Four days, 257,642 visitors: Tokyo Game Show 2026 lost its fifth day to a typhoon

Tokyo Game Show 2026 was planned as the longest edition in the show’s history, at five days. It ran four. With Typhoon No. 25 approaching, the organiser, the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA), cancelled the whole in-person programme at Makuhari Messe on the fifth day, Monday 21 September, a public holiday in Japan. In a release on 20 September, CESA put attendance for the four days from 17 to 20 September at 257,642 [1]. This article reflects information as of 22 September 2026.

Day by day, against last year’s four days

The release includes a day-by-day table with the previous two years alongside. This year’s first business day, the 17th, drew 53,630 people and the second, the 18th, drew 52,545. The public days brought 78,678 on Saturday the 19th and 72,789 on Sunday the 20th [1].

The 2025 show also ran four days and totalled 263,101, so this year came in 5,459 lower. The 2024 total was 274,739 [1]. Matched day for day, this Saturday beat last year’s Saturday (77,415) and this Sunday fell short of last year’s Sunday (78,555) [1].

The opening-day release had projected 300,000 visitors [2]. That projection assumed all five days would go ahead, so it cannot be read directly against a result with one day missing.

More exhibitors, fewer booths

As of opening day, 1,138 companies and organisations from 53 countries and regions were exhibiting: 540 from Japan and 598 from overseas. Both figures topped last year’s records of 1,136 exhibitors and 47 countries and regions. The booth count went the other way, at 3,999 against 4,157 last year [2].

By area, the AI Technology Pavilion held 14 exhibitors, close to last year’s 15. The Business Meeting Area grew from 177 exhibitors to 251 [2]. According to the closing release, meetings arranged through the TGS Business Matching System reached 3,673, the most on record [1].

What the cancelled Monday still carried

In a notice on 19 September, CESA said it would refund tickets bought for the 21st but not for the 20th, which went ahead as planned. Refunds follow the instructions of whichever vendor sold the ticket [3]. The official broadcast still went out on the 21st. From 10:30 to 13:10 it carried Red Bull Revenge, an invitational Street Fighter 6 show match between eight top players, followed by a 30-minute Ending Stage from 15:00 (all times JST). Across the show, 25 official programmes streamed on YouTube, X, Twitch and Niconico, with DouYu and bilibili handling China and IGN handling Western audiences [1].

Among Korean exhibitors, NC said 30,000 visitors came through the solo booth for Astrae Oratio during the show. On the 19th, the first public day, the queue hit the organiser’s 120-minute cap, according to the company. NC widened its demo area on the 20th and held an online scenario screening on its official YouTube channel on the 21st [4].

Next year is five days again

CESA plans to hold Tokyo Game Show 2027 from Thursday 16 September to Monday 20 September 2027, a public holiday in Japan, again with Makuhari Messe pencilled in as the venue [1]. Anyone holding a ticket for the 21st should look up the refund notice from the vendor they bought it from.

Sources

[1] CESA. 30周年の東京ゲームショウ2026 リアル開催閉幕！4日間の総来場者数は25万7642人. Tokyo Game Show official site, 20 September 2026.

[2] CESA. TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026 opens today! Celebrating its 30th anniversary with its longest ever five-day run. Tokyo Game Show official site, 17 September 2026.

[3] CESA. [Important Notice] Regarding the Events on September 20 (Sun) and 21 (Mon, Holiday) Due to the Approach of Typhoon No. 25. Tokyo Game Show official site, 19 September 2026.

[4] Kim Chan-hwi. NC’s Astrae Oratio booth draws 30,000 at TGS 2026. Inven, 22 September 2026.