You can’t keep a good event down even with a pandemic.

The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) announced that Tokyo Game Show 2022 will be run as a physical event from 15 to 18 September at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan for both business and general visitors. This is the first time it’s been done in three years.

15 to 16 September will be the business days while 17 and 18 September will be the public days. General admission will be available starting at 1pm GMT+8 on the second business day. The theme for 2022’s show is “Nothing Stops Gaming”.

“Over these two years, various fun events disappeared from our daily life, but games still lightened up our days. Games will continue to brighten up the days of everybody now and forever—this year’s theme implies such strong determination.”

TGS 2020 was held as an online event in 2020, as well as a hybrid online and business-only physical event in 2021. Here is the list of programs and exhibitions planned:

Exhibition Areas (Makuhari Messe Hall 1 to 8)

• General Exhibition Area – This area showcases digital entertainment products and services, focusing on video game software. (The area will be open all four days.)
• Smartphone Game Area – This exhibit area focuses on games for smart devices, such as smartphones and tablets, of iOS, Android and others, as well as social games played on mobile devices and computer browsers. (The area will be open all four days.)
• Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality Area – This area showcases game software and hardware related to VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality), along with related services. (The area will be open all four days.)
• Indie Game Area – This area is for independent (indie) game developers to showcase their completely original games for various platforms. (The area will be open all four days.)
• Game School Area – This area showcases game schools for future game creators. (The area will be open all four days.)
• Merchandise Sales Area – This area is for sales of game-related products. (The area will be open all four days.)

B-to-B Exhibition Area / Meeting Area

• Business Solution Area – This exhibition area is for game-related businesses seeking for business-to-business opportunities. The Tokyo Game Show Forum Sponsorship Session is also available as an option (additional fees required). (Some booths will be open all four days, and some will be open business days only.)
• New Stars Area (Asia / Eastern Europe / Latin America) – This area showcases overseas businesses which will become rising stars in the game industry—promising game startups, development studios, and services from various regions.
• Special focus is placed on Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America to introduce excellent companies from the regions. (Some booths will be open all four days, and some will be open business days only.)
• Asia New Stars Area – With a focus on Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, this area showcases promising game startups, development studios, solution vendors, and others from the region.
• Eastern Europe New Stars Area – This area showcases game startups from Eastern European countries (Poland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, and others) where many technical institutions offer courses in game engineering.
• Latin America New Stars Area – This area showcases game startups from notably emerging Latin American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and others).
• Business Meeting Area – This is a meeting space for conducting productive meetings in a relaxed atmosphere. The area provides a free business-matching system connecting exhibitors with Business Day visitors or other exhibitors. (This area will be open during business days only.)

Organizer Programs

• Tokyo Game Show Forum 2022 Keynote Speeches – This session features the hottest topics in the game industry this year. (To be held online on September 15.)
• Sense of Wonder Night (SOWN) 2022 – This international pitch contest is a gateway to successful indie games, where developers will present their innovative ideas to people in the game industry. Ideas are solicited from around the world and outstanding works will be awarded with the prizes. (To be held online on September 16.)
• Tokyo Game Show Forum 2022 Specialized Session – A conference will be held for industry stakeholders, focusing on the latest game industry trends in technology and business. (To be held physically, and also streamed online, on September 16.)
• Japan Game Awards 202 – Japan Game Awards 2022 is the selection and awarding event hosted by Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) for recognizing outstanding computer entertainment software. The winners of GOTY Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Award, Game Designer Award, Amateur Division and U18 Division among other prizes will be announced during the period of Tokyo Game Show. (To be streamed online during Tokyo Game Show 2022—details to be announced at a later date.)
• eSports Conference Hosted by JeSU – The first-ever business conference event on eSports hosted by Japan eSports Union (JeSU) will be held in conjunction with Tokyo Game Show 2022. Eyeing at growing demand in eSports and related industries, eSports companies from Japan and around the world will get together to discuss their insights on creating new business opportunities and possibilities. (To be held physically, and also streamed online, on September 15.)

Online Programs

• Online Exhibition Venue – Get to know companies and organizations in the game industry on the Tokyo Game Show official website featuring news and information on our exhibitors showcasing at physical and online venues.
• Official Programs – Official programs by the organizer and exhibitors will be streamed online via YouTube, Twitter, niconico, Twitch, China’s Huya, DouYu and other leading video platforms to global audience in Japan, Europe, the United States, China and more. In addition to the Japanese version (original version), simultaneous English interpretation will be provided for almost all programs this year.
• Online Experience Tour – Game fans around the world are invited to join this virtual tour to visit and experience exhibition booths at Tokyo Game Show together with our “tour guide.”
• Free Trial of Demo Versions – In cooperation with online stores of game platformers, game fans can download and play trial versions of upcoming games and other features for free.
• Online Business Meetings – Exhibitors can access our business matching system to find their possible business partners and conduct meetings online.
• Tokyo Game Show VR 2022 – The first-ever “Virtual Area” opened at the last year’s Tokyo Game Show will be held again this year as Tokyo Game Show VR 2022 for four days during the event.