It’s game on for game-lovers, creators and industry experts as Melbourne International Games Week hits the next level this 4-12 October
The largest games event in the Asia Pacific is loading its biggest and boldest iteration yet, ready for you to press play from this 4-12 October. Melbourne International Games Week once again celebrates Victoria as a global hub of all things gaming culture with a nine-day festival featuring all-ages parties, live performances, international guests and much more.
Across the 70 events on the loot-filled program, there’s something for everyone to get involved. Whether you’re game-curious or a game-fanatic, the expertly curated week of parties, seminars, shows and symposiums provides an assortment of events that cover every corner of the gaming world for every kind of gamer.
Melbourne International Games Week
- 4-12 October
- 70 events at venues across Melbourne
- More info here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
The collision of games and art
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As a craft that draws on creativity from across a range of artistic practices – from music and soundscapes to animation and performance – it’s no surprise that the gaming events on MIGW’s massive program do so too. This is gaming, but not as you know it.
One of the festival’s much-loved events and totally free events, Big Games Night Out, will be returning for its third year. Inviting game-lovers and friends to celebrate, play, dance and engage at Fed Square on 9 October, Big Games Night Out is the free, all-ages, all-accessible party you won’t want to miss out on. Party-goers will find spectacular exhibition Electric Arcadia at the centre of the event, while little ones and families can join in on the fun at Little Games Night Out.
Families looking for more ways to discover engaging play for kids both big and small can check out interactive audio experience The Flying Canoe, as well as artist-guided experience The MNY. Elsewhere on the program, MIGW is teaming up with Freeplay – the world’s longest-running indie games festival – to bring interactive exhibition Distraction to life at Science Gallery for free.
The performative side of play
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When it comes to Melbourne International Games Week, ACMI provides punters the cheat code to a great time. The pumping hub of all things games, screens and stories will be hosting a slew of MIGW events, including the new major playable exhibition Game Worlds that will feature an assortment of new and old games, alongside ACMI Microgames.
For gamers wanting to go multiplayer mode and connect to the wider gaming community, events like The King’s Poisoner: The Last Kingdom and Reworlding City North will provide social forays of fun, as well as the hotly-contested King of the Kart, Elegant Skeleton, Costumed Life Drawing and Game in the Groove.
In a perfect combo move, Melbourne Fringe Festival will be teaming up with MIGW to find out what happens when performance takes on the gaming world. The catalogue of co-programmed events sees two of the city’s most beloved festivals teaming up to explore climate catastrophe, the power of dance, Pokémon, clowns and issues of identity with 11 crossover shows.
To top off MIGW’s program of mayhem, madness and magnificent games, the festival’s friendly wrap party Megadev on 12 October is the perfect place to wind down after an incredible week of play.
Workshops, symposiums, international keynotes and more
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As much as Melbourne International Games Week is brimming with opportunities to discover new kinds of play, the festival also provides a range of ways to learn about and engage with the behind-the-scenes of the games industry.
For the new guard of games fans, Careers and Frontiers: Games Education Symposium invites secondary school and tertiary students, educators, career advisors, parents and gamers to imagine the future of the games industry and their roles within it. Those interested in the audio and music side of gaming can also check out the High Score conference.
MIGW also marks the biggest celebration of gaming culture in the country with PAX Aus – a major expo of studios, game demos, performances, tournaments, community activations and more. Play Now Melbourne additionally provides a space for game-creators to connect to the global market of games publishing, including investors and publishers.
For games fans wanting to learn more about levelling-up their game-making skills, make sure to check out workshops like Creating 3D Game Characters, Rapid Game Prototyping using Unreal Engines and Bits & Builds: Inside the Gaming Machine.
There will also be a range of networking events for those wanting to expand their connections in the games industry, like Taking Up Space: A Networking Event for Women & Gender Diverse Game Developers, Games Connect Asia Pacific: GCAP, Interactive Narrative Social and Game Workers: Group Up 2025.
The program additionally features a collection of international and local industry expert speakers to give audiences an insight into the creative and technical process behind making games. These include Celeste: In Conversation with Maddy Thorson & Noel Berry, Digital Gaming Intimacies, Freeplay: Parallels, Esports Australia Summit 2025, Games for Change APAC and Technically Games Lightning Talks.
From Melbourne to the world
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This year, the fun will be unfolding beyond the city limits for the first time in MIGW’s history. Bunjil Place in Narre Warren and Hobsons Bay Altona Library will be bringing the Greater Melbourne area along for the MIGW ride, thanks to a brand new program featuring satellite events.
MIGW isn’t just taking on Victoria this October, either. As the epicentre of gaming culture, events and creativity in the Asia Pacific, Melbourne will be showcasing the industry-leading work of the country’s best developers with 10 days of playable demos, unreleased games and massive discounts as part of MIGW’s Steam Page Festival.
Whether you’re new to the world of games or a careered industry insider, MIGW has a slice of fun, play and learning to offer game-lovers of all kinds. Get ready to game on this 4-12 October at Melbourne International Games Festival.
For Melbourne International Games Week’s full program, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Melbourne International Games Week.
