Tokyo Game Show 2018 with Cofesta

Hi everyone! I just got back from Tokyo Game Show 2018 with Cofesta! Thanks to Cofesta, I got the opportunity to attend this biggest event for gamer in Japan on the very first day (business day). It was super super fun especially because I can try a lot of games that is not available for sale yet. I’m so excited for the release date next year. I’m going to share my experience here and my tips and trick if you want to attend Tokyo Game Show.

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About Tokyo Game Show

Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is an annual event related with game and console. Here game publisher / game console maker will display their upcoming game titles and the visitor can try the games. And not only that, TGS is an opportunity for game school to promote their school. A lot of people from game business and industries usually also attend this event. TGS is usually held in Makuhari Messe in Chiba and this year marks the 16th Annual Tokyo Game show.

To get to Makuhari Messe is pretty straight forwards. Take the Keiyo Line and get down at Kaihim Makuhari station and the moment you get down the train, you can see a lot of ads about TGS and you just have to follow the crowd.

During this specific period, they also provide a bus from and to Haneda and Narita airport. Please check their website to know more about the bus schedule.

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Tokyo Game Show 2018

This year I attend with Cofesta on the business day (Thursday 20th Sept). Business day is mainly for people who work in business industries and pers. However, general people can also apply for business day weeks in advance. This business day cost a bit more than the general day ticket (5000-25000¥ depends on which class you choose).

I normally prefer the business day because the crowd are much more manageable. It’s still crowded, but it’s better than the public day.

As soon as the event started, I rushed to Square Enix booth to try their new release next year: Kingdom Hearts 3!

I was lining to try this game for 45 minutes. If you come during the public day, a famous title like this will need a seiriken (整理券)/numbered ticket to play. You’ll need to line super early because the tickets will be gone in 10 mins.

Another thing really interesting about TGS is that you’ll find interesting decorations in every booth. Usually they have a panel or 3D model so you can take a picture with it.

Let’s see Square Enix  booth here:

They have a panel where you can take pictures with the Keyblade and a mini exhibition about the next upcoming KH3 goods.

Or Capcom booth here that has Nero from Devil May Cry 5.

And Klab Game (I played Yu-Yu-Hakusho and was so excited when I saw this lol, this fandom has been going on since a long time)

Some booth also has official cosplayers (or booth babes) and mascot of their famous game. I always tried to take a shoot with their mascot lol

(Teddie and Mona from Persona and the right one is from Youkai Watch. I also manage to take one shot with chocobo during the public day, did you saw it on my insta story?)

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The VR Hall

You can also try some VR games and indie game on different hall. If the exhibitions are mainly focused on Hall 3-8, you can find the VR games and indie game on Hall 9-11. Here, you can also find the merchandise booths.

VR games usually need a seiriken. If you go on public day, you need to decide which hall you want to enter. If you choose to enter VR hall first, you cannot move to the other hall until 10:30AM.

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So.. what about public day?

I came again at public day this year. Public day is much more cheaper than business day (1200¥ if you buy at the venue, or 1000¥ if you buy in advance via web).

However, the crowd is really….. a lot.

Here’s some tips if you’re planning to attend on public day:

1. If you want to play / try the game, come super early and line. The event start on 10AM, but people are already lining from 4AM. I came at 6AM and I got nothing. Imagine how wild is the crowd.
2. Get your ticket in advance, so you don’t have to line again in the venue. If it’s possible, get the TGS supporter ticket so you get priority lane.
3. Bring something to sit and eat. You don’t want to wait in line standing and starving. TGS venue also has some food stall inside, but.. you imagine the line.
4. The console and game publisher might have the same game to try. For example, Both PS and Square Enix booths allow you to try Kingdom Hearts 3. However, Square Enix has a lot of consoles to try Kingdom Hearts 3, so the waiting line is relatively shorter than the one on PS4. On the other hand, if you try KH3 on PS booth, they’ll give you merchandise. So you decide which one you really one.

And that’s all from me. I hope you enjoy your visit to TGS 2018 as much as I do. See you on TGS 2019.

And here’s my video promoting PS booth