Gamers and developers from around the world descended on Seattle, Washington for PAX West 2026 this past Labor Day weekend, September 4-7!
Although this was Year 3 of PAX West for PlayIndies, this was Year 15 for me. I've been fortunate enough to attend PAX West for 15 years now, dating all the way back to when the convention was still called PAX Prime. I miss it being called PAX Prime...
Post-COVID, PAX definitely struggled to regain some of its popularity, but over the past couple of years we've noticed more hype and growth returning to the show. We aren't quite there yet, but some of the "big dawgs" are starting to come back, with Nintendo purchasing a large booth at PAX East this year and larger developers like Konami showing up here at PAX West.
We love and celebrate everything indie here at PlayIndies, but we also know how much it matters for AAA developers and publishers to attend these shows. Their presence helps attract more vendors and gamers, which in turn makes the show more appealing to indies who might otherwise be worried about attendance numbers.
I'm hopeful we'll see some of those big players like Xbox, PlayStation, Epic, and others come on back so we can fill even more convention floor space with indies, vendors, and Artist Alley booths!
Talk about the indies!
You're right. The reason most people are here. The indies!
This year definitely felt like a pretty solid "indie-con," which really satisfied the itch to play a ton of games without having to wait in hour-long lines. If you haven't attended a PAX in a while, those lines are definitely starting to come back, but there are still a great deal of indies scattered all around the floor. It's pretty easy to find pockets of games where you might only have to wait 15 minutes to give something a go.
PAX Rising:
PAX Rising felt very promising this year! There was a solid mix of fun and exciting titles that truly earned their placement in the PAX Rising section.
My top 3 include:
Remaining Grace
An intimate non-linear ghost story about chosen family, human connections, and the mosaic of quiet moments that bind them.
Developer: ambedo studios
Genres: Non-Linear Narrative, Mystery, Drama
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4954540/Remaining_Grace/
The amount of people I saw crying after completing the demo, or even just the opening sequence, was incredible. I always say that some of the most impactful games on the show floor are the ones that make people leave filled with emotion.
Dungeon Lurker
Fight your way into the depths of a cursed dungeon in Dungeon Lurker, a retro action roguelike with a dark twist. Uncover a sinister secret connected to your past as you plunge into a world of dark horror and brutal combat.
Developer: 13AM Games
Genres: Action, Roguelite
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4669960/Dungeon_Lurker/
This game was so incredibly cool to see. There are tons of action roguelites being made, so being able to stand out is incredibly important. From the game being advertised as if it was made for a fictional console, to the controls being shown in a physical manual with scribbles from a "previous owner," there was so much personality here. It felt like I was playing an action version of Inscryption. Everything was designed so well, and I already know I'm going to sink many hours into it.
TOMMYROT
A beloved children’s show character has a crisis of consciousness when the facade of his reality cracks and he peers into a darker truth. Vulnerable and alone for the first time, he stumbles forward into the unknown.
Developer: LMNOP
Genres: Hand-made, Cinematic, Platformer
This one is a bit unfair because I LOVE claymation. This is a two-person dev team building a platformer in a dark universe. It felt horror-ish, but I'm not quite certain they're going full horror. It's not quite as puzzle-intensive as something like LIMBO, but it still very much gave me the same vibes. They even had some of the clay models on display at their booth, which were just so cool to see. Personally, I can't wait to see what kind of story they make out of this... get it?
All of the games within PAX Rising can be found on the official PAX West website.
Seattle Indies Expo (SIX):
During PAX West, there's also a showcase for developers who aren't on the main show floor called the Seattle Indies Expo (aka SIX).
I very much enjoy attending SIX because the games and developers there cover such a wide range. You'll see everything from first-time developers and students to devs who have been in the industry for quite a long time but aren't quite far enough into their development cycle to spend the money on a PAX booth, and everything in between.
This was probably the first year I attended SIX right as they were opening. Truly a mistake that I hadn't done this in the past because I know how busy it gets and how warm those rooms get.
Big shoutout to every dev who survived showcasing at SIX, because it is not an easy feat. On the flip side, I also want to share my appreciation for all of the media and gamers who visit SIX. It brings so much positivity to the indie scene and justifies the whole reason for giving these smaller games a platform to show themselves.
I HIGHLY recommend attending SIX in the future, but definitely get there early!
There were a lot of games being shown, so rather than trying to list them all here, you can check out the SIX website to see most, if not everything, that was there.
Special shoutout to:
We Need An Army
The tactical slots based roguelike battler. Collect units, discover relics, and play mini games to create the ultimate army. Can you shuffle your way to victory in this chaotic roguelike army builder?
Developer: Elder Bear Games
Genres: Roguelike, Deckbuilder
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3671320/We_Need_An_Army/
Roguelike deckbuilders are my absolute weakness, so of course this one ends up getting a shoutout from me. The art was so much fun, the gameplay was so addicting, and it stood out every time I walked by it. Plus, they had you play Plinko for a cheese pin... what's not to love?
The MIX:
Lastly, The MIX.
For those who are unaware, The MIX (Media Indie Exchange) is an event that takes place alongside many major gaming events around the world, where a great selection of high-quality indies are showcased primarily to press, media, content creators, other developers, and publishers.
It's a fantastic event and brings in quite a lot of industry folks from all over the world. I've been fortunate enough to attend since 2018, I believe, and it continues to improve year after year.
The MIX is extremely packed from the moment the doors open, but the connections made, the games played, and the environment surrounding you are worth every minute spent there. If you work within the industry and have not attended a MIX event, this is your calling to do so.
You can find every game that was shown at The MIX's Fall Showcase on the official MIX website.
Sharing PlayIndies
PAX West is a show I could never miss. It's the original reason I ever visited Seattle, half the reason I wanted to move to Seattle, and nostalgia would never allow me to miss it.
Without PlayIndies, I'd be attending as both a gamer and an industry professional. But with PlayIndies currently in its soft-launch phase, it was also my responsibility to make sure as many indies as possible knew they could start using the platform to increase discoverability for their games and reach out to content creators.
This was Year 3 of talking about PlayIndies with developers on the show floor, but this year felt very different.
For the first two years, we were talking about the vision of what we were in the process of building while offering manual marketing services on the side, such as writing and distributing press releases, building marketing strategies, social and community growth consulting, and content creator outreach.
Kate and I spent those first two years building PlayIndies while going to PAX events, meeting developers, some of whom ended up becoming clients, and helping with marketing services as much as we could.
Similar to Gamescom, it felt like such a weight lifted this year knowing we weren't telling people that the platform was on its way anymore. It's finally here, and developers can actually start using it.
It's always so satisfying to hear people say how much a platform like PlayIndies is needed in this space and how excited they are to give it a try. Because of that, of course PAX was a success for us.
It also helps quite a lot that I live here in the Seattle area. Even though I had just flown back from Germany a few days prior, I was able to drive home after PAX every day and hang out with my cats. Huge win!
That said, if you're a content creator or developer who has been considering attending PAX West, just know it is not exactly the most affordable event. I absolutely think it's worth experiencing, but Seattle is a very expensive city, so make sure you're prepared for that when planning your trip.
Thanks for reading!
If you took the time to read through all of this, know that we appreciate you!
My favorite thing about attending PAX events is getting to see new games in the rotation and meeting the friendly people behind them. So if I had a chance to meet you this year, thanks for being so kind.
And if you're looking to attend any PAX event in the future, whether you're a creator or developer, please let us know so we can meet up with you!
We'll see you at PAX Australia in October!
Cheers,
Keith Muelas - PlayIndies Co-Founder
