Paris Games Week 2026: tickets, bags and a first visit

Paris Games Week runs October 22-25, 2026, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, with daytime opening from 09:30 to 19:00. Choose your day before booking, check the small-bag rule, and reserve an evening event separately. The October 24 Inoxtag show has been announced as free with a reservation, which matters if you have seen older paid-evening listings.

For a first visit, pick a few games or activities you would be disappointed to miss, then leave room to explore. A ticket buys a day at the show; it is not a promise that you will play every popular demo or meet a particular creator.

The photograph shows the exhibition in 2015, not this year's stand layout or crowd conditions.

Choose a visit that fits your interests

Use the official PGW website for the current programme and booking links. If the one game you care about is not confirmed there or by its publisher, wait for confirmation before making a non-refundable travel purchase.

Current one-day tickets and family costs

The dated-ticket page, checked October 18, lists:

For two adults and two eligible young people, separate tickets total €98, so the family offer saves €18. Two adults and one young person total €78, less than the family package. With two adults and children under eight, the adult tickets total €58; arrange the free children's admissions too.

The dated ticket is for the selected day and venue. The published terms say it is not exchangeable or refundable, with cancellation or postponement handled under the organizer's conditions. Identification may be requested.

Older guides can still show early-bird rates. Compare the price in the current booking flow before paying, rather than budgeting from an old search result.

Is the two-day Open ticket worth it?

The two-day Open ticket is for one person visiting on two days of their choice during the event. The listed adult price is €50, youth admission is €34, and children under eight are free. The PMR/PSH price is €34, with one companion free.

For an adult making two visits, that is €8 less than two €29 singles. For an eligible young visitor, it is €6 less than two €20 singles. Those savings only help if you use both days. Do not treat one person's pass as two tickets to split between friends.

Choose two days if you want time for both demos and stage programming, or if a particular activity falls on a different day from your original plan. One day is a sensible starting point when PGW is one part of a wider Paris trip. Check the booking terms for how you receive and use the pass.

Inoxtag on October 24: a separate reservation

The organizer's October 15 Inoxtag announcement confirms a Fortnite evening at the Dôme de Paris on October 24 at 20:00, with 30 celebrity duos. Admission is announced as free with a reservation. Follow that page's booking link to check remaining availability; free does not mean you can arrive without a booking.

The announcement also lists a livestream on Inoxtag's Twitch and YouTube channels. That is an alternative if you cannot secure a place or do not want another evening journey.

Keep this reservation separate from daytime admission. Read the confirmation for the entrance and conditions, and plan time for food between events. An old description of a paid mystery evening is not a reliable basis for the current booking decision.

What to put on your programme shortlist

The organizer's 2026 programme highlights include a MO5 retro-gaming museum of roughly 400 square metres, the Game France pavilion with the CNC, and PGW Family. These give you alternatives to spending the whole visit waiting for a major release.

The same announcement lists cosplay workshops and a Saturday competition with preselected participants. Watching a competition is different from arriving ready to enter it. For a timed stage option, SilverGeek is listed for October 23, 11:00-13:00, on the hall 1 stage. Recheck the current schedule before organizing your day around it.

Make a short list with one timed activity and a few flexible stops. Put the activity's hall beside its name so you can see whether your plan involves crossing the exhibition repeatedly. Ask at the stand about demo language and the likely commitment before joining a queue.

For creator appearances, distinguish a stage appearance from an autograph or photograph session. Do not assume a general show ticket includes a personal meeting. Use the organizer or creator's current instructions for that specific appearance.

The PGW app helps with planning, not guaranteed queue times

In its October 14 app review, Journal du Geek describes a day-by-day agenda, hall and category filters, and favourites. The review reports no live queue-wait display or food listings at that time. Treat it as a programme planner, rather than a guarantee of the shortest line.

Follow the organizer's download links and set it up before leaving your accommodation. Add favourites for the correct day, then save the essential hall and session details separately. A screenshot of a timetable is useful when a phone is slow to load, but recheck it for changes before travelling.

If you are attending with friends, agree on a meeting point and time before splitting up. A busy chat thread is a poor substitute for a clear plan when one person is in a demo and another has a nearly flat battery.

Bag limits, luggage and arrival checks

PGW's practical information prohibits bags exceeding 20 litres or 40 × 20 × 25 cm. Check both volume and dimensions; a bag described as a 20-litre model may still exceed a dimension limit. Entry screening applies.

The organizer lists paid cloakrooms inside the event. That is not permission to bring an oversized suitcase through security. If you are arriving from a train or flight, arrange luggage storage before going to the exhibition and check that provider's own acceptance rules.

Keep the booking and any required identification easy to reach. For cosplay props, stroller admission, medical items, re-entry or an unaccompanied minor, obtain the current event-specific answer rather than relying on another convention's policy. The visitor contact is [email protected] or 01 86 47 72 43.

Planning your journey to PGW

The venue's published transport options include Metro line 12 to Porte de Versailles and line 8 to Balard. Compare the walking portion and the route from your accommodation before choosing. A station name alone does not tell you which exit or exhibition entrance is most convenient.

Use RATP's visitor guidance and an official journey planner, Bonjour RATP or Île-de-France Mobilités, for current traffic and ticket choices. RATP asks passengers to validate for each journey and mode, including bus and tram changes, and retain their ticket until leaving. Check your actual airport journey separately rather than assuming a city ticket covers it.

For an access need, check both the transport route and exhibition arrangements. A concession ticket does not establish that every platform, entrance or activity meets your requirements. Ask about the route you intend to use, including the walk at the end.

Avoid putting a fixed-time onward train immediately after your final activity. Leave room for collecting belongings, reaching the station and getting through your next departure point.

A manageable first-day plan

Before travelling, choose one priority activity, save the floor plan and check your ticket date. Look at the live transport route again on the morning of the visit.

Once inside, locate the activity you most want to do and ask how its queue works. If the wait would consume the part of the day you wanted for something else, change the plan. Keep a flexible stop nearby instead of crossing the site every time a queue looks long.

Build in a meal and a break away from your next timed commitment. For children, decide in advance which adult will leave an unsuitable or tiring activity with them. The France with kids guide can help you plan the rest of the holiday without turning every day into another exhibition visit.

Before leaving, check the return route and the next day's bookings. If you also reserved an evening show, use that confirmation rather than assuming the daytime entrance remains your destination.

Mobile data for tickets, transport and meeting friends

Keep ticket confirmations available offline and download the maps you need. Mobile data is useful for changed transport routes, programme updates and messages, but no plan can promise instant loading inside a crowded hall.

For a visitor whose home plan does not include suitable France roaming, OpenSim France plans provide a small prepaid option: the public catalog checked October 18 lists 1GB for seven days at US$1.40 and 3GB for 15 days at US$3.40, both marked eligible for top-up. That can suit maps and messaging without buying an allowance sized for daily video uploads. If France data is already included in your home plan at no extra cost, you may not need another purchase.

Use the travel data calculator for your usage, especially if you plan to stream or upload clips. Check phone compatibility and installation timing before buying. The plan's displayed terms govern setup and use; mobile data does not replace an event or transport ticket.

PGW sources and photograph credit

Dates, admission products, visitor restrictions and programme details were checked against the linked organizer pages on October 18, 2026. App observations are attributed to the dated review; travel-ticket guidance comes from RATP. Availability can change, so reopen the relevant booking page before paying for travel. This guide should be updated for material ticket, programme, entry or transport changes through October 25.

Photograph: Tasaka Sama, Paris Games Week, October 30, 2015.jpg), CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and compressed; the adapted photograph retains that licence. It does not show the 2026 layout.