolved over time, including online and distributed programming rather than always operating like a conventional expo.

That means it’s worth checking the current festival programme before planning a trip specifically around it.

The 20th Annual IndieCade Festival is currently listed for January 2027, making it one to watch as the next festival approaches.

🇦🇺 7. PAX Rising and the Aus Indie Showcase – Australia’s Indie Hotspot

Location: Melbourne, Australia
Best for: Australian indie games and playable demos
Style: Curated indie areas within PAX Aus

Australian gamers don’t necessarily need an international flight to find a serious collection of indie games.

PAX Aus has built indie development directly into its expo through PAX Rising and the Aus Indie Showcase.

The 2026 event runs from 9–11 October at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with PAX Rising providing a dedicated platform for independent tabletop and video game developers from Australia and overseas.

PAX Rising Is Built for Smaller Developers

PAX Rising exists specifically to give independent developers space within the much larger PAX environment.

For 2026, PAX says qualifying PAX Rising exhibitors must have no more than five full-time or contracted employees at one time and must have a playable game. Exhibitor space sold out ahead of the event, which gives you some idea of the demand from smaller studios.

For attendees, that creates an area where you can move from game to game without every booth belonging to a publisher you’ve known for 20 years.

Expect:

• Small development teams
• Playable indie games
• Australian developers
• International indies
• Tabletop projects
• Developers available around their booths
• Games at different stages of development

It’s a particularly good part of PAX Aus to explore without a rigid plan.

See something interesting?

Play it.

The Aus Indie Showcase Goes a Step Further

Alongside PAX Rising is the Aus Indie Showcase, which selects standout Australian independent tabletop and video games through a judging process.

Selected developers receive a booth at PAX Aus where attendees can meet them and play their games. The 2026 winners were announced on 1 September, with the selected projects due to exhibit at PAX Aus in October.

This gives the showcase a useful curated quality.

Rather than simply asking which indie booths should I visit?, you’ve got a collection of Australian projects that have already been selected for recognition.

Why PAX Aus Works So Well for Indie Fans

The advantage of PAX Aus is that you aren’t committing your entire trip to indie games.

You can spend an hour discovering small Australian projects, then wander into:

• Major game demos
• Panels
• Tabletop gaming
• Community activities
• Tournaments
• Exhibitor booths

PAX itself describes the Expo Hall as ranging from inventive indie developers in PAX Rising through to major studios showing upcoming blockbusters.

That makes it a great option if your group has mixed interests.

One person can spend half the afternoon enthusiastically talking to indie developers while somebody else disappears into the rest of PAX.

Everyone wins.

Well, except whoever agreed to meet at a specific location afterwards.

Good luck with that.

If you’re considering travelling to Melbourne for it, we’ve also covered the best gaming events in Australia, including the broader PAX Aus experience.

🌎 8. gamescom latam BIG Festival – A Huge Showcase for Latin American Indie Games

Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Best for: Latin American indie games and international discovery
Style: Major indie competition inside gamescom latam

If you want proof that indie gaming isn’t confined to North America, Europe and Japan, look towards Brazil.

The BIG Festival has been running since 2012 and now operates within gamescom latam. The organisers describe it as the world’s largest independent games competition, selecting innovative games from around the world while providing a major platform for Latin American releases.

The scale of the 2026 competition was substantial.

The festival received 966 submissions from 75 countries, with 81 projects selected as finalists. Brazil alone accounted for 451 submissions, while another 87 came from elsewhere in Latin America.

That’s a lot of indie games.

Even your Steam backlog is looking slightly nervous.

Why BIG Festival Is Different

The obvious attraction is its connection to the Latin American development scene.

Players can discover games from:

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Mexico
• Chile
• Peru
• Other Latin American countries
• Europe
• North America
• Asia
• Australia and New Zealand

The 2026 finalists included projects from around the world, while dedicated categories recognised the best games from Brazil and Latin America.

That regional emphasis makes the festival particularly valuable because many excellent Latin American games don’t receive the same international marketing exposure as releases from larger publishers.

You Can Actually Play the Games

This isn’t just an awards ceremony.

The BIG Festival makes selected games available for attendees to play, while gamescom latam promotes the area as somewhere visitors can test dozens of indie titles, discover studios and experience new releases.

The wider 2026 gamescom latam was enormous too, attracting more than 154,000 visitors and featuring more than 400 games across the event.

So you’re getting indie discovery inside a much broader gaming festival.

There’s Strong Support for Smaller Brazilian Developers

BIG Festival doesn’t stop at its main competition.

The BIG Starter programme gives additional Brazilian games visibility within the gamescom latam Indie Area, while BIG Highlight provides an online showcase for games that weren’t selected as competition finalists but were still considered worth featuring.

That creates more opportunities for genuinely small projects to be seen.

For anyone interested in where indie development is heading outside the usual markets, gamescom latam belongs on the list.

🎪 9. Don’t Ignore Indie Showcases Inside Bigger Gaming Conventions

Not every great indie gaming experience happens at a dedicated indie festival.

Some of the best indie discovery happens inside enormous gaming conventions.

That’s worth remembering when planning which events to attend.

Large Conventions Can Have Excellent Indie Areas

Major events may include:

• Dedicated indie halls
• Curated showcases
• Regional developer areas
• Student game sections
• Indie competitions
• Playable demo booths
• Developer talks
• Publisher-supported indie areas

PAX Aus is a perfect example because PAX Rising and the Aus Indie Showcase sit inside a convention covering almost every corner of gaming.

You can experience a similar dynamic at other large events around the world.

The advantage is variety.

If you love indie games but don’t necessarily want three entire days dedicated exclusively to them, a broader convention can be a better fit.

Look Beyond the Biggest Booths

There’s an easy mistake to make at huge conventions.

You walk into the expo hall, see a spectacular booth for a game you already know about and immediately join a 90-minute queue.

Meanwhile, 30 metres away, you could potentially play six games you’ve never heard of.

There’s nothing wrong with lining up for the blockbuster.

Just don’t let the largest marketing budget determine your entire day.

Talk to the Developers

This is one of the biggest advantages indie booths have over major publisher displays.

At a small booth, there’s a reasonable chance the person standing beside the demo helped design, code, draw, write or produce the game.

Ask them about it.

You don’t need a sophisticated industry question prepared.

Try:

“How did you come up with this?”

or:

“What part of the game are you working on now?”

You’ll often get a much more interesting conversation than you expected.

Wishlist Games You Enjoy

If you play something good, wishlist or follow it while you still remember what it’s called.

After an entire day at a convention, that cool indie game with the little robot is not a particularly effective Google search strategy.

Take a photo of the game’s name, scan the booth QR code or add it directly to your wishlist.

Future-you will appreciate the effort.

⚖️ 10. Which Indie Gaming Event Is Best for You?

The best indie gaming event depends on why you’re going.

There isn’t much value flying halfway around the world to attend a developer-heavy experimental festival if what you really wanted was a relaxed hall full of conventional playable demos.

Match the event to your interests.

Best for Players Who Want Lots of Games to Try

Consider:

Day of the Devs

Its focus on playable games and free public events makes it one of the easiest recommendations for someone who simply wants to discover interesting projects.

PAX Rising / Aus Indie Showcase

Particularly good for Australian players who want indie games without giving up the enormous variety of a full PAX convention.

gamescom latam BIG Festival

A strong choice for a huge selection of games and particularly valuable for discovering Latin American development.

Best for Experimental Games

Look towards:

A MAZE. / Berlin

This is the standout if your interests stretch beyond conventional commercial game design into arthouse games, installations, unusual controllers and playful media.

IndieCade

Another strong option for creative and unconventional independent projects, particularly if you’re interested in game design as much as simply playing new releases.

Best for Japanese Indie Games

BitSummit is the obvious choice.

Its Kyoto location and established connection to Japan’s independent development community give it an identity that’s difficult for other events to replicate.

Best for Australian Indie Games

PAX Aus wins here.

The combination of PAX Rising and the Aus Indie Showcase creates one of Australia’s strongest opportunities to play independent games and meet the people making them. The 2026 PAX Aus Indie Showcase specifically gives selected Australian developers exhibition space in front of thousands of attendees, media and industry professionals.

Best for Indie Developers

The answer becomes more complicated if you’re attending as a developer.

Look for events offering:

• Publisher meetings
• Industry networking
• Developer talks
• Awards
• Exhibition opportunities
• Media access
• Business areas
• Other developers working at a similar scale

A MAZE., IndieCade, BitSummit and gamescom latam BIG Festival can all become interesting for reasons that extend well beyond playing games.

Quick Comparison

There’s no reason to treat that table as a ranking.

The whole point of indie games is that interesting things are happening in completely different corners of the industry.

The same applies to the events celebrating them.

🔎 11. How to Find Smaller Indie Gaming Events Near You

The events we’ve covered are some of the better-known names in indie gaming, but you don’t necessarily need an international flight to discover interesting independent games.

Smaller indie showcases happen in cities around the world, and they can sometimes be more enjoyable than major festivals.

You get fewer games, but also fewer crowds and more opportunities to actually talk to the people making them.

Search for Your Local Indie Development Community

Instead of only searching for gaming conventions, try queries such as:

• Indie game events near me
• Indie game showcase + city
• Game developer meetup + city
• Indie game festival + country
• Playtesting event + city
• Game development expo + city
• Student game showcase + city
• Game jam showcase + city

The terminology matters.

A small local event might never describe itself as a gaming convention even though it has 20 playable games sitting in a room waiting to be discovered.

Our guide to finding gaming events near you covers the broader discovery process in more detail.

Follow Local Developers

Find a few independent developers in your city or region and follow what they’re doing.

Developers regularly share events where they’re exhibiting, which can lead you towards showcases you would never have discovered through a normal Google search.

One developer leads to an event.

That event introduces you to five more developers.

Suddenly you have a much better view of the local indie scene.

Look at Universities and Game Development Schools

Universities and colleges offering game development courses can be surprisingly good sources of small showcases.

Students need somewhere to show their work.

That can result in:

• Graduate showcases
• Student game exhibitions
• Playtesting nights
• Game jams
• Developer meetups
• Public demo events

The games might be unfinished.

That’s partly the point.

You’re seeing ideas while they’re still being worked out rather than after three years of marketing has polished every rough edge away.

Search Discord, Meetup and Social Communities

Local development communities often organise themselves through:

• Discord
• Meetup groups
• Reddit
• Facebook groups
• LinkedIn
• Bluesky
• X
• Local game development organisations

Search for communities using terms such as indie developers, game dev, game jams and IGDA alongside your city or region.

You don’t need to be a developer to follow what’s happening.

If an event is publicly inviting people to come and play games, you’re exactly the sort of person those developers need.

Check StackedGame Events

You can also browse StackedGame Events when looking for gaming events, conventions, tournaments and other opportunities to get involved.

For indie events especially, don’t limit yourself to the biggest international names.

The next game you become obsessed with doesn’t care whether you discovered it at a 100,000-person convention or on a folding table in a community hall.

💡 12. How to Get More From an Indie Gaming Festival

Indie events reward curiosity.

You can certainly arrive with a list of games you want to play, but leaving absolutely no room for spontaneous discovery misses much of what makes these events enjoyable.

Play Something You’ve Never Heard Of

Give yourself one simple rule:

Try at least a few games you know nothing about.

Don’t look up reviews.

Don’t check the follower count.

Don’t investigate whether a publisher is involved.

Walk up because something looks interesting and play it.

You may hate it after four minutes.

Excellent. Now you know.

Move three booths over and try something else.

Don’t Judge Every Demo Like a Finished Game

Many games shown at indie events are still in development.

You may encounter:

• Bugs
• Placeholder art
• Missing features
• Unfinished menus
• Balance problems
• Rough controls
• Content still being built

There’s a difference between recognising those issues and treating an early demo like a finished retail product.

Try to understand what the developer is attempting.

Sometimes the underlying idea is far more interesting than the current level of polish.

Give Useful Feedback

If a developer asks what you thought, be genuine without trying to become an unpaid creative director.

Useful feedback might sound like:

“I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go after this section.”

“That movement mechanic felt really satisfying.”

“I didn’t realise I could interact with that object.”

That’s more useful than explaining the completely different game you think they should make instead.

Ask Before Filming

Indie developers generally want people talking about their games, but don’t assume every unfinished project can be freely photographed or recorded.

If you’re creating content, ask first.

This is especially important at industry events, private demonstrations or showcases involving unreleased builds.

Save the Games You Like Immediately

Wishlist them.

Follow the developer.

Take a photo of the game’s name.

Scan the QR code.

Do something.

After playing 25 demos, your brain will confidently remember approximately seven of them and merge another four into one imaginary game that doesn’t exist.

Leave Some Space in Your Schedule

This is probably the most useful advice for any indie festival.

Don’t plan every 15 minutes.

The developer you start talking to might recommend another game. Someone in a queue might tell you about an excellent booth hidden in another hall. A game you expected to try for five minutes might keep you there for half an hour.

That’s not your schedule failing.

That’s the event working.

❓ 13. Frequently Asked Questions About Indie Gaming Events

What Are the Best Indie Gaming Events?

Some of the strongest indie gaming events and showcases include Day of the Devs, BitSummit, A MAZE. / Berlin, IndieCade, PAX Rising, the Aus Indie Showcase and gamescom latam’s BIG Festival.

The best choice depends on whether you’re interested in playable upcoming games, experimental projects, regional developers or industry networking.

What Is the Biggest Indie Game Festival?

There isn’t one universally agreed definition of the world’s biggest indie gaming festival because events measure scale differently.

The BIG Festival at gamescom latam is particularly large, with its organisers describing it as the world’s largest independent games competition. Its 2026 edition received 966 game submissions from 75 countries.

Other events such as BitSummit, Day of the Devs and IndieCade have strong international reputations within different parts of the indie scene.

Are Indie Gaming Events Open to the Public?

Many are.

Events such as Day of the Devs are designed for public attendance, while larger conventions such as PAX also give general attendees access to their indie areas.

Other festivals may combine public days with industry-only sessions, developer activities or restricted events.

Always check the official event information before travelling.

Are Indie Gaming Festivals Good if I’m Not a Developer?

Absolutely.

You don’t need to understand game engines, publishing agreements or why developers suddenly become very quiet when somebody mentions scope creep.

If the event has a public playable showcase, you can simply attend because you enjoy games.

Can You Play Games at Indie Festivals?

Usually, yes – and that’s one of the main reasons to attend.

Many indie events centre around playable demos, although the amount of hands-on gaming varies. Some experimental festivals also include installations, performances, talks and other forms of interactive media.

Check the programme if playing lots of games is your main priority.

Can I Meet Indie Game Developers at These Events?

Often, yes.

At smaller booths, the person demonstrating the game may be the developer, designer, artist or studio founder.

That’s one of the biggest differences between indie showcases and enormous commercial displays.

Be respectful if they’re busy, but don’t be afraid to say hello or ask about the game.

Are Indie Gaming Events Free?

Some are.

Day of the Devs, for example, runs free public events. Other festivals require tickets, while indie showcases inside major conventions normally require admission to the larger event.

Remember that a free event can still involve travel, accommodation, food and other expenses if you’re coming from another city or country.

Are Indie Gaming Events Worth Travelling For?

They can be, particularly if the event offers something difficult to experience locally.

BitSummit can be especially appealing for Japanese indie development, A MAZE. for experimental games and gamescom latam for the Latin American scene.

Before booking an expensive trip, compare the event with the broader options in our guide to the best gaming conventions in the world.

If you’re travelling purely for one small showcase, make sure there’s enough there to justify the trip.

How Can I Find Indie Game Events Near Me?

Search for indie showcases, game developer meetups, game jams, student showcases and local development communities rather than relying only on the phrase gaming convention.

Following nearby developers and game development organisations is particularly useful because smaller events are often promoted through their communities rather than major ticketing websites.

🚀 14. Which Indie Gaming Event Should You Attend?

If you love indie games, there isn’t really one event you should attend.

There are different events for different kinds of curiosity.

Want to spend your time playing upcoming indie games?

Day of the Devs is an excellent place to start.

Want to explore Japanese independent development?

Look at BitSummit.

Want something experimental enough to make you reconsider what actually counts as a video game?

A MAZE. / Berlin has you covered.

For Australian gamers, PAX Rising and the Aus Indie Showcase put independent development inside one of the country’s biggest gaming events. In Latin America, gamescom latam’s BIG Festival provides an enormous platform for regional and international developers.

And if none of those are anywhere near you, start smaller.

Find a local showcase.

Go to a student exhibition.

Visit a game jam.

Follow a few developers from your city.

Indie gaming has never been entirely about the biggest games, the biggest studios or the biggest stages, so there’s no reason indie events need to be either.

The real appeal is discovery.

You walk in knowing the games you already like.

You walk out wondering why nobody told you about that bizarre little game you spent 40 minutes playing in the corner.

That’s a successful indie gaming event.