UK Games Expo 2026 – Bigger Than Ever, But At What Cost?
by Ian. Sun 31 MayUK Games Expo 2026 – Bigger Than Ever, But At What Cost?
UK Games Expo continues to cement its position as the UK’s premier tabletop gaming event, and 2026 was another hugely successful year. However, for me, it also highlighted an interesting challenge that comes with that success.
This year marked the first time that a couple of friends and I decided to attend for just a single day rather than making a full weekend of it. The decision wasn’t driven by the event itself, but by the rapidly increasing cost of accommodation around the NEC. Hotel prices have reached a point where even nearby options can feel difficult to justify.
Of course, there are alternatives. Staying in Coventry or Birmingham and commuting in is perfectly viable, but one of the key attractions of staying on-site was always the convenience. Living only an hour away, the difference between a 20-minute journey and a 60-minute journey isn’t particularly significant.
More importantly, the main reason we traditionally stayed over was the social side of the convention. UK Games Expo has always been a fantastic opportunity to spend evenings gaming with friends from around the country—people you might only see once or twice a year. The reality for us now is that many of those friends are people we see regularly anyway, either at local clubs or other conventions. There are only a handful of people we don’t meet often, and we’re fortunate enough to cross paths with them elsewhere during the year.
The Convention Itself
As for the Expo, it remains a fantastic event.
One thing that has always fascinated me about UK Games Expo is how it sits somewhere between a gaming convention and a trade show. Whether that’s ultimately an advantage or a disadvantage probably depends on what you’re looking for.
Take AireCon as an example. That’s first and foremost a gaming convention, with a trade presence alongside it. Essen Spiel sits at the opposite end of the spectrum: a trade show where gaming opportunities exist, but the focus is firmly on publishers, retailers and new releases.
UK Games Expo occupies the middle ground.
As someone who attends all three events, I can appreciate what Expo is trying to achieve. This year, Dave and I spent much of Friday exploring the trade halls. While there was plenty to see, very little truly jumped out as an essential purchase. Instead, most of what caught my attention were projects I’d like to keep an eye on through Kickstarter or future releases.
That’s not necessarily a criticism. The halls remain vibrant, varied and full of enthusiasm. However, compared to previous years, I found fewer “must-have” discoveries.
The One-Day Question
The downside of attending for a single day is obvious: opportunities for demos become much more limited. There simply isn’t enough time to see everything, play everything and spend extended periods with new titles.
That said, I keep coming back to the value equation.
When accommodation is approaching £200 per night, with food, drinks, taxis and other expenses on top, the total cost of a full Expo weekend can quickly climb towards £500–£600. At that point, it’s fair to ask whether the experience justifies the expenditure.
For comparison, I’ve attended conventions abroad, including events in Portugal, for less than the overall cost of a UK Games Expo weekend.
As things stand, I suspect I’ll continue with the one-day approach next year, perhaps leaving the option open for a longer stay if circumstances change. Unless hotel pricing becomes more reasonable—and realistically, demand means that’s unlikely—the economics are difficult to ignore.
Success Creates New Challenges
It’s important to stress that this isn’t a negative review of UK Games Expo.
If anything, the opposite is true.
The challenges around accommodation and affordability are a direct result of the Expo’s success. The event continues to grow year after year, attracting more visitors, publishers and exhibitors than ever before. That’s a fantastic achievement and a real positive for the UK tabletop gaming community.
The fact that the UK now hosts an event of this scale is something worth celebrating.
Games Picked Up
Despite not finding many impulse purchases, I still managed to come home with a respectable haul.
Mutagen was an easy choice. I’d briefly demoed it last year, missed the Kickstarter campaign, and was pleased to finally pick up a copy.
I also grabbed Yonder from Haakon Gaarder, whose previous designs include Villagers and Moon. It’s one that immediately caught my attention thanks to its pedigree and interesting design approach.
For something considerably lighter, I picked up L'Oaf. Credit also goes to the PHC podcast crew, whose discussions helped push it firmly onto my shopping list.
Another purchase influenced by podcast recommendations was 1975: White Christmas, which intrigued me enough to take the plunge after hearing it discussed.
Finally, I rounded things out with Flippers, a much lighter penguin-themed game than I’d normally buy. Sometimes it’s nice to add something accessible and family-friendly to the collection, and this looked like exactly that sort of experience.
Interestingly, I came away with fewer games than I typically would. I spent a lot of time browsing and searching for that unexpected discovery—the title I’d never heard of that would become the surprise hit of the weekend—but nothing quite filled that role this year.
Final Thoughts
UK Games Expo 2026 was, once again, an excellent convention. It remains one of the highlights of the UK gaming calendar and a vital gathering point for the hobby.
The event itself is thriving, the atmosphere remains welcoming, and the community continues to be its greatest strength.
My only reservation isn’t about the Expo at all—it’s about the growing cost of attending it. Success has made the event bigger and better than ever, but it has also made the surrounding experience more expensive.
For now, a one-day visit seems like the sweet spot for me.
And despite everything, I’ll almost certainly be back next year.