Benjamin Leatherman
Audio By Carbonatix
The Phoenix Convention Center transformed into a gamer’s paradise from April 4 to 6 as thousands of joystick jockeys, esports contenders and anime enthusiasts converged for this year’s Game On Expo.
The three-day event from April 4 to 6 was a high-energy celebration of all things gaming, including esports battles, vendors and the chance to meet voice actors like Sam Witwer from “Star Wars: The Force Unleased” and Troy Baker from “The Last of Us.”
Then there was all the cosplay – plentiful, creative and impossible to miss. As is the norm at any geek-heavy event, many attendees came in full costume. At Game On Expo, that meant outfits inspired by a wide range of video games, from pixelated classics to modern blockbusters.
The were costumes paying tribute to landmark gaming franchises like “Mortal Kombat” and “Sonic the Hedgehog,” as well as the always popular “Five Nights at Freddy’s” series.
A trio of friends as characters from “Baldur’s Gate 3.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Many Game On Expo attendees showed their love for “Baldur’s Gate 3,” the wildly popular 2023 fantasy role-playing title, by dressing as characters from the game. The spike in cosplay inspired by the RPG was no accident – a few voice actors from its cast – including Samantha Béart and Theo Solomon – appeared at the event, prompting fans to express their fandom through intricate costumes.
Stephanie Donaldson and Amy Betts were among them, each portraying a different version of Shadowheart from “Baldur’s Gate 3” – both equally impressive. The pair told Phoenix New Times they crafted their detailed ensembles in just a month.
“But it was a really busy month,” Donaldson says. “We crammed a lot of sewing, shaping foam and hard work into whatever free time we had.”
Donaldson (a.k.a. Bleeding Fingers Cosplay) and Betts (a.k.a. Amy Does Cosplay) were rewarded for their efforts with a “Best in Show” award during Game On Expo’s costume contest.
Here’s a look at some of the most amazing costumes we encountered at Game On Expo 2025, including the bold, the bizarre and the downright breathtaking.
Lili Soto of Tolleson, left, and Grey Trotter of Phoenix crafted stunning cosplays of MC and Sylus from the otome video game “Love and Deepspace.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Las Vegas-based cosplayer Silver Pigeon brought Velkana to life, an original Githyanki character inspired by the world of “Baldur’s Gate.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Luis Salas of Tempe cosplayed the titular characters from the Nintendo 64 classic “Banjo-Kazooie.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Baby Stay Cosplay of Tempe spent more than 200 hours crafting her costume of Riju from “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.”
Benjamin Leatherman
A member of local “Fallout” cosplay group The New Arizona Republic.
Benjamin Leatherman
A local cosplayer as Dark Link from “The Legend of Zelda” series.
Benjamin Leatherman
Cosplaying Rogue from “The X-Men.”
Benjamin Leatherman
This cosplayer came as Avocado Cookie, a character from the mobile game “Cookie Run.”
Benjamin Leatherman
This group of friends dressed up as characters from the horror adventure game “Mouthwashing.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Local cosplayer Eve as a Chain Chompette inspired by the “Super Mario” series.
Benjamin Leatherman
This Dr. Robotnik cosplayer definitely has the mustache down.
Benjamin Leatherman
A female version of Starscream from “The Transformers” cartoon from the 1980s.
Benjamin Leatherman
She’s cosplaying Felicia from the Capcom fighting game “Darkstalkers.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Cyclops from Capcom’s famed fighting game “X-Men vs. Street Fighter.”
Benjamin Leatherman
In “Mortal Kombat II,” you really had to work to find the secret character Jade.
Benjamin Leatherman
Cosplaying King Clawthorne from the cartoon series “The Owl House.”
Benjamin Leatherman
These twin sisters fittingly portrayed twin sisters Mileena and Kitana from “Mortal Kombat II.”
Benjamin Leatherman
A cosplay salute to the original anime series “Macross.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Zephyr Leigh of Chandler created a fantastic-looking cosplay of Rayquaza from “Pokémon.”
Benjamin Leatherman
The cosplayer on the left drew inspiration from “Sonic the Hedgehog,” while the one on the right was inspired by the PlayStation game “Klonoa.”
Benjamin Leatherman
These friends cosplayed Amy and Gary from the PC horror game “FAITH: The Unholy Trinity.”
Benjamin Leatherman
These friends were Gerudo Link, left, and Princess Zelda from “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Local model Irene Silver as Chun-Li from “Street Fighter II.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Phoenix cosplayer Kasai Ronin as the evil version of Starkiller from “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.”
Benjamin Leatherman
An original character inspired by the post-apocalyptic lore of “Fallout.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Local cosplayers Yani Uriarte, left, of Surprise as Sonic the Hedgehog and Kaiven Greene of Phoenix as Tails.
Benjamin Leatherman
Siena Baire of Mesa as an original character inspired by the anime “Princess Jellyfish.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Kendall Timothy of Chandler as Goblin Slayer from the anime and manga of the same name.
Benjamin Leatherman
Marissa Tiemann of Las Vegas portrayed a gender-bent version of Halsin from “Baldur’s Gate 3.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Looking cool in his cosplay of Spike Spiegel from “Cowboy Bebop.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Watch out for the hadouken from this Ryu cosplayer.
Benjamin Leatherman
Tucson residents Kylan Davis, left, and Danielle Stimac dressed as Sub-Zero and Kitana, respectively, from the “Mortal Kombat” universe.
Benjamin Leatherman
Chris McCarthy of Scottsdale, left, as Red Guy and Moe McCarthy as Yellow Guy from the British horror comedy web series “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Local cosplayer Isabella Flores of Glendale as Angel Gabby from analog horror web-series “Angel Hare.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Cosplaying characters from the “Sonic the Hedgehog” series.
Benjamin Leatherman
Cosplaying Jinx from “League of Legends.”
Benjamin Leatherman
These Tucson cosplayer portrayed Lamb and Goat from the popular indie video game “Cult of the Lamb.”
Benjamin Leatherman
Meet “Robobabe,” which is inspired by Robocop.
Benjamin Leatherman
RJ Bridges of Gilbert attended Game On Expo as Haumea from the anime “Fire Force.”
Benjamin Leatherman
