Paris Games Week 2026: Tickets, Hours and What's Playable

The biggest stand at Paris Games Week 2026 belongs to Nintendo: 1,033 square metres, about four times the size of PlayStation's, according to the stand sizes in the official exhibitor list. Eleven days before the doors open, neither Nintendo's own exhibitor entry nor the organiser's September 23 line-up release names a single game for it. The release confirms Nintendo is coming, and stops there.

That is a fair summary of PGW right now. The prices, the hours and the rules are all published. The line-up is half there. Here is what Paris Games Week 2026 costs, what each publisher has actually confirmed you can play, the card game area that readers of this site's TCG coverage will care about, the rules at the door, and the places where PGW's own pages contradict each other, all read on October 11.

The dates, the hours, and the one-way door

Paris Games Week 2026, the show's 15th edition, runs Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, October 25 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 75015 Paris. That is the same four days as SPIEL Essen, so anyone planning a European convention run has to pick one. PGW's ticket shop and FAQ give the same hours for every day:

There is no short closing day: Sunday keeps the full nine and a half hours. PGW says the show falls in the French Toussaint school holidays. For scale, the organisers counted 161,000 visitors in 2025, down from 188,000 in 2024, according to AFP figures reported by ActuGaming.

Leave and you are done for the day. PGW's FAQ says it in the answer about smoking: you have to step outside the hall to smoke, but do not leave the show, because every exit is final. The ticketing terms say the same, allowing re-entry only in exceptional cases, with a pass-out slip issued by staff.

Your door depends on your ticket. Day tickets and two-day passes go in at Porte V on Boulevard Victor. Entrance A1 is for disability-rate (PMR/PSH) tickets, business visitors and cosplayers.

PGW's own advice on queues, from its FAQ: lines are shortest at opening, and the quieter hours are usually mid-morning and late afternoon, just before close.

What a ticket costs

The official shop sells two admission products: a day ticket, dated, and a two-day pass, undated and valid on any two days you choose. Prices on October 11:

The youth rate runs all the way to 25. Anyone from 8 to 25 inclusive pays €20 a day instead of €29, which takes a young adult's ticket down by €9. Bring ID: PGW's FAQ says proof of identity is required for the youth rate, and the ticketing terms say anyone who cannot justify a special rate at the door is refused entry without a refund. Under-8s are free; the shop lists them as a €0 ticket.

The two-day pass saves €8 for an adult (€50 against €58 for two day tickets) and €6 at the youth rate (€34 against €40). Because it is undated, you can pick the two days later.

The family ticket is a fixed shape: exactly two adults aged 26 or over plus two young people aged 8 to 25. At €80 it saves €18 against four single tickets (€98). Note that the "adult" places start at 26, so a 25-year-old counts as one of the young people.

Early Bird prices "from 15 euros" ran from the June 18 opening to August 31, per PGW's June 16 release. Those are gone.

Where to buy. PGW's FAQ lists the official shop, Fnac, Ticketmaster and Pass Culture, and warns against buying from strangers or unauthorised sites. The official shop takes bank cards only, and the FAQ says holiday vouchers (chèques-vacances) are not accepted.

No refunds, and resale is a criminal offence. Tickets cannot be changed, exchanged or refunded. PGW's FAQ quotes Article 313-6-2 of the French penal code in full: habitually reselling event tickets without the organiser's authorisation carries a €15,000 fine, €30,000 for a repeat offence. Giving a ticket away is a different question, and PGW's pages answer it two ways; see the disagreements section below.

Your e-ticket works from a phone screen or printed. Each barcode admits one person.

Young players at the Fnac stand at PGW 2015. In 2026 anyone aged 8 to 25 pays €20 a day, and under-8s are free. Photo: Sergey Galyonkin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Who has the biggest stands

The official exhibitor list carried 173 entries on October 11. The data behind it records each stand's floor area, and sorting by that gives a fair picture of who is spending on this show:

Three things fall out of that table.

• Nintendo's stand is about four times the size of PlayStation's (1,033 m² against 256.5 m²), and it is the only one over 1,000.
• The third-biggest footprint is not a games company. Drift Trike Zosh is a French maker of electric drift tricycles.
• Some big names have no entry on the list at all. There is nothing under Microsoft or Xbox, Activision, Electronic Arts, Square Enix, Riot, The Pokémon Company or Wizards of the Coast. Three of those turn up anyway: Square Enix's FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION is presented on Bandai Namco's stand, Activision's Call of Duty has a stand number, B6, in the official programme, and Riot lists Paris Games Week among the shows where its Riftbound Secret Garden bundle is planned to be on sale.

Of the 173 entries, 51 are in the Artist Alley and 34 are in the trading card game area, more on which below.

Nintendo's stage at PGW 2015. The 2026 stand is the biggest on the exhibitor list, and its line-up is still unpublished. Photo: Sergey Galyonkin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

What is confirmed playable, stand by stand

PGW published the first part of its line-up on September 23 and says more announcements will follow. Here is what the organiser's release, the official programme and the exhibitors' own entries confirm for the main publisher stands as of October 11; the programme also lists demos and initiations on smaller booths. The release is careful with its verbs, so the table is too: the middle column is games PGW says you can play or test, and the right-hand column is games it says you can "discover" or that will be "presented", without saying they are playable.

A few notes on that table.

The Call of Duty "preview" lasts one day. PGW's release sells MW4's multiplayer as playable early from October 22. The game itself is out on October 23, the Friday of the show. It is also the multiplayer that PAX Aus restricts to over-15s in Melbourne, where PAX lists it as MA15+ and Victorian law bars under-15s from MA15+ content even with a parent's consent. PGW handles age ratings through exhibitors instead: its FAQ says PEGI 18 content is kept out of sight of the aisles and that exhibitors can refuse minors on age-rated games.

Marvel's Wolverine is not a preview at all. Sony's exhibitor entry calls it one of the most awaited end-of-year games, and the programme calls it "tout nouveau", but PlayStation's own page dates the PS5 launch to September 15. What PGW offers is a go on a PS5 Pro, a "Wolverine Challenge" and a photo with Wolverine, all in the Fnac area at stand B4.

Capcom brings the people behind Monster Hunter. Series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and Ascendance director Takuro Hiraoka are on the stand on October 22 and 23. Our Tokyo Game Show recap has what Capcom has said so far about Ascendance and Mega Man: Dual Override. Resident Evil Requiem is in the freeplay zone if you have not played it yet.

Ubisoft's stage is busy. Alongside the Rayman stations and a two-on-two Kung Foot area, the release lists developer presentations of Rayman Legends Retold, Rainbow Six Siege showmatches with creators and visitors, Just Dance sessions hosted by Dina, challenges on The Crew Motorfest and Riders Republic, and a cosplay event.

French games get 300 m². The CNC-backed Pavillon Game France, run by Capital Games and the SNJV, names more than 30 games, among them The Game Bakers' Cairn, Motion Twin's Windblown, and Focus Entertainment's Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and Clutch. PGW says its stage runs more than a dozen developer sessions a day.

Retro gets close to 400 m². The Musée du Jeu Vidéo, run by the MO5 association, is built around anniversaries: 40 years of The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and Castlevania, 35 of Sonic, 30 of Pokémon, and 25 of Animal Crossing and Pikmin. A 30-year ACE COMBAT retrospective with Bandai Namco has several of the games playable on their original hardware.

PC players can just sit down. The LAN & Open Gaming area has free-access PCs, some of them reserved by Epic Games for a selection of games and content.

The card game corner is 3,000 square metres

If you read this site for the Pokémon TCG, Disney Lorcana or the Naruto card games, this is your part of the show. Gala TCG, billed as "powered by Asmodee", is back for a second year across 3,000 m². PGW describes it as the whole life of a collectible card: buying it in a shop, protecting it, playing it and grading it. Two Pokémon TCG illustrators are on the Gala TCG space: Masakazu Fukuda, who has drawn for the card game since 2003 according to Bulbapedia, and Kouki Saitou.

The exhibitor list files 34 entries in its TCG area. Several are card shops and collector services, Le Coin des Barons, Kairyu, Playin, Matoo Corp and LorenZone among them. These are the card game publishers we can identify there, plus Bandai's stand, which the list files under gaming:

The NARUTO CARD GAME tutorials are booked in advance. Bandai's exhibitor entry says registration opens at 6:00 p.m. CEST on Wednesday, October 14, first come, first served, and that no BANDAI TCG+ account is needed. Cicaboom's unrelated NARUTO Mythos TCG sits at E30. Our breakdown of both companies' Paris and Lucca booths has the promo-card and playmat terms.

Ravensburger, the publisher of Disney Lorcana, has a 45 m² stand at F71, but its entry does not say what is on it. And there is no stand from The Pokémon Company, though several retailers on the list, Kairyu, Matoo Corp and Displayz among them, describe Pokémon stock in their entries.

Esports, stages and the evening shows

The competitive slate, from PGW's October 1 feature and the programme:

• VALORANT: Project Blender. Gozulting's competition plays its phase 2 in the LAN area through the show, with qualifier teams moving up to face higher-level sides until the on-stage finals. The €100,000 cash prize is awarded in phase 3, not at PGW.
• Street Fighter League EMEAA 2026 watch party on Capcom's stand on Saturday, October 24; the programme lists it from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The Street Fighter Academy runs Street Fighter 6 sessions every day.
• Rainbow Six Siege showmatches on Ubisoft's stage, three-on-three and one-on-one.
• Arena Gaming (E12, 306 m²) stages one-on-one matches in an octagon with a live commentator, per its entry.
• The cosplay contest is on Saturday. Entrants are selected in advance and judged by three professionals, with three prizes worth €1,750 in total.

The ESWC stage at PGW 2016. This year's headline competition is VALORANT's Project Blender in the LAN area. Photo: FR via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The evenings are a separate ticket. After the show floor closes, PGW runs three nights at the Dôme de Paris – Palais des Sports, a few steps from Paris Expo, sold in their own section of the ticket shop:

Ticket holders can also enter a draw for an evening at the Philharmonie de Paris built around its video game music exhibition, one of several "Hors les Murs" events PGW is running around the city before the show.

Getting in: bags, props and kids

The rules below are from PGW's FAQ unless noted.

• Bags. Small backpacks are fine. The FAQ's item list says bags over 25 litres and luggage bigger than 55 × 35 × 25 cm must be checked in, and so must skateboards, roller skates, scooters, hoverboards and motorbike helmets. PGW's practical-information page is stricter: it says anyone carrying a bag over 20 litres, or bigger than 40 × 20 × 25 cm, is refused entry. Pack to the smaller limit. The paid cloakroom is in Hall 1, near the visitor entrance.
• Food and drink. Your own food, small cool bags, capped plastic bottles, reusable water bottles and cans are allowed. Alcohol, glass, uncapped bottles, hip flasks and miniatures are banned outright, with no cloakroom option.
• Also banned: drums, megaphones and air horns (these can be checked in), plus glitter, confetti, placards and banners (these cannot).
• Allowed: tripods, selfie sticks and stabilisers, cameras with interchangeable lenses, laptops, umbrellas and prams.
• Cosplay. Costumes are welcome, but cosplayers are searched systematically under the Vigipirate security alert level, use entrance A1, and have their own cloakroom at the entrance to Hall 2.2. Realistic firearms in any material, metal weapons whether sharpened or not, airsoft guns and projectiles are banned, and so are police or military intervention uniforms. Props must not resemble a real weapon and should be plastic without sharp edges, light wood, cardboard or foam. A sheath does not make a banned replica acceptable. Nerf-style blasters are allowed only if they are all plastic and you bring no darts. What happens to a banned prop at the door depends on which FAQ answer you read; see the disagreements below.
• Children. Minors are admitted; those without their parents need a parental authorisation, and PGW strongly advises against bringing children under 3 because of the noise and stimulation. Every child gets an identification wristband at the entrance, with space for a contact phone number.
• Accessibility. PGW's access page lists a dedicated entrance at A1, an information point in Hall 1 with braille plans and a soundproofed rest room, wheelchairs on loan, and a team that speaks French Sign Language. The disability rate needs an MDPH, RQTH or CMI document, or an international equivalent, valid on the day, and each booking includes one free companion place.
• Animals. Banned, except guide dogs for the blind.
• Getting there. Métro line 12 to Porte de Versailles or line 8 to Balard, tram T2 to Porte de Versailles or T3a to Balard, or bus 80 to Porte de Versailles.

The visitor approach to Paris Expo during PGW 2014. Once you are inside, stay inside: PGW says every exit is final. Photo: seblinux78 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Where the official pages disagree

Read on October 11, PGW's own pages contradict each other in these places.

• Can you give your ticket away? The FAQ says tickets are not issued in a name, so you can buy one and give it to someone else, who must then justify any special rate. The ticketing terms (CGV) say a ticket is "personnel et incessible", personal and non-transferable.
• Is there a group rate online? The shop sells an €18 group rate for orders of ten or more. The CGV says no group rate applies to online sales. The "Groups & CSE" link in the shop's menu goes to an enquiry form.
• The English site is a year behind. The English homepage says "Tickets will be available soon" while selling them on the same page. The English ticket shop's "About" text describes the 2025 show (the 14th edition, October 30 to November 2, with early-bird rates until July 31), and its day-ticket card reads "Unavailable" while the French shop sells all four days. Buy through the French shop.
• Tickets that no longer exist. The entry page directs "billets jour, pass 2 et 4 jours" to Porte V and "billets premium" to A1. The 2026 shop sells no four-day pass and no premium ticket.
• The T2 tram. PGW's September 23 release says the T2's Porte de Versailles stop is closed; the website lists it as a normal route. The closure was the rebuild of the T2's Porte de Versailles terminus, which reopened on February 20, 2026, per local transport news site Defense-92.
• CURIEUX.exe's start time. The ticket shop says 8:30 p.m.; the programme and the Dôme page say from 8:00 p.m.
• The disability ticket link. The shop's "PMR / PSH" menu item leads to a partner page still titled "Paris Games Week 2025", with no products on it. The disability rate itself is on sale in the main shop.
• How big a bag you can bring. The FAQ's prohibited-items list sends bags over 25 litres and luggage over 55 × 35 × 25 cm to the cloakroom, and lists cabin bags up to that size as allowed. The practical-information page, and the same notice on the English homepage and in the FAQ, says anyone carrying a bag over 20 litres or bigger than 40 × 20 × 25 cm is refused entry. The FAQ's answer on suitcases says they are not allowed at all. Bring a small backpack.
• What happens to a banned cosplay prop. The FAQ answer on replica weapons says you will not get in with a prop that breaks the rules and that PGW will not be able to hold it for you. The answer on sheathed replicas says you will either be refused entry or be asked to leave it in a free cloakroom until you go, and the prohibited-items list says replica weapons can be checked in. Leave anything doubtful at home.

Two smaller ones: the FAQ names Fimalac Entertainment as a co-organiser, while the 2026 releases name Rivaj Group alongside GL events and the SELL; and PGW's October 1 feature runs Project Blender from "jeudi 22 au samedi 25 octobre", but October 25 is a Sunday.

What is not published yet

• Nintendo's line-up. The largest stand on the list, with no game named.
• SEGA's line-up. 450 m² and no published games.
• Bandai Namco's stage programme. The release promises presentations, challenges, guests and contests, with details "to come".
• Saturday's Dôme de Paris show. Billed as a "soirée mystère".
• The Meet & Greet guests. The Meet & Greet page says more information is coming.
• Most of the schedule. The official programme had 27 listings on October 11, mostly continuous booth activities, and PGW says more announcements are coming.
• A floor plan on the website. The map page in the site's own sitemap returned "page not found" on October 11; the FAQ points to the official app instead.

Quick Action Checklist

• Buy from the official shop, Fnac, Ticketmaster or Pass Culture. Tickets cannot be refunded, and resale is illegal.
• Going two days? Buy the two-day pass: €50 instead of €58, and you choose the days later.
• Aged 8 to 25? You pay €20, not €29. Bring ID.
• A family of exactly two adults (26+) and two young people (8 to 25)? The €80 family ticket saves €18.
• Want a NARUTO CARD GAME tutorial? Registration opens Wednesday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. CEST, and no TCG+ account is needed.
• Do not leave the hall. Every exit is final.
• Pack light: a bag of 20 litres or less (PGW's pages disagree on whether 25 is allowed), your own food, capped plastic bottles, no alcohol, no glass.
• Cosplayers: use entrance A1, expect a search, and keep props to foam, cardboard, light wood or edge-free plastic.
• Want an evening show? It is a separate ticket: €45 to €50 on Thursday, €35 to €40 on Friday.
• Choosing between Paris and Essen? Our SPIEL Essen 2026 guide covers the same four days in Germany, and the gamescom 2026 breakdown shows how Cologne priced its tickets. More in the Gaming Events archive and across the Mythras blog.