Gen Con 2026: Exciting New Board Games, Card Games, and Tabletop RPGs to Discover

Now in its 58th year, Gen Con stands as the largest tabletop gaming convention in the United States. This annual gathering in Indianapolis attracts over 70,000 tabletop gaming enthusiasts, along with hundreds of publishers and vendors, all showcasing the finest offerings in the hobby. During the four-day event in 2026, expect fresh insights and reveals about your favorite TTRPGs, collectible card games, and board games, along with exclusive announcements from leading developers in the industry.

Gen Con, the premier and longest-running tabletop convention in North America, kicks off on July 30 in Indianapolis. The heart of the event is the Exhibit Hall, where vendors from around the globe will display their latest products. While free demos will be available throughout the weekend, many items tend to sell out quickly as eager shoppers line up for the first opportunity to purchase games that won’t hit the shelves for months.

If you’re in Indianapolis and looking for your first stop, check out 10 of the hottest games of the year, including highly anticipated tie-ins with iconic franchises. For those unable to attend or who miss out, preorder links are available to simplify your shopping experience.

In 2024, Brotherwise Games collaborated with Brandon Sanderson to launch the Cosmere Roleplaying Game, allowing players to embark on adventures across the renowned fantasy author’s interconnected worlds and series, such as Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive. This required the creation of original rules to facilitate combat, negotiation, and exploration in settings with varying technology levels and magic systems. During the opening ceremony at Gen Con, Brotherwise announced that it is leveraging this versatility for new projects, including one from the legendary Dungeons & Dragons designer Keith Baker.

Brotherwise’s path mirrors that of Monte Cook Games, which released the science fantasy TTRPG Numenera in 2013 and later expanded its mechanics in the 2015 Cypher System Rulebook. This success has led to a variety of other Cypher-based games, including Old Gods of Appalachia and The Magnus Archives. Brotherwise will offer free online rules and templates for designing games using the Plotweaver RPG System, the foundational mechanics of the Cosmere Roleplaying Game. An open alpha is set to begin on August 5, featuring an original fantasy setting called Erstwild, with more settings to be unveiled this fall and an open beta launching next year.