TooManyGames returned once again for a grand celebration of shopping, gaming, and nerdy interactions. Held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center from June 27 to 29, the event has grown to be bigger and busier than ever. TooManyGames features even more indie developers in its improved Indie Showcase, high-profile guests at the meet-and-greets, plus all the modern and retro games to keep players engaged for hours. Our review highlights the interesting items we stumbled across, the creative people we met, and the exciting experience of hosting two panels.
Pre-show
We have a love/hate relationship with summer conventions. On one hand, it’s the best non-holiday season for people to gather together and do nerdy things indoors. Sunny weather, cold drinks, and chatting about nerd stuff are always a good time. On the other hand, humidity and rain make everyone feel like a wet blanket is enveloping them. It’s been a tradition for TooManyGames to have rainfall at some point, usually in the late afternoon and evening. Friday started with some clouds and a light downpour, but it did not stop the crowd from arriving early. The afternoon rains did help cool things down slightly outside while the convention was finishing its last-minute preparations.
We arrived early to prepare for our panel in the afternoon, so we had time to explore the halls and chat with the defenders before the show kicked off. It was neat to see the areas get their finishing touches before the opening. Consoles were undergoing a last-minute power check, the stages were running through sound checks, and vendors were configuring their displays to optimize every inch of their tables. The early attendees were ushered into a waiting queue. We could hear people speak with excitement about the things they were going to walk straight towards. Luckily for us, we had a late-afternoon panel, so our fans could explore and roam around first, then sit and relax during our talk at the Ruby stage.
Of course, we would be running around TMG ourselves to check out as much stuff as possible. After seeing all the pinball cabs get lined up, we had to get in some flipper time.
Marketplace
One of the best parts of any convention is exploring the treasure trove of vendor booths. Wandering the show floor, you’ll stumble across everything from stunning fan art prints to obscure merch from long-forgotten TV shows and cult-classic movies. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find soundtrack records and CDs from iconic games and anime, as well as shelves of vintage toys that feel ripped straight from your childhood.
Collectible Items
One of the nostalgic sights we saw was the original 1998 Taco Bell Godzilla cup displays for sale. Back when movie and fast food tie-ins were plentiful, restaurants had ridiculous promotions that promised consumers the chance to win fabulous prizes just by upgrading their meal. In the case of Taco Bell, it was a movie collectible cup that could contain a sticker for free items, such as a TV, a motorcycle, or a jet ski. While the 1998 Godzilla movie is a weak film, at least we had fond memories of stuffing our faces with as many Mexican Pizza meals as we could to try to win prizes.
There were numerous other nostalgic items and oddities to explore, including several booths with tons of VHS tapes to dig through, rare promotional items, retro toys, and more. If you couldn’t find something that piqued your nostalgia, you weren’t looking hard enough.
Video Game items
Of course, TooManyGames isn’t complete without stacks of collectible gaming stuff. It’s a collector’s dream and a perilous place for your wallet if you’re not prepared. Pro tip for any future collector: don’t discard any of your gaming items for another 20 years if you think it’s cool, chances are someone else will pay to revisit that nostalgia one day.
You’ll spot collectors flipping through bins of cartridges and boxed games, eyes lighting up when they find that one missing title to complete their set. Vendors will usually negotiate deals for good purchases, offering bundle prices or knocking a few bucks off for fellow collectors. Some attendees come to offload duplicates or trade extras, while others are locked on scoring a rare edition they’ve been chasing for years. Every successful deal feels like a small victory in the never-ending quest for a personal complete collection. There are big-box PC games, super-rare (and incredibly expensive) graded games, LCD handhelds, classic consoles, and more. If your tastes run a bit more modern, a lot of the booths also have current games, and you can usually find a deal if there’s a recent release you were looking to pick up.
Renegade Winery
Back for another round, Renegade Winery was offering tasty adult beverages for thirsty nerds. After checking out a myriad of sights, a refreshing sample tasting of fruity wines provided a perfect break. We got to check out many of the wines offered, which featured a special TooManyGames flavor. The “Too Many Games” had these sparkle flecks that gave the bottle a cool shine when it was moved around. It was a sweet wine, so it’s easy to drink. It leans toward an after-meal drink for us since the sweet notes are all you can taste for a bit. You can check out the winery at https://www.therenegadewinery.com/
Indie Showcase
An indie game showcase is an exciting event where independent developers share their newest creations, often featuring original, experimental, or personal games that stand out from the mainstream. It offers a great chance for visitors to explore fresh gameplay concepts, connect with the developers, and experience hands-on demos before the games are officially released. Whether you’re a casual player or a hardcore gamer, trying out indie games is a great way to meet creators and find your next favorite game.
Pizza Kidd:
Coming from Kidd Games, LLC, Pizza Kidd is an in-development beat ’em up inspired by classics such as Streets of Rage and Final Fight, featuring a story and aesthetic inspired by 90s anime. You play as Kidd, who is looking to recover 8 sacred stones that can defeat the evil Santos, who has destroyed the city that Kidd calls home and rules over the ruins with an army of mutant terrors and mechanical dangers. The game is a classic side-scrolling beat ’em up, where you move left to right, defeating enemies and moving on. The game’s look is incredible, with hand-drawn 16-bit pixel art, and the controls are responsive and visceral. It feels a lot like Streets of Rage 4, where you feel each impact and you can juggle and build combos on enemies with a variety of moves. You can check out the demo right now on Steam, and the game is continuing to get fleshed out as more levels are designed and mechanics implemented. Hopefully, we’ll get to play the full version of the game soon this year.
Fatal Run 2089
Developed by MNSTR Studio and being published by Atari, Fatal Run 2089 is a post-apocalyptic racing game that feels like a mix of Twisted Metal and Burnout.  You are on a mission to deliver clean energy sources called ARCs to various sites in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, but there are gangs of enemy vehicles looking to stop you. Your car is equipped with machine guns, and you find all kinds of other weaponry in Mario Kart-style pick-ups to enhance your combat.  There’s also a boost, and you can smash enemies off the course, Burnout style, to take them out as well.  You gain a boost from drifting and other actions, and there are also shortcuts and environmental elements you can trigger that feel like the cult favorite Split Second.  The game is an update of the Atari 2600 game Fatal Run, one of the last games published for that system. The demo was brief but excellent, and we’re looking forward to the full game. It is expected to be released sometime this year.
Deluge
Developed by Riggy2k3, Deluge is a horror-themed RPG. Instead of playing as a noble hero on a quest to save their village, you play as a recently resurrected skeleton that an evil dark master has summoned to do their bidding. However, there is something special about the player skeleton that enables them to go rogue and make decisions for themselves. Do you go along with the pillaging and destruction of the town of Figaro? Or will the skeleton rise to become the undead hero it needs? Deluge has a morality system that allows the player to perform heroic deeds or evil actions, influencing how the narrative unfolds. Creator Riggy2k3 released a version of Deluge, created in RPG Maker 2003, back in 2021, and has been expanding the game significantly by developing it further in RPG Maker MZ. This remake version of Deluge is slated to be released later this year, but you can check out the original on Steam today.
Pixel Noir
The devs of SWDTech Games were back at TMG again with these custom cabs featuring their game Pixel Noir. This retro throwback is set in Pinnacle City, a gritty, crime-ridden area where dangers lurk on every corner. You play as a down-on-his-luck detective, taking up cases for a cheap price. A big case lands on the detective’s desk, and now he’ll have to climb down into the underworld to get answers and maybe get a large payday. Pixel Noir features crisp pixel graphics and combines turn-based combat with timed-activated attacks, paying homage to classic JRPG games like Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger. You can now find the game and its OST on Steam.
Mech Tech
Coming from sam_makes_games, Mech Tech is a clever and cool combination of several different elements.  Visually, the game resembles Advance Wars, but the gameplay is a mix of real-time strategy and action. You have a hero character that you control, and you can move and directly attack the enemy. However, you can hop into your army’s Command Tank at any time and then deploy various units based on a card deck system. Each unit costs a certain amount of points, and each purchase generates points on a meter. When the meter matches the points needed for a particular unit, you can send it out. The more powerful units cost more and take longer to deploy, so you have to decide if you want to wait and risk the enemy sending out a bunch of units or send out a bunch of smaller units faster and at a lower cost. There’s a single-player campaign with roguelite elements, where after each successful victory, you can acquire perks and different units, and you can also play in co-op with up to four players, or you can compete in eight-player matches with a mix of humans and bots. The demo was highly addictive, with a “one more round” feeling to it. While Mech Tech incorporates various elements from different genres, they all come together in an extremely fun way. You can check out a demo on Steam, but the game doesn’t have a release date yet.
Poker Warlords
Developed and published by SkeleJelly Games, Poker Warlords puts a fantasy battle spin on Poker. Discarding the traditional cards and suits, Poker Warlords has its own card system, where you receive cards featuring different units that can be part of your army once all the betting is completed. Each unit has a maximum number of units that can be deployed, and you’ll use that to determine how you bet. If, for instance, Dragons can have up to 20 in play but you get just 2, that’s not a strong card, and you may want to think about folding if you have similarly weak cards. All the betting elements of Poker are in place here, and your goal is to drain your opponent of their gold. Many of the cards have a synergy with each other, so along with the number of units you have on your cards, you also need to figure out the best group to send into battle. You can have three cards go into battle, and you get four cards in each hand, so you need to decide what to discard and what to keep. The order of the cards also needs to be considered, as you don’t want to put long-range units like catapults on the front line to be swarmed by melee troops. There’s a great mix of strategy, as you need to consider both the poker and battle elements to succeed. The battles play out automatically, so you don’t have direct control over your troop,s but the battles are fun, chaotic scenes to end each hand. You can play solo against the CPU or online against actual players. The game will be free to play when it releases sometime this year.
Chemical Overload
Published by Rebirth Games, Chemical Overload is a deck-building game where players compete to be the best alchemist. Each player attempts to create unique potions by acquiring various elements. Each element adds different properties to the potion, and you can use the complete potions to do things like gain more victory points or gold to purchase more elements and containers. Many of the elements are toxic, so you need to balance using them to complete potions, but not using too many toxic elements, which have adverse effects and even end the game if they build up too much. One interesting twist on other games is that when you get new cards, they go to the top of your draw pile, so you can plan and set up moves because you know exactly what you are drawing for your hand. Along with the base game, there’s a new expansion, Chemical Overload: Entropy, that will be launching on Kickstarter soon.
Brigade Brawl
Developed by Risible Games, Zach played a full round of Brigade Brawl with one of the company’s designers and founders, Jerry. Set in the 1860s, Brigade Brawl sees each player running a rival firefighting company. Based on actual historical facts, players compete to put out fires that randomly spring up throughout Philadelphia. By competing, it means having a fistfight or brawl with the opposing firefighters, with the stronger team causing the weaker team to back down, and then they can fight the fire. You recruit a team from various citizens, all of whom have different strengths and abilities, with the most important being how much they can contribute in the brawls and how much they can fight the fires. You can build up to three teams of three firefighters, and once the fires break out, you decide which team to deploy to each location. The fires have different intensity levels, and your team’s firefighting score needs to be high enough to lower their level and eventually extinguish it. If you put out a fire, you get points that go toward your victory. Along with recruiting firefighters, you can also buy “treachery” cards that let you mess with your opponent or buy upgrades that can help boost your team’s fighting and fire-dousing abilities. The game supports 2-8 players, and it was a ton of fun. You can check out the game here: https://www.risible.games/bb-game
Arcade
The arcade was stacked with a healthy mix of classics, imports, and surprise gems. Three arcade vendors formed a tight grid of dazzling machinery, giving you the experience of wandering an arcade without reaching for a quarter.  There was a solid mix of old favorites, such as Outrun, After Burner, and Pole Position, alongside imported “candy cabs” that featured fighting games and side-scrolling shooters, as well as rhythm games from Japan and pinball machines. One highlight was Sopranos pinball, which featured tons of great gimmicks and had a great flow that kept you playing and racking up high scores. There were also Hook, Simpsons, Rescue 911, and Star Wars pinball machines to play.
Ice Cold Beer Tournament
Since the dawn of time, humans have had a strange desire to place small objects into holes. Whether it’s putting marbles into tubes, billiard balls into pockets, or bean bags into holes, there’s something deeply intuitive and satisfying to witness. When it comes to a competitive arcade experience, few games powerfully combine frantic micro-adjustments and the raw nerves like Taito’s Ice Cold Beer. Our friend Rob Steiner hosted two Ice Cold Beer tournaments where players stepped up to balance a ball up and down a board carefully. There’s no digital screen, no randomization, and no enemies to defeat. It’s just the player and the ball. Check out the promo Steiner made for the event.
We caught a few rounds of the amateur bracket, where newcomers and semi-professionals tried to score the best within a given time frame. The professional bracket was reserved for players with experience who can handle the pressure of quickly moving the ball up the board without fail. Given that the cab is rare in most arcades, if you happen to see Ice Cold Beer in the wild, go play it.
Console Area
The console-freeplay area was the place to go if you wanted to take a break and play some games with friends. There were separate sections for each major gaming company, including Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony, featuring several generations of each company’s consoles to explore. There were also some more obscure and rare consoles, like the Bandai Playdia and older Japanese Sega consoles and computer systems, which most of us will only ever see at events like this.
Classic Tetris World Championship
If you think your Tetris skills were sharp enough, you could pay your entry fee and compete in the first round of the Classic Tetris World Championship 2026 season. The organization held the Philly Regional Tournament on Saturday of TooManyGames, with the winner getting at least $500 in prize money and free entry to the CTWC 2026 championship event. Many attendees put their skills to the test on the bank of CRTs, playing the NES version of Tetris, while audiences could also watch on the nearby big screen as commentators narrated the intense puzzle action.
Race with a Legend: Sonic Showdown with Johnny Gioeli
Attendees got the chance to see if they had the speed to go against a Sonic legend. Johnny Gioeli from Crush 40 held a charity event for Popcorn for the People, a nonprofit social enterprise that creates meaningful employment opportunities for adults with autism and developmental disabilities. Gamers signed up to race against Johnny in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and walk away with commemorative prizes to capture the experience. The racing drew in a crowd, with people cheering for the challengers and Johnny. It didn’t matter who won the race, since the real prize was the memories you made for a good cause.
Table Top Area
When the attendees needed a break from the sights and sounds of digital games, but still craved the challenge of competition? They picked one of several tabletop offerings and found a spot to set up boards, place tokens, and read out rules for other games to follow along. All of your modern favorites are here, like Ticket to Ride, Splendor, 7 Wonders and Betrayal at House on the Hill but there were some more bizarre and obscure retro options.  The McDonald’s Game has become a TMG staple, where players move around the board and race to complete McDonald’s orders when someone lands on the “Go to McDonald’s” space. There was also Body Boggle, which is an insane mix of Twister and Boggle where you have to contort your body to spell words.
The Banish Zone
The Banish Zone provided Marvel Crisis Protocol sets and arenas where attendees could assemble teams of Marvel superheroes and villains to battle each other in skirmish-style missions. There were a few standard terrain options to play on, which affect the flow of the game. The terrain changes the dynamic elements of the gameplay, such as the elevation of objects and destructible structures, which leads to fun, intense, marvel-like fights straight from the comic books. As we browse through the different setups, one set stood out immediately since it did not follow the typical terrain’s look and feel. It was a Thomas the Tank Engine set that first looked out of place. But for the super Marvel nerd, they could see it was a replica of Cassie’s toys from the first Ant-Man movie.
Special Guests and Content Creators
One of the highlights of any convention is the chance to see and meet celebrities from your favorite fandoms. From iconic voice actors, popular YouTubers, and online content creators, these geeky personalities are ready to meet their fans.
Cosplay Pro Wrestling
We saw video game and anime characters grapple and slap each other at the Cosplay Pro Wrestling matches. There was a lot of fandom beef being thrown around, especially between Sony characters and the Nintendo team. All of this smack talk could only be resolved through a fight in the ring.
We caught a match between Mario and Sweet Tooth that got messy inside and outside the ring. Chairs and a cider block were involved, and a surprise ambush of backup from all sides.
Later, we caught a match between Shota Aizawa and Miles Morales, two agile fighters who battled it out in a cage match. Shota called out Miles as an unlicensed hero. If Miles wanted to be truly a hero, then he would have to step into the cage and gain a Hero License through brute force.
Panels & Special Events
Panels are a way to take a peek into the world of games, fandom, and creativity. These sessions feature voice actors, artists, and expert fans sharing behind-the-scenes stories, upcoming projects, and helpful tips. Whether you’re there to learn, ask questions, or enjoy the conversation, panels offer a fun and informative break, giving your feet some much-needed rest and your brain a chance to learn something new.
John DiMaggio
Legendary voice actor John DiMaggio was in attendance at TooManyGames and participated in a Q&A panel on Friday night. He shared stories and behind-the-scenes information from some of his most iconic roles, including Bender from Futurama, Jake the Dog from Adventure Time, and Marcus Fenix from Gears of War.  Chances are pretty good that John DiMaggio has been a voice in at least one thing you love, so it was an excellent panel for fans of many different series and franchises.
Charles Martinet
Although he has retired from voicing Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, Charles Martinet remains a legend. He has decades worth of stories to tell, which you could hear on Sunday afternoon at his Q&A panel. Hosted by John Riggs, Charles revealed how he developed his iconic voices and shared other behind-the-scenes insights into portraying some of the most famous characters in pop culture history.
Ray Chase
The voice of Noctis in Final Fantasy XV, Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen, Bruno from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Cyclops from X-Men ’97, Ray Chase has played some legendary characters, and fans got the chance to hear some of his stories about favorite roles and figuring out his different roles at his Q&A panel on Saturday afternoon. Fans were able to ask him questions about voice acting, his various characters, and scenes from throughout his career.
Licensed Nostalgia: Growing Up with Licensed Games
Hosted by RidersDX, ZakPakYT, and HeresSquidward, this panel on Saturday night provided an overview of licensed games before delving into some of their personal favorites, followed by an audience Q&A session. The panelists delved into how, for many of us, our first games were probably licensed games, and because of that, they usually hold a special, nostalgic place in our hearts. The panelists are significantly younger than the Everything Action crew, so it was a bit odd to hear about their first video games, which were GameCube or PS2 titles, when we grew up with the NES and SNES. However, it’s interesting to hear different perspectives. SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom was a unanimous favorite, and many of the other Nicktoons titles were represented as well.
Courtenay Taylor and Michelle Ruff
The voices behind fierce warriors, wise leaders, and plucky sidekicks shared their journey in voice acting. Chris hosted Courtenay Taylor and Michelle Ruff in a panel about voice acting from the Resident Evil series and other projects. Courtenay Taylor delivered a grand recap of her upbringing as a rebellious teenager, fighting against blind conformity and working to make communities more inclusive. Michelle Ruff was recovering from a sore throat and championing through it. She discussed her favorite early roles. Both actors answered several questions from the audience about their time working on Resident Evil games and movies. Courtenay Taylor and Michelle Ruff aren’t big fans of being scared for fun, so horror games aren’t their entertainment. It’s always surprising to hear that voice actors don’t play all the games they feature in, but at least they have a reason: they didn’t want to think about battling zombies day and night all the time after work.
Bits to Broadcast
Zach and Chris were back with an Everything Action panel on Friday afternoon of TMG. This year, we discussed video game adaptations, which range from incredibly faithful and high-quality, especially recent efforts like The Last of Us, to barely containing any elements of the game they’re based on. We jumped back to the 1980s and the first-ever cartoon adaptation, Pac-Man, all the way through to modern adaptations like A Minecraft Movie, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Detective Pikachu, and more. It was a great time with a full panel audience who seemed to be enjoying the info and jokes we were providing. We’ll try to be back next year with another panel that combines our love of movies and TV with video games.
Indie Game Awards
On Friday night, the first-ever TooManyGames Indie Game Awards were handed out. The nominees were drawn from games available to play on the convention floor as well as a selection of games that were part of the TMG “Online Indie Video Game Showcase”, with many of the games available to check out via demos and trailers on platforms like Steam. Categories included Best Roguelike, Best Fighting Game, Best Puzzle Game, and more across various genres. Celia Schilling from Yacht Club Games was the MC for the award show, and many of the convention’s YouTube and streaming guests presented awards. When everything was said and done, Biped 2 won the Best in Show award, so that’s definitely one to keep an eye on, and you can check out the game’s demo on Steam.
Rex Viper
If you were ready to rock Friday night, then you were probably at the Rex Viper concert to hear the band’s mash-ups of classic ’80s songs and nerdy video game music. Featuring the Angry Video Game Nerd, James Rolfe, the band played several of their songs, including “Eye of the Tiger Electronics”, “ScarFox (Push It to the Limit),” and “Nintendo Power of Love”. There were several costume changes to match the theme of the song, such as wearing Jason masks for their version of “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask).” Johnny Gioeli even came out to rock with the band for the song “Super Sonic Boom.” Rex Viper has become a staple of TooManyGames. It was a fun way to wrap up the first day of the con.
Cosplay Contest
Fans transform into their favorite characters with stunning costumes, detailed props, and performances at the Cosplay Contest. Cosplayers, ranging from amateurs to professionals, gathered to watch or take the stage to showcase their hard work and passion. We caught a few moments to see the costumes and passion of this creative community, and still wondered how many people wearing thick layers of fabric could not be sweating off all their magic up in this summer heat. That’s an impressive skill.
Last Thoughts
From surprise indie hits to a fantastic cosplay that lit up the show floor, TooManyGames is one of the best nerdy scenes to take part in. Whether you were hunting rare cartridges, meeting your favorite content creators, or just soaking in the chaotic energy of the arcade, there’s something for every kind of fan. TooManyGames may wrap after three packed days, but the excitement doesn’t fade. Attendees left already counting down the days until the next show. With so much to see, play, and celebrate, it’s clear the love for gaming and geek culture only grows stronger each year. See you at the next one when we get to replay this all again.
