Despite the torrential storms of the weekend, Hoosiers and visitors created a storm of their own at Gen Con 2026 from July 30 – Aug. 2 at the Indiana Convention Center.
This year’s convention was sold out across all four days of the event. The convention took over various spots throughout downtown Indianapolis such as Lucas Oil Stadium, Indiana Repertory Theatre and even Victory Field.
“We’re thrilled to be back in Indy for another sold-out edition of Gen Con,” said David Hoppe, president of Gen Con. “This year features new games, new event spaces including Victory Field, and new spectacle with a drone light show over downtown Indy. But above all, Gen Con 2026 means tens of thousands of gamers and fans having a great time in Indianapolis.”
According to a public statement from Gen Con, the event, held in Indianapolis since 2003, attracts tens of thousands of gamers and fans from around the world to the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and downtown hotels. For four days, attendees participate in gaming, shopping and cosplay events.
Events at this year’s convention included a 1,000-drone light show over downtown on Saturday at 10 p.m. hosted by Wizards of the Coast, a Dungeons & Dragons takeover of the Indiana Repertory Theater transforming the historic establishment into “D&D Tower,” and “Hobbiton Summer Festival,” a Lord of the Rings-themed Magic: The Gathering activation in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Attendees could taste local food and drinks from an expanded Block Party celebration on South Street throughout the four-day convention. This outdoor, open-to-the-public festival featured over 40 local food trucks and eateries, including Sun King Brewery, HotBox Pizza, Daniels’ Vineyard, Helm Coffee, Island Noodles, and Prime 47.
Various game developers and designers from Wizards of the Coast talked with the Recorder about their upcoming expansions for Dungeons & Dragons, the popular tabletop roleplaying game.
Makenzie De Armas, senior game designer of Dungeons and Dragons, spoke about inclusivity and diversity in the game’s settings.
“Going back to why I started writing, I realized, I wanted to see myself in the stories I read,” De Armas said. “There is a lot of things that have been announced and something that we are always looking at, especially when we’re looking at settings that have better historical [context], what those settings may have shown in the past doesn’t represent the full breadth of the audience we have now and it’s so important for us, not only in text but also in the art and we work really closely with our wonderful art teams on this to showcase adventurers from all different walks of life to make sure we represent adventurers of all different ethnic descriptions or ethnic representations.”
Laura Hohman, a product architect on the Dungeons & Dragons team, shared how the company manages working with various intellectual properties like the announced Star Wars and World of Warcraft editions of the game.
“Within our teams, something else that’s awesome is that everyone has their own things, that they love and because it’s such a collaborative group, and everyone really ends up seeing these products in different points, like everyone has a chance to add input of like what might be missing for fans,” Hohman said. “While we’re not designing for ourselves, things that we would love to see out of it. So, it’s very collaborative, and it allows us to make sure products feel well-rounded.”
Representatives from Taco Cat Games sat down with the Recorder, noting how tabletop gaming can lower screentime for children. During this conversation game developers and executives from companies such as Walmart discussed the influence of games like “Taco Cat Cheese Pizza” and how tabletop games may help improve mental and physical health in kids around the nation.
Despite the storms and flooding that took place in the city on Saturday, with even the Convention Center’s roof springing a leak, the staff and vendors rallied together for the last day of the convention to provide attendees with a full day of gaming and collecting.
Some fan-favorite franchises provided previews for upcoming games. Naruto shared its new trading card game and “Magic the Gathering” previewed The Hobbit product set, hosting a “pre-prerelease” one week before its international release.
For more than 55 years Gen Con has been one of the largest and longest-running gaming conventions in North America. Founded in 1967 by Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, Gen Con now attracts tens of thousands of attendees from around the world to Indianapolis for what some fans call, “The Best Four Days in Gaming.”
“Our mission is to create opportunities, experiences, and communities where people can share the joy of games together,” Gen Con’s website states. “We embrace progress while building on over 50 years of history to shape the spirit of Gen Con – a space where fun, empathy, play and connection are always at the center.”
For more information visit gencon.com.
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
