TGS runs for five days from Sept. 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. According to organizer the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA), this year's event drew a record 759 companies from 51 countries across 3,946 booths. Asia's largest gaming festival is expected to attract about 300,000 visitors.
Among the Korean entries, subculture titles featuring anime-style character designs stand out by far — a bid to maximize earnings in Japan, Asia's second-largest market after China. According to global market research firm Sensor Tower, in-app purchases in Japan's mobile game market total $11 billion (about 15 trillion won) a year, while its PC and console market ranks second worldwide after the U.S. Japan is seen as an attractive target because, despite high barriers to entry, a successful launch can secure a loyal fan base that supports long-running service.
Korea's largest publishers are entering with titles tailored to the local market. NCSoft will set up a large booth for "Astrae Oratio," a new subculture RPG in development at Dynamis One, and hold its first public demo. Led by core developers behind "Blue Archive," the game marks the first subculture venture by NCSoft, long known as a traditional MMORPG powerhouse. In partnership with Samsung Electronics, NCSoft will let visitors play the game on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and will hold a scenario screening on the booth stage covering the game's opening story.
Nexon will give the first public showing of a playable build of "Pareidolia," the next title in development at Nexon Games' (225570) IO division. Alongside the demo, the company will operate an exhibition space themed around the game's world and characters. "Mabinogi Mobile," slated for release in Japan this year, will also meet local users.
Netmarble, known for its IP-based games, will showcase "Shangri-La Frontier: Seven Strongest Species," a new mobile title based on a popular Japanese manga, and "Solo Leveling: Karma," a quarter-view action game based on the hit webtoon. "Pearl in Blue," a new subculture RPG in development at Netmarble N2, will also be unveiled for the first time at the event.
Mid-sized publishers are pushing hard as well. Smilegate will present "Miraesi: The Unseen Future," a collectible RPG, and "Dead Account: Two Blue Flames," a team roguelite RPG based on a Japanese manga. Smilegate's global game platform Stove will also demo a version of the new psychological mystery title "Psycho Sleuth" at TGS.
NHN (181710) will introduce three new titles — "Touken Ranbu Puzzle Giri," "Fantasy World Puchi Puyo" and "OVER RUSH" — through its local unit NHN PlayArt. Shift Up will demo the Nintendo Switch 2 version of "Stellar Blade Complete Edition," while Com2uS Holdings (063080) will step up its push for Japanese users with "Fatal Claw" and "Space Revolver."
