The best and worst of Game On Expo 2025 in Phoenix

Game On Expo respawned at the Phoenix Convention Center in early April for its 10th edition, unlocking a weekend of high scores, epic boss battles and esports glory.

Noobs were pwned. Fantastic costumes were worn. And local gamers got the chance to meet the voice actors behind some of their favorite video game and anime characters.

Game On Expo 2025 had new features including an outdoor area along Third Street, more programming and an even bigger roster of special guests — including the first-ever convention appearance by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

That said, there were a few glitches during the three-day gaming and anime event from April 4 to 6. Lines were long at times and not every game was in perfect working order. Here’s a look back at both the epic wins and occasional fails of Game On Expo 2025 in Phoenix.

Best: The gorgeous weather

Staging a convention during this time of year is always a gamble. Temperatures could easily skyrocket into triple-digit territory, leaving attendees sweltering and dehydrated. Mother Nature did Game On Expo’s organizers a major solid, serving up three days of perfect temps and clear skies. Last year’s con may have been partially marred by a day of rain, but 2025 brought nothing but sunshine and breezy vibes. It felt like the organizers had entered a cheat code or tweaked the settings to "ideal weather" — no clouds, no heat, just fantastic weather and good times. It certainly came as good news to local cosplayers — particularly those adorned in bulky armor or multiple layers of foam — who didn’t have to slog through three days of hell to show off their costumes. Benjamin Leatherman

Worst: Long lines

Long lines were the boss battle nobody asked for at this year’s expo. Whether you were getting food, hitting the restrooms or waiting to get inside the Phoenix Convention Center, everything felt like a never-ending game of “Lemmings.” Some folks popped a squat right there on the floor like NPCs in a waiting room. The longest lines? Easily for legendary game creators and developers. Collectors rolled in with entire treasure chests of gear — from classic NES cartridges to translucent N64 consoles modded with neon lighting — attempting to get their entire hauls signed. We get it, that’s part of the convention hustle: the rarer the merch drop or the bigger the name, the longer the line. But when it takes 20 minutes to grab a slice of pizza or relieve your bladder? That’s overkill. At some point, you’re no longer at a con — you’re in an IRL queue simulator with no power-ups anywhere. Mike Madriaga

Best: Tony Hawk’s appearance

Pro skateboarding icon Tony Hawk was in the building on Saturday, posted up in the exhibit hall like a final boss. And the line to meet him? Gnarly AF. It was his first-ever appearance at a convention and fans didn't mind the wait, shelling out $100 or more to have their skateboards, vintage “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” games or other collectibles signed by the Birdman himself. Before you grind your gears over those triple-digit prices, ollie on over to eBay, where his authenticated autographs on similar items are being kick-flipped for three to five times as much. While selfies were technically off-limits, we spotted a few stealthy shutterbugs sneaking in some shots of Hawk. What did we love most about his appearance? Seeing old-school PlayStation games and weathered skate decks turned into display-worthy museum pieces with just one clean signature. MM

Best: The vast selection of games

Game On Expo lived up to its name with an exhaustive lineup of gaming experiences. Modern and old-school consoles. Tabletop and board games. Pinball machines and arcade coin-ops. Attendees could also take part in activities that replicated the action and thrills of gaming, like battling it out in a laser tag arena. One of our favorite parts of the expo was the curated collection of Japanese imports that was brought in by Nevada-based company Game Saru. There were gems like the 2001 Sega light-gun game “Lupin III: The Shooting” based on the iconic anime series, racers like “Initial D: The Arcade” and rhythm games like the always enjoyable “Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!” Best of all, everything at Game On Expo offered unlimited plays, much to the chagrin of those watching on and waiting for their turn. BL

Best: The “Mario Kart Live” setup

Each year, Game On Expo features the chance to play “Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit,” blurring the lines between augmented reality and "in real life (IRL)" slow and furious racing. Picture this: You're steering a real-life mini Mario Kart, complete with character and a built-in camera, cruising around a physical track while watching the race unfold on a screen built into your radio control unit that looks suspiciously like a Nintendo Switch. At this year’s expo, one of the walkways was tucked away from the expo's mass foot traffic, and it was more fun than the video game. Four racers duked it out in a simple circuit featuring a long tunnel that appeared as if it was straight outta Bowser’s treacherous level. Once your kart disappeared into that dark tunnel, it was all about trusting your instincts — and your screen — because if you lost visuals and couldn't navigate out, the game's over, bruh.

Worst: The lack of room at certain tables

Some of these RPG tabletop setups at Game On Expo took up enough space to launch a side quest. We saw scaled-down castles, armies of AAA-battery-sized monsters, aliens, knights, soldiers and enough miniature swords and shields to make a miniature blacksmith cry. Add in dozens of dice, notepads, rulebooks, and snack-packed backpacks ready for a year-long zombie apocalypse and you’ve got a full-blown tabletop war zone. A few hardcore players posted up at 12-foot tables large enough to seat three families. Meanwhile, the rest of us were sitting cross-legged on the floor trying to eat a slice of pizza without it getting trampled by someone masked-up rocking a mech-suit. Look, I totally get it, as I used to game when “Magic: The Gathering” players stole our tables, and then the Pokémon players took over entire gaming shops. But some RPGers should maybe consider swapping in some digital RPGs — “Baldur’s Gate 3,” “Elden Ring” or “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” —which offer that same immersive storytelling without compromising the gaming real estate.

Best: The claw machines

Near the base of the giant inflatable Pikachu, we stumbled upon a row of claw machines packed with medium-sized Pokémon plushies practically begging to be rescued from their clear acrylic prisons. We dropped in $12 for six tries — $2 a shot to catch ’em all. At our local boba spot, we’re lucky if we snag one plushie out of 10 tries. That’s a brutal 10% success rate, which is more heartbreak than haul. But at Game On Expo, luck was on our side. Thanks to our kid's uncanny hand-eye synchronicity, we walked away with two plushies — a Poké-perfect 33.3% catch rate — and the prizes are destined for our video game-inspired father-and-son cave. We weren’t the only ones scoring big. A couple next to us absolutely cleaned house on their machine. Hats off to whoever calibrated those claws just right — we’re pretty sure Clauncher and Clawitzer would approve of the mechanical grip strength on display. MM

Worst: Broken games

Arcade game collectors, we feel your pain. You invest thousands to acquire and restore a vintage coin-op, and then, in the spirit of generosity, you loan it out to a convention — only to watch it endure abuse at the hands of careless or rage-filled players. It’s tough to see a cherished classic take that kind of beating. That being said, if you’re going to make your machines available for public play, at least ensure they’re in good working order. A handful of the arcade units at Game On Expo 2025 featured janky joysticks, broken buttons and cracked marquees. Though it isn’t known if they arrived in that condition or were damaged during the event, it made for a frustrating experience for anyone hoping to play those particular games only to be left high and dry. BL

Best: Competition is king

Gaming competitions have come a long way since we lined up quarters on "Street Fighter II Turbo" machines, hoping to dethrone the 7-Eleven champ. Fast-forward 30-plus years, and that same mix of camaraderie, angst and button-mashing now plays out on Jumbotron screens — something we only dreamed of back then. At Game On Expo, the stakes were even higher, with some tournaments offering $1,000 prizes. Players faced off in titles like "Rivals of Aether," "Street Fighter 6" and "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," battling for bragging rights and enough cash to pre-order a couple of Nintendo Switch 2s (before tariffs, of course).

Back in my day, I ruled the local arcade. Now? My 9-year-old straight-up obliterated my "Street Fighter II" squad using a character called Blob in front of a live audience. Nothing like a generational beatdown to keep you humble. A nostalgic throwback came in the form of "Tetris" and "Dr. Mario competitions" — perfect for a father-son cooldown between all the 20-hit combos and digital knockouts. Major props to Game On Expo for leveling up both retro and modern showdowns. MM

Worst: Cosplay tails and oversized foam weapons

Look, we get it — cosplay is a hallmark of any good con. Dressing the part earns major clout and respect from fellow fans. But when your costume comes with a six-foot tail or a buster sword the size of a Toyota Prius, things can get a little dangerous in packed parts of the expo. At one point, we saw a cosplayer strut past a Pokémon taxidermy booth (yes, that’s a thing), and her massive tail — secured by a belt around her waist — nearly wiped out a glass case full of adorable pocket monsters. It was almost a real-life Tail Whip attack. And then there are the cosplayers hauling oversized weaponry through crowds like they’re prepping for a showdown in a food court. Luckily, most of these blades and blasters are crafted from soft foam, so if you get accidentally biffed in the head while TikTok-ing your way through the crowd, it might sting your pride more than your skull. Bonus: You might just go viral for the hit, so don't delete it. MM

Best: The 'Art of “Nintendo Power”' exhibit

Imagine playing video games without YouTube walkthroughs, Reddit threads or cheat-code TikToks. That’s how it was in the '80s and '90s, back when beating a final boss meant grinding, not Googling. Enter the "Art of ‘Nintendo Power’” exhibit at the expo — a blast from the pixelated past that reminded us how Gen Xers and older Millennials used to uncover warp zones and button combos the old-school way: flipping through print magazines. “Nintendo Power” was our holy grail. It had hand-drawn maps, cheat codes, Easter eggs and cryptic strategies — basically, a gamer’s survival guide for saving the princess at the end and kicking 8-bit monsters' butts. The exhibit felt like a mini-museum, packed with original “Nintendo Power” artwork, vintage props, and those iconic magazine covers that once captivated us groms for hours while we stared at our box-shaped Nintendo consoles like they were portals to another world. MM

Best: Game On Expo’s support of local wrestling

Video games and pro wrestling have been tag-team partners since the days when pixelated grapplers fought it out in ’80s arcade classics like “Mat Mania.” So it’s only fitting that Game On Expo kept that tradition alive in a sense by featuring live wrestling matches each day of the event. Competitors from multiple Arizona indie promotions — including Party Hard Wrestling, WrestleDrag and Impact Zone Wrestling — participated in matches throughout the weekend, leading up to Sunday’s “Boss Battle,” an action-packed battle royal where the winner was awarded a custom championship belt. BL