Previews

Four titles stood out as exceptional examples of the creativity, humor, and pure entertainment currently thriving across the Canadian indie scene.

The true PAX East experience lives in the spaces between the booths. It’s in the rhythmic clicking of mechanical keyboards in the PC area, the clatter of dice in Tabletop, and the spontaneous cheers erupting from the Arcade or PAX Arena.

Between the tactical, dark fantasy of 'Valor Mortis' and the immense tabletop scale of 'Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game,' my Sunday was anchored by two very different, but equally ambitious, visions of what gaming can be.

Arcade freeplay, Voodoo Lounge...and scent-o-vision. All in a day's work at PAX East.

A truly great surprise was seeing the Cyberpunk TCG, a fast-paced, resource-heavy strategy game, currently destroying records on Kickstarter.

By Friday, the panels, concerts and events are in full swing, and you can tell that all the booths have their systems and talking points figured out.

A moody Japanese world-ending virtual novel experience with a twist and a first-person Lovecraftian nautical experience caught my eye early in my PAX East journey.

While this year’s show floor felt like a mix of "quiet energy" and low-key reveals, the sheer variety of experiences made 2026 one of my best PAX years ever.

'Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch' quickly drew me in despite a simplistic intro. I had a small crew of unlikely partners and enemies to vanquish. In 'Strings Theory' the levels look stunning and the catchy music moves them along in a wonderful way.

I had a chance to view a live playthrough of the highly anticipated 'Elden Ring Nightreign.' It was fast, fun and built from the ground up for a new co-op experience.