Video Games Hall
Video games have been part of AVCon since 2002. More than two decades later, the Video Games Hall takes up half of the Goyder Pavilion and keeps growing.
In 2026, the hall covers competitive tournaments, retro gaming, indie releases, live streaming, free-roaming VR, a full arcade line-up, physical play, accessible gaming, handheld games and a dedicated sensory space, all included with your AVCon ticket.
Whether you are here to compete, explore, revisit something old, try something you have never heard of, or just find a beanbag and a good game to sink into, there is a place for you.
Key Details
- Location: Goyder Pavilion, Adelaide Showground
- Saturday 4 July 2026: 10:00am to 5:00pm
- Saturday After Dark: 6:00pm to 12:00am
- Sunday 5 July 2026: 10:00am to 6:00pm
Most areas in the Video Games Hall remain open during AVCon After Dark on Saturday night. Free-roaming VR does not run during After Dark. The Video Games Stage runs 18+ programming during After Dark.
Check out all the awesome activities and areas below, you can check out our FAQ or if you have a question or suggestion, reach out via our Contact Us form!
Console Freeplay
Drop into Console Freeplay for casual gaming across the weekend. There are no sign-ups, no brackets and no pressure. Sit down, pick something up and play for as long as you like.
The area covers a mix of older and newer consoles, from the PS3 and Xbox 360 era through to the Switch 2. It is a good place to play co-op games with friends, try something you do not own, or take a slower break between other activities.
Console Freeplay is located in the Video Games area, next to Retrospekt.
Please be considerate with play time if others are waiting, and follow any directions from AVCon volunteers.
Video Game Tournaments with Big Cheese Grassroots Gaming
The tournament area is the competitive centrepiece of the Video Games Hall, with organised tournament events running across the weekend across multiple games and formats.
This year, AVCon is partnering with Big Cheese Grassroots Gaming to support our fighting game tournaments. Big Cheese are a South Australian fighting game community group who help run local tournaments, support grassroots competition, and create welcoming spaces for players of all skill levels.
All tournaments are free to enter. You must hold a valid AVCon ticket for the day your tournament runs.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Spots can fill before the event starts, and registering in advance is the best way to secure your place.
On the day sign-ups are available if a tournament has not already filled. For Ultimate Gamer on Saturday and Casual Cup on Sunday, sign-ups are on the day only.
For full tournament information, including how to register, what games are running, and how bracket formats work, check out our Start.gg below.
The Indie Games Room (IGR)
The Indie Games Room has been part of AVCon longer than SAGE or PAX Australia have been running. It is one of the longest-running features of the festival, and in 2026 it is back with games from local Adelaide developers and interstate creators.
What You Will Find
Projects range from polished releases ready for market to early prototypes being tested in public for the first time. Student projects, experimental builds, first public demos and everything in between. The room gives you a chance to play something before it exists anywhere else, and to meet the person who made it while you are playing it.
Developers are present alongside their games. You can give real feedback, ask questions about how something was made, or just play and move on. There is no obligation and no particular knowledge required. You just need to be curious.
Some of the best conversations at AVCon happen when someone picks up a game they have never heard of and ends up talking to the developer for half an hour. That is what this room is for.
Streamcast Studio
The StreamCast Studio is a full live-streaming hub operating inside the Video Games Hall across the entire event, including After Dark.
The setup includes a large central stage and three dedicated streamer booths, with cameras, capture equipment and broadcasting running throughout. Content from across the Video Games Hall makes its way through the Studio, alongside hosted segments, reactions and streamer-led programming.
What Attendees Can Do
You are welcome to come and watch. The StreamCast Studio is an open viewing area as well as a production space. Pull up a spot near the stage to watch live broadcasts, see streamers in action across the booths, or catch coverage of cool stuff featured in other parts of the hall like our Indie Games Room.
If you are a content creator attending AVCon, check the StreamCast Studio schedule and creators directory once they are available.
Retro Gaming with Retrospekt
Retrospekt is bringing 30 free-play stations to the Video Games Hall, all in one dedicated retro gaming area next to Console Freeplay.
The collection spans first generation through to seventh generation hardware, covering the well-known systems most people grew up with and a selection of niche and rare consoles that rarely surface at public events. Expect early 3D consoles, unusual hardware from gaming’s more experimental eras, and games you may genuinely never have seen in person.
Everything is set up and ready to play. Drop in any time across the weekend, try something familiar or try something completely new.
This is a shared free-play area. Please take turns, look after the equipment and follow any directions from Retrospekt or AVCon volunteers.
Just Dance Grandstand
Step onto the Just Dance Grandstand and dance your way through AVCon.
The Grandstand runs freeplay across the full weekend with the latest Just Dance title, featuring a mix of pop tracks, J-pop, K-pop and classic Just Dance favourites. It is all ages and open to everyone. Jump in for one song, cheer on your friends, or get a group together for a full routine.
No experience required. The on-screen instructions handle everything.
The Just Dance Grandstand is a shared activity space. Please be mindful of other attendees, take turns and follow any directions from AVCon volunteers.
Free-Roaming VR with Adelaide XR Lounge
Adelaide XR Lounge is bringing free-roaming virtual reality to the Video Games Hall across the weekend.
Free-roaming VR means you are not standing in one spot with a headset. You move through a physical tracked space while the game follows your position, giving you a degree of presence that seated or stationary VR cannot match.
This experience is included at no extra cost with your AVCon ticket. No booking is required, but there may be a line during busy periods.
Free-roaming VR involves movement while wearing a headset. Adelaide XR Lounge may have age, height or safety requirements in place. Please follow all safety instructions from Adelaide XR Lounge and AVCon staff before and during play. If you are bringing younger attendees, check with the Adelaide XR Lounge team before you queue!
Arcade
The arcade area is open all weekend and supported by Revolution Amusements and The Amalind Arcade. All machines are free to play, except prize redemption machines. Please check pricing at a machine before playing.
The arcade area can be one of the louder parts of the Video Games Hall. If you are sensitive to noise, that is worth keeping in mind when planning your time in the hall!
Featured Games
Rhythm Games
- Sound Voltex: Exceed Gear
- Beatmania IIDX
- Pop’n Music
- WACCA
- Groove Coaster
- DJ Max Technika 3
- Nostalgia Op3
- Jubeat
- O.N.G.E.K.I.
- Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix+
- Taiko No Tatsujin
- Gitadora
- Stepmania / ITG
Racing and Classic Arcade
- Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3DX+
- Daytona
- Pac-Man
- Street Fighter
- NBA Jam
- Pinball
Prize Redemption
Prize redemption machines with anime and gaming prizes (cost per play)
Touhou Project Adelaide Appreciation Society
The Touhou Project Adelaide Appreciation Society will be part of the Video Games Hall across both days of AVCon 2026.
If you are already part of the Touhou community, come and say hello. If you are curious about Touhou Project but not sure where to start, this is a good place to ask questions and find out what is happening at AVCon. Stop by the group’s space in the hall to connect with the community and learn more about Touhou Project activities at the event.
Johann Sebastian Joust
No screen. No buttons. Just you, a motion controller and some Bach.
Johann Sebastian Joust is a physical party game where players try to keep their own controller steady while knocking out everyone else’s. The tempo of the music controls how much movement is allowed. When the Brandenburg Concertos slow down, even a small, sudden jolt counts against you. When the tempo picks up, players can move more freely, and things get chaotic fast.
The AVCon team will also be adding pool noodles, inflatables and other surprises to the play area to keep players on their toes.
Joust is active, physical play in a shared space. Play safely, follow volunteer instructions and be mindful of the people around you. If you are unsure whether the activity suits you, speak to a volunteer at the Joust area before joining in.
Ultimate Gamer Area
Saturday 4 July only. On the day sign-ups.
Ultimate Gamer has been part of AVCon since 2003. It is one of the festival’s oldest gaming traditions and, depending on who you ask, one of its most brutal.
This is not a single-game tournament. Ultimate Gamer is a test of gaming flexibility, adaptability and stubbornness. In the qualifier round, players face a variety of games and challenges across different genres, designed to find out how quickly they can learn, how well they can adapt and how long they can survive whatever the Video Games team throws at them.
The best qualifiers advance to the finals on the Video Games Stage, where they battle for a cash prize, the crown and the title of AVCon’s Ultimate Gamer.
Will a famed pegasus rise again? Will a new challenger clip their wings? There is only one way to find out.
Key Details
- Date: Saturday 4 July only
- Qualifiers: 10:00am to 3:30pm, Ultimate Gamer Area
- Finals: 3:30pm to 4:30pm, Video Games Stage
- Format: Multi-game challenge event across different genres
- Sign-ups: On the day only, at the Ultimate Gamer Area
- Good for: Flexible players, chaos enjoyers, returning AVCon attendees and anyone who thinks they can adapt under pressure
More details will be available from the Ultimate Gamer Area on Saturday. Come ready for anything!
Casual Cup
Sunday 5 July only. On the day sign-ups!
On Sunday, the same space that runs Ultimate Gamer on Saturday becomes the Casual Cup: a gauntlet of fun video game challenges for attendees who want to compete in a more relaxed format.
The Casual Cup is built for players who want the experience of competition without the pressure of a full tournament bracket. You do not need to have played in Ultimate Gamer on Saturday. Sign-ups are on the day only.
Handheld Lounge
The Handheld Lounge is a relaxed area with beanbags and a slower pace, designed as a lower-key stop in a busy hall.
Bring your own handheld device and play whatever you like, or join in with Jackbox games running on the projector throughout the weekend. Jackbox uses your phone as a controller, so you do not need to bring anything specific to play.
A good place to take a break without leaving the Video Games Hall entirely.
Access Inn
Access Inn is AVCon’s sensory space inside the Video Games Hall. It is a quieter, more relaxed area open to anyone who needs a calmer place to reset during the event.
Access Inn is designed for neurodiverse attendees, people who feel overwhelmed by the show floor, parents or carers supporting someone, and anyone who needs a moment away from the noise and activity before heading back in.
We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Enhance Living Options – ELO to bring Access Inn to life. ELO is a registered disability support provider focused on empowering people to live independently, build life skills, participate in their communities, and access personalised support services tailored to their needs. Their commitment to dignity, inclusion, and well being makes them the perfect partner for Access Inn.
Inside Access Inn
- Sensory and chill games
- Fidgets
- Headphones
- Comfortable seating
- A calmer environment away from the main hall
No booking required. Access Inn is open to all attendees throughout the weekend while the Video Games Hall is open.
Access Inn is a shared calm space. Please keep noise low, be respectful of everyone using the area and follow any directions from AVCon volunteers.
Video Games Stage
The Video Games Stage is one of AVCon’s four stages, located inside the Video Games Hall. Across the weekend it hosts community games, interactive sessions, tournament finals and general gaming activity.
It is a good place to drop by between freeplay, tournaments and other Video Games Hall activities. Tournament finals, including the Ultimate Gamer finals on Saturday afternoon, will be held on this stage.
During AVCon After Dark on Saturday night, the Video Games Stage runs 18+ programming.
Some sessions are scheduled stage events. Others are interactive and open to audience participation. Check the event guide during the weekend for session times, age ratings and any participation details.