How much are Tokyo Game Show 2026 tickets?

For Public Days (Sept 19–21, 2026), a standard 1-Day Pass is ¥3,000 tax included. A priority Fast Ticket is ¥6,000 per day, and a 3-day Premium Ticket that covers all Public Days is ¥30,000. Elementary-school children and younger enter free with a paying adult. Prices are from the official CESA site, as of 2026.

What is the difference between Business Days and Public Days at TGS 2026?

Business Days (Sept 17–18) are for the games industry, press, and exhibitors, entered via a Business Pass (Gold or the new premium Black Pass). Public Days (Sept 19–21) are open to anyone who buys a public ticket, with playable demos, panels, cosplay, and shopping. Regular travelers want a Public Day ticket.

How do foreigners buy Tokyo Game Show tickets?

Overseas visitors buy through the official Overseas Ticket page on the TGS site (general sales open July 11, 2026, staggered; the overseas window is expected to open in mid-July — check the official Overseas Ticket page for the exact time), which accepts Visa and Mastercard and needs no Japanese phone number or bank account. Pick your Public Day, pay by card, and save the QR-code ticket to your phone. The 1-Day Pass costs ¥3,000.

When do TGS 2026 tickets go on sale?

As of 2026, Premium and Fast tickets sell by lottery from July 11 (12:00) to July 15 (23:59). First-come-first-served sales for any remaining Premium and Fast tickets, plus general sales of the ¥3,000 1-Day Pass, begin July 20 at 12:00. Business Day passes go on sale in late July.

Do I need to enter the lottery to attend TGS 2026?

No. The lottery (July 11–15) is only for the priority Fast Ticket and the 3-day Premium Ticket. The standard ¥3,000 1-Day Pass goes on general sale from July 20 and does not require winning a lottery. Buy it early once your travel dates are set, especially for the busy Saturday, September 19.

Where is Tokyo Game Show 2026 held and how do I get there?

TGS 2026 is at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, roughly 30–40 minutes by train from central Tokyo and easy to reach from both Narita and Haneda airports. The nearest station is Kaihin-Makuhari on the JR Keiyo Line. See our Makuhari Messe access guide for the exact route, station exits, and timing to beat the morning crowd.

Tokyo Game Show 2026 Tickets: How to Buy (Business vs Public Days)

Regular visitors buy Public Day tickets for Tokyo Game Show 2026 (Sept 19–21, Makuhari Messe): a 1-Day Pass is ¥3,000, a priority Fast Ticket ¥6,000/day, and a 3-day Premium Ticket ¥30,000, all tax included. Lottery sales open July 11, first-come from July 20. Business Days (Sept 17–18) are for industry only. Overseas visitors buy through the official Overseas Ticket route with Visa or Mastercard — no Japanese phone or bank needed.

Most travelers want a Public Day ticket to Tokyo Game Show 2026 — a ¥3,000 one-day pass (tax included) for September 19, 20, or 21 at Makuhari Messe, bought from the official CESA ticket site. Business Days (September 17–18) are reserved for the games industry, so if you are a fan, gamer, or content creator visiting Japan, the three Public Days are the ones you want. Below is exactly what each ticket costs, when it goes on sale, and how overseas visitors pay — all confirmed against the official site, as of 2026.

This page is the ticket how-to for the show. For the full dated overview — dates, halls, big-name exhibitors, and what to expect on the floor — see our Tokyo Game Show 2026 guide, and browse where it sits among the country's biggest fan gatherings in our anime & game events in Japan pillar.

Business Days vs Public Days: which do you need?

TGS 2026 runs five days for the first time ever — a 30th-anniversary format — split into two very different halves.

	Business Days	Public Days
Dates (as of 2026)	Sept 17 (Thu)–18 (Fri)	Sept 19 (Sat)–21 (Mon)
Who can enter	Industry, press, exhibitors	Anyone with a public ticket
How you get in	Business registration / Gold or Black Pass	Buy a Public Day ticket
Best for	Deals, recruiting, B2B meetings	Playing demos, panels, cosplay, shopping

If you work in games (developer, publisher, distributor, media) you register for a Business Pass. As of 2026, the standard Business Pass is ¥16,500, the Gold Pass ¥44,000 (business lounge, meeting reservations, the business-matching system, and the International Party), and the new premium Black Pass ¥110,000 (everything in Gold plus a dedicated pass counter, a special entrance, and the exclusive Black Suite Lounge) — all tax included, for applicants without a pre-registration code. Business Day passes go on sale in late July 2026; confirm the latest figures on the official site before you pay.

Everyone else — the vast majority of visitors — buys a Public Day ticket. That is what the rest of this guide covers.

Tokyo Game Show 2026 ticket prices

Here are the Public Day ticket types and prices, all tax included, as of 2026, straight from the official CESA ticket page.

Ticket	Price (tax incl.)	What you get
1-Day Pass (middle-school age and up)	¥3,000	General admission for one chosen Public Day
Fast Ticket	¥6,000 / day	Priority morning entry + commemorative goods (lottery)
Premium Ticket	¥30,000	All three Public Days + Fast-Ticket perks + "Energy Spot" lounge
Special Discount Ticket	¥1,500 / day	For visitors with a disability certificate (shown at entry)
30th Anniversary Ticket	¥3,300,000	Limited pre-order collector ticket with a pure-gold medal
Elementary-school children & younger	Free	Admission with a paying adult

So the honest answer to "how much are TGS 2026 tickets?" for a normal visitor is ¥3,000 for a single day. Spend ¥6,000 on a Fast Ticket only if beating the morning queue to the most popular demos matters to you; the ¥30,000 Premium and ¥3.3 million anniversary tickets are niche products, not the default.

When and where to buy (the sale calendar)

Timing matters, because the best tickets sell by lottery first, then first-come-first-served. As of 2026 the official schedule is:

July 11 (Sat) 12:00 – July 15 (Wed) 23:59 — lottery application for Premium and Fast tickets.
July 20 (Mon) 12:00 — first-come-first-served sales begin for any remaining Premium and Fast tickets, plus general sales for the 1-Day Pass and Special Discount Ticket.

All purchases go through the official ticket page at tgs.cesa.or.jp. Buy only from the official platform or its named partners — resale tickets and unofficial sellers are a real risk for a show this popular, and organizers can void them.

A practical tip: if you just want the standard ¥3,000 1-Day Pass, you do not need to win the July 11 lottery. That pass goes on sale to everyone from July 20, and single-day passes for an event this size rarely sell out instantly the way concert tickets do — though popular Saturday (Sept 19) can move faster, so buy early once you have fixed your travel dates.

How foreigners buy TGS tickets

You do not need a Japanese phone number or bank account. Overseas visitors buy through the official overseas ticket route — the Overseas Ticket page — which sells to international visitors and accepts Visa and Mastercard. General ticket sales open from July 11, 2026 (staggered), and the overseas window is expected to open in mid-July, as of 2026 — check the official Overseas Ticket page for the exact overseas on-sale time. The standard 1-Day Pass is offered to overseas travelers at ¥3,000.

Step by step for a visitor from abroad:

Fix your travel dates so you know which Public Day (Sept 19, 20, or 21) you'll attend.
Open the official Overseas portal at tgs.cesa.or.jp/2026/en/oversea.
Choose your ticket (usually the 1-Day Pass), pay by Visa or Mastercard, and save the digital ticket / QR code to your phone.
Screenshot it as a backup — venue Wi-Fi is crowded on show days.

Entry is at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, a straightforward train ride from central Tokyo and both airports. Plan the exact route, nearest station, and door in our Makuhari Messe access guide so you arrive before the morning rush.

Quick checklist before you buy

Confirm you want a Public Day (Sept 19–21), not a Business Day.
Decide: ¥3,000 1-Day Pass (default) vs ¥6,000 Fast Ticket (skip the queue) vs ¥30,000 Premium (all three days).
Overseas? Use the official Overseas Ticket route with Visa/Mastercard.
Buy from the official site only; keep your QR code offline.
Kids in elementary school or younger enter free with an adult.

With your ticket locked in, the last step is knowing what to actually do on the floor — head back to the full TGS 2026 guide for hall maps, headline exhibitors, and timing strategy.