Tokyo Game Show, Japan's largest game expo, opened to the public for ticket purchases on Saturday, September 28, 2024. The public day follows two invitation-only business days, influencers and the press. After two days of exploring the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) during my work days, I decided to attend the first public day, despite the crowds.
While the event officially opened to the public at 10am, priority ticket holders were allowed in at 9:30am. On social networks, you can see pictures of people lining up from 7 am. Crowds flocked to the PlayStation and Capcom booths, where Monster Hunter Wilds, a huge franchise in Japan, could be played. The game's demo tickets sold out early in the morning.
Luckily, non-priority ticket holders were able to get into the exhibit hall early enough to get demo tickets for one of Sega's top games of the weekend, Like a Dragon: Yakuza Pirates of Hawaii. Many of the biggest games at TGS are nearly impossible to get demo tickets for late morning, but many smaller games are still available to play easily.
The back of the Konami booth boasts a diverse lineup, from HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT, a fighting game based on the popular anime series, to LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP. Cosplayer PeachMilky showed off her Juliet Starling cosplay at the LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP castle booth, and players can take Polaroid photos with her after playing the game demo.
Due to the large number of people in the main event hall, many attendees flocked to the indie games area, which seemed to be even more popular than the past two years I've attended TGS. Indie game developers share a hall with the merchandise area, where long lines form for the booths. Luckily, I was able to get in line at Sega/Atlus to make my purchase after about a 50 minute wait.
Cosplayers were welcomed today at the Tokyo Game Show as hundreds gathered to show off their creations in the designated cosplay area. Zenless Zone Zero, Goddess of Victory: Nikke and Genshin Impact seem to be the most popular cosplay works this year. Despite the heat and humidity, photographers and attendees gathered outside to meet the cosplayers, lining up just to take a quick photo. I photographed cosplayer Daikyo96 in their Von Lycaon cosplay from Zenless Zone Zero.
One downside to the Tokyo Game Show's public days is the lack of time. Many ticket holders can't get into the show until about 11 a.m., and things start to close around 4:30 p.m. (officially 5 p.m.). It can be difficult to get enough time to play more than a few games depending on their popularity. Food trucks and restaurant lines also take time, so attendees must use their time wisely to plan their itinerary for six hours.
Even though I've only been attending the Tokyo Game Show for three years, I feel like 2024 is the biggest show ever in terms of viewership and games that will be played. Tokyo Game Show reports via X that tickets on its website sold out before opening to the public later in the week. There's still a day left until the Tokyo Game Show on September 29, and we'll likely get an announcement about the 2025 show soon.
Thank you for continuing to follow our Tokyo Game Show coverage, and we'll have more about the event throughout the week. If not, check out our report on TGS business days.
