Evolving RPG

Last verified: September 21, 2026

Have you ever walked into Gen Con, looked around, and realized there is absolutely no chance you’re going to see everything?

If this is going to be your first Gen Con, I’m going to save you some trouble right now: you aren’t going to see everything. This Gen Con Survival Guide is meant to help you figure out what matters before you ever leave home.

I’ve been going to Gen Con for years, I’ve written survival guides for EvolvingRPG before, and my friends and I have developed our own routines for getting through what really is an enormous convention. Looking back at one of my old guides from 2019, I’m actually surprised by how much of the basic advice I still believe. Bring water. Wear comfortable shoes. Carry a backpack. Bring something to charge your phone.

But surviving Gen Con is about a lot more than what you put in your backpack.

The bigger challenge is figuring out what you want your Gen Con to be.

Do you want to spend four days playing RPGs? Are you there primarily for the Exhibit Hall? Do you want tournaments, board games, miniatures, seminars, cosplay, meeting designers and authors, or just wandering around and seeing what happens?

You can do some of all of those things.

You just can’t do all of them at once.

And that may be the most important thing to understand before you leave home.

Gen Con Survival Guide: What We Know About 2027

Planning your trip? Always check the official Gen Con website for the latest badge, housing, event-registration, accessibility, and convention information. This guide will be updated as 2027 details are announced, but Gen Con should always be your final source for current policies and deadlines.

Let’s start with what is actually confirmed.

Gen Con 2027 runs August 5–8, 2027, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Gen Con currently lists convention activity at the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and participating hotels.

The Exhibit Hall is currently listed as open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday. Gen Con’s exhibitor information is already actively referring to the 2027 show, but I’ll still verify those hours again as we get closer to the convention.

A lot of the other information people are going to need has not been announced for 2027 yet.

As of this update, Gen Con has not released finalized 2027 badge prices, the 2027 badge-sale date, the housing-registration date, the 2027 hotel block, the Event Catalog release date, or the 2027 Event Registration date.

That is intentional wording.

You’ll find older dates on parts of Gen Con’s website, including information from the 2026 convention. Don’t assume a February date from 2026 automatically becomes the February date for 2027. Gen Con announced the 2026 badge, housing, and Event Registration dates in January 2026, so we’ll update this article when the equivalent 2027 announcement appears.

I’d rather tell you “Gen Con hasn’t announced that yet” than send you planning around the wrong date.

Start Planning Earlier Than You Think

There are three major things I would put on your mental calendar before worrying about what dice you’re bringing:

Your badge. Your hotel. Your games.

The exact 2027 dates are still pending, but the order matters.

Under Gen Con’s current housing system, attendees wanting rooms in the official housing block must first buy badges. The person whose account actually purchases the badge is also the person who receives the housing eligibility associated with that purchase. Opening-day access to the housing portal has most recently been assigned by randomized times.

That is the kind of thing a first-timer may not realize until it’s suddenly important.

Buying a Gen Con badge does not mean you have solved housing.

Getting housing does not mean you’ve registered for the games you want.

And registering for games doesn’t mean your entire weekend should be scheduled down to the minute.

We’ll update the exact 2027 procedure when Gen Con announces it, but if you’re going with a group, talk about this stuff beforehand. Know who is buying badges. Know who is handling the hotel. Make sure everyone has a Gen Con account. Figure out what your priorities are before Event Registration opens.

You don’t want four people discovering five minutes before registration that everyone thought somebody else was handling it.

Don’t Schedule the Fun Out of Gen Con

I love playing games at Gen Con. For me, that’s still a huge part of why I go.

But one of the easiest mistakes to make is filling your schedule with so many games that you never actually experience Gen Con.

My group has developed a rhythm that works pretty well for us.

Thursday and Friday tend to be heavy gaming days. Saturday is normally the day we really attack the Exhibit Hall. We spend hours going through it instead of pretending we’ll thoroughly see everything between two games. Once the Exhibit Hall closes Saturday evening, we can go right back to gaming.

Sunday is different.

Sunday is the day for going back.

What was that game we saw Thursday? Where was that book? Did somebody decide overnight that they really did want those dice? Was there a booth we wanted to visit one more time?

That’s why I strongly recommend using your early trip through the Exhibit Hall partly as reconnaissance.

If something catches your eye, don’t tell yourself you’ll remember where it was.

You won’t.

The Exhibit Hall is huge.

Write down the name of the company or product and, more importantly, record the booth or aisle. Take a quick note on your phone. If appropriate, take a picture. Be specific.

“Cool Viking game somewhere in the hall” isn’t going to help you Sunday afternoon.

This is also why I think attending all four days is worth considering if you can manage it. There is just too much going on to treat Gen Con like an afternoon at a local convention.

That doesn’t mean everyone has to follow my Saturday/Sunday routine. Maybe the Exhibit Hall barely interests you and you want four straight days of RPGs. That’s fine.

The point is to decide what matters to you and build around that, rather than letting the Event Catalog decide how you’ll spend every waking hour.

How Gen Con Games Actually Work

Gen Con is not a convention where your badge automatically gets you into every game.

Most scheduled events use event tickets. Gen Con currently uses both traditional event tickets and electronic ticketing, where your registration is associated with your account and badge.

Then there are Generic Tickets.

Think of Generic Tickets as your attempt to grab an available seat rather than a reservation for a specific event. If an event has room—perhaps because somebody didn’t show up—you may be able to get in using enough Generic Tickets to cover the event cost.

But Generic Tickets do not guarantee you a seat.

Gen Con currently recommends showing up about ten minutes early when you’re hoping to use generics to enter an event.

That can make Generic Tickets great for spontaneity.

See something interesting?

Have a gap in the schedule?

A game you wanted was sold out?

You may still have options.

What I would not do is build my entire Gen Con around the assumption that Generic Tickets will magically get me into every sold-out game I wanted.

And don’t assume being late to a scheduled game is harmless. If you’ve booked something you genuinely want to play, give yourself enough time to get there.

Which brings us to something that looks much easier on a schedule than it does in person.

Gen Con Is Bigger Than One Building

When people say “the convention center,” it can create the impression that everything is packed neatly into one building and every event is five minutes from every other event.

That isn’t Gen Con.

Official convention activity spans the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, and participating hotels.

That means two games that look perfectly spaced on your schedule may involve a decent walk through crowded halls, across connected spaces, or into another building.

And yes, you are going to walk.

A lot.

Back in my 2019 survival guide I told people not to show up at Gen Con wearing brand-new shoes.

I still believe that.

Maybe even more now.

Gen Con is not the place to break in a new pair of shoes because they looked good with your convention outfit. Bring something you already know you can walk around in all day.

Current Gen Con wellness guidance says essentially the same thing: comfortable shoes, water, meal breaks, adequate rest, and an extra layer for changing indoor temperatures.

Sometimes common sense survives because it really was good advice.

What I Actually Carry at Gen Con

I’m not going to give you a giant vacation packing list. You already know that you need underwear.

This is the stuff I find useful specifically while I’m walking around Gen Con:

• A comfortable backpack, reusable water bottle, portable battery and charging cable, pen and paper, dice when appropriate, small snacks, hand sanitizer, tissues, mints or gum, any personal medications I may need, and a light sweater, hoodie, or jacket.

Yes, I still carry pen and paper.

Low tech. Extremely effective.

I like taking notes during convention games. Sometimes I’m scribbling fast enough that I’m probably slowing myself down a little, but I enjoy keeping a record of what happened. Those convention games can become little one-shot adventures you’ll never experience with exactly that group again.

Afterward I can scan the pages and keep them as a journal of the game.

I’ve met people around those tables, swapped contact information, and stayed in touch afterward. Sometimes the memory I want to keep isn’t just what my character did. It’s who I was sitting beside when it happened.

One change from my older guides is the phone charger. Years ago I talked about backup chargers and even solar clips.

Today?

Just bring a decent portable battery.

Your phone may be holding your schedule, messages, pictures, maps, reservations, and half of your life. Don’t discover you’re at eight percent battery while trying to find your next game.

One more thing: current Gen Con policy does not allow rolling luggage, wagons, carts, dollies, hand trucks, or stroller wagons in the Exhibit Hall during hall hours, with accessibility exceptions handled through Accessibility Services.

So resist the urge to bring something enormous because you plan to buy half the hall.

Your back may eventually disagree with that plan too.

The Exhibit Hall Is an Event by Itself

I don’t treat the Exhibit Hall as something I can “swing by.”

It is part of Gen Con.

Gen Con currently advertises more than 500 exhibiting companies, and that means publishers, artists, authors, manufacturers, accessories, new games, demonstrations, and all manner of things designed to separate gamers from their money.

Give yourself real time there.

For my group, Saturday has become the big day.

That doesn’t mean we don’t go in on Thursday or Friday. We absolutely do. But those visits can tell us what deserves a second look when we have more time.

And don’t buy something simply because you believe some magical Sunday discount will appear.

Some vendors may offer specials. Others won’t.

If something is genuinely limited and you know you’ll regret missing it, waiting can be a mistake. If you’re merely interested, writing down the booth and thinking about it overnight might save you from buying a pile of things Thursday morning that you then have to carry around for three days.

Gen Con budgeting can get complicated very quickly.

Your badge, hotel, transportation, food, parking or rideshare, event tickets, Exhibit Hall purchases, and getting purchases home are all different expenses.

So don’t ask, “How much does Gen Con cost?”

There really isn’t one answer.

Ask instead, “What am I willing to spend on each part of Gen Con?”

I especially like separating my shopping money from the money required to survive the trip.

The hotel budget should not accidentally turn into a set of shiny metal dice.

Leave Room for Something You Didn’t Plan

Some of my favorite convention experiences are things I couldn’t possibly have put on my schedule months earlier.

I cosplay at Gen Con. One of my regular costumes is a king, and another is a Starfleet command officer from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

One year I was playing a game that had absolutely nothing to do with Star Trek when someone running a starship simulator kept coming over and asking whether I would stop by their area.

Apparently having somebody standing around dressed as a Starfleet officer was good for the atmosphere.

And why wouldn’t I go?

I’m at Gen Con.

Those are the moments I don’t want to schedule out of my convention.

The same is true of people.

One of my personal Gen Con traditions is stopping to see Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis when they’re there. I originally knew them through The Death Gate Cycle. Years ago I told them how I’d discovered the books, a friend essentially made me buy the whole series, and eventually I started stopping by their Gen Con appearance to say hello, buy something, and get books signed.

With Tracy, we often wind up talking about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I’m a fan. He’s a fan. I’m usually standing there dressed like I belong on the Enterprise.

Does Tracy remember me every year?

I’m pretty sure he does.

Does Margaret Weis?

She always smiles like she does, although I’ll admit that could be the fanboy in me talking.

But that’s part of Gen Con for me now.

It isn’t an event ticket.

It’s a tradition.

Leave room to create some of your own.

Cosplay Is Not Consent

While we’re talking costumes, here’s an easy rule:

Ask before taking somebody’s picture.

Gen Con’s own cosplay etiquette specifically says to ask before photographing another attendee and to respect their right to say no.

Most cosplayers I encounter are happy that somebody appreciates the work they put into their costume.

But wearing a costume isn’t automatic permission for everybody with a phone to start taking pictures.

Ask.

If they say yes, great.

If they say no, that’s the end of it.

Also remember where you are standing. Current Gen Con policy specifically says not to stop for cosplay photos in Exhibit Hall aisles because those aisles need to remain open.

Which connects to another rule that will make everyone’s convention better.

Be Patient With Other Gamers

Gen Con gets crowded.

Really crowded.

You will bump into somebody.

Somebody will stop in front of you.

Somebody will accidentally catch you with a backpack.

Somebody will be trying to figure out where they are while you’re trying to get somewhere else.

A polite “excuse me” or “sorry” will resolve the overwhelming majority of those situations.

There’s no reason for every accidental bump in a crowded convention hall to become an international incident.

We’re all trying to do the same thing.

Current Gen Con policy emphasizes courtesy, boundaries, safety, and respect, and its anti-harassment policy applies throughout the convention.

I prefer the simpler version:

Be patient.

Be friendly.

We’re all gamers trying to have a good weekend.

Accessibility Is More Than Checking a Box

I don’t want to treat accessibility as one paragraph at the bottom of the article.

One of the friends I attend Gen Con with is legally blind and uses a guide dog.

Sometimes we’re helping him navigate to a room, find the bathroom, or get through an especially crowded area. He actually prefers spending his time gaming more than wandering the Exhibit Hall, but he also recognizes that the rest of us want to see it, so he’ll come along for a while.

We joke that inside the convention we’re occasionally his second guide dog.

There is one advantage to traveling with him that we tease him about: he’s about the only person in our group who can get an entire crowded hallway to part and make room.

People really do try to help.

And he has a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

In 2025 we were sitting in a game when the lights unexpectedly went out in the room.

Everybody stopped talking.

A moment later our friend looked up and asked:

“Hey guys, did something happen?”

The table lost it.

I’ve told people that story who thought it sounded mean until I explained that he thinks it’s hilarious. He’s usually one of the people laughing hardest when we tell it.

But accessibility itself isn’t a joke.

Gen Con’s current Accessibility Services include a dedicated service kiosk, ADA badge identification, accessible Exhibit Hall entry, mobility-equipment support, a Quiet Room, and ASL interpretation at selected Gen Con-sponsored events. The exact 2027 locations, hours, and services need to be confirmed once the 2027 information is published.

Current policy permits service animals and does not permit ordinary pets or emotional-support animals under that exception.

If accessibility matters to your trip, don’t wait until you arrive to begin looking at this information.

Check the official Gen Con accessibility page as the convention approaches. Look at the convention-center information. Contact Gen Con when something isn’t clear.

The goal isn’t merely getting inside the building.

It’s being able to enjoy the convention once you’re there.

Eating Without Losing Half Your Day

Eventually every Gen Con group asks the same question:

“What do you guys want to eat?”

Then everyone says, “I don’t care.”

Then somebody suggests something.

Then somebody else doesn’t want that.

Congratulations. You have just created another Gen Con event.

Food at the convention has come a long way. I’ve had some excellent food from the Gen Con food trucks, and the selection around the convention can be impressive.

The problem is that everybody else has also discovered the food.

Lines can get long.

That’s another reason I don’t like having every minute scheduled. If your four-hour game ends exactly when your next four-hour game begins, where is lunch supposed to happen?

Keep a snack in your bag. Drink water. Give yourself time to eat an actual meal.

And if your group can’t decide what it wants after fifteen minutes, at some point somebody may have to become party leader and make the call.

Remember Why You’re There

Gen Con is huge.

It can be exhausting.

It can be expensive.

You can spend months planning it and still miss something you wanted to see.

But there’s something about those four days that is difficult to explain to somebody who hasn’t experienced it.

For most of the year, depending on where you live and who you’re around, being deeply interested in tabletop RPGs, dice, miniatures, board games, cosplay, fantasy novels, or pretending to command a starship can still make you “the geek.”

At Gen Con?

You are surrounded by tens of thousands of people who understand exactly why any of those things might be fun.

For four days, everybody gets to be themselves.

You can sit down with strangers and, four hours later, you’ve saved a kingdom together.

You can discover a game you had never heard of.

You can meet somebody whose books you’ve read for twenty years.

You can dress like a king.

You can put on a Starfleet uniform and somehow wind up being recruited to stand beside a starship simulator.

You can walk into the Exhibit Hall thinking you’re just going to look around and come out wondering how you’re going to get another six games onto the airplane.

That is Gen Con.

So absolutely plan your trip.

Watch the badge dates. Pay attention to housing. Learn how Event Registration works. Wear the right shoes. Bring water. Charge your phone. Leave enough time to get from one event to another.

But don’t plan every surprise out of the weekend.

And when the convention gets crowded, the food line is long, someone bumps into you, or everybody in your group is exhausted and trying to decide what to do next, remember the advice I keep coming back to after all these years:

Be patient. Be friendly to your fellow gamers. And have fun.

Everything else is just planning.

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2027 Information Still To Come

This is a living guide, and EvolvingRPG will continue updating it as Gen Con 2027 approaches.

As of September 21, 2026, we are still waiting for official 2027 information covering badge pricing and sales, housing registration and hotel-block details, Event Catalog and Event Registration dates, badge shipping and Will Call deadlines, final onsite hours and maps, specific Accessibility Services hours and locations, food-truck details, storage/bag-check arrangements, and other convention-year logistics.

When those details are announced, this guide will be updated and the Last verified date at the top will change.

If you’ve attended Gen Con before and have your own survival trick, convention tradition, or lesson you learned the hard way, I’d love to hear it. Some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten about Gen Con didn’t come from a rulebook.

It came from another gamer.