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PAX West 2025 is fast approaching — and Popverse will be there, alongside more than 100,000 other fans for the four-day gaming extravaganza that takes over the Seattle Convention Center from August 29 through September 1, bringing you the highlights, insights, and secrets from the show all weekend.

For those of you at the show, we hope to run into you! Say hello, we’re very nice in person. But for those of you at the show, you might be wondering how to spend your time in between playing the latest demos and lining up to see the new Alienware machines in person. That’s okay — we’ve come up with some suggestions for you.

You can (and should!) take a look at the full PAX West 2025 schedule right here, but the tl;dr for us looks a little something like this…

Friday, August 29 at PAX West 2025

• Storytime with Naoki Yoshida (Main Theatre, 11:00AM-12:00PM): Naoki Yoshida joins PAX West to share more about his experiences as a game developer. He'll also share his thoughts on the evolution of the games industry and how it has affected projects he's worked on, such as FINAL FANTASY XIV and FINAL FANTASY XVI.
• Gearbox Main Theater Show (Main Theater, 1:00PM-2:00PM): Get ready for a PACKED Gearbox Main Theater Show! Join us in person or watch on stream for can't-miss reveals from Borderlands 4 developers and an update on Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective.
• Launching the NES: A 40 Year Retrospective (Blue Dragon Theatre, 2:30PM-3:30PM): The Nintendo Entertainment System launched 40 years ago, but what does that mean? Who was involved? Who bought it? And what are the strange, behind-the-scenes secrets that the public doesn't know about? Video Game History Foundation founder Frank Cifaldi is excited to share his insight and some exclusive, brand-new findings about one of his favorite subjects: the 1985 test market launch of the NES.
• NASA’s Artemis II Mission: Gaming the Future of Space Exploration (Blue Dragon Theatre, 5:30PM-6:30PM): Humanity’s returning to the Moon for the first time since 1972. NASA is taking what we learned from the successful Artemis I mission and kicking off New Game Plus with Artemis II and four crew members: testing vital life support systems, spacecraft handling, and communication and navigation systems. Learn from the experts how the modeling, visualization, and simulation techniques that develop your favorite games are informing our astronaut training and enabling humanity’s next giant leap: Mars.
• Decades of Digital Love: Romance in Video Games Throughout the Years (Frog Theatre, 9:00PM-10:00PM): Join the two girls of the Two Girls One Ship podcast as we discuss and analyze the history of video game romance from the early days of erotic visual novels in 1980's Japan all the way to the hallmark CGI'ed significant others from beloved early aughts Bioware games to the lustworthy baes of Larian. These two girls love love and digital love is an important societal tool that we hope will continue to appear in countless games to come.

Saturday, August 30 at PAX West 2025

• For Those Who Come After: Meet the Cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Main Theatre, 12:00PM-1:00PM): Join panel host Ben Starr alongside some of the English voice actors and motion capture performers who brought to life your favorite characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Featuring Jennifer English and Charlotte Hoepffner (voice and motion capture performers for Maelle), Shala Nyx and Estelle Darnault (voice and motion capture for performers Sciel), and Ben Starr and Maxence Cazorla (voice and motion capture performers for Verso), the cast of Expedition 33 will discuss everything from the joy of playfully dueling with Gestrals (Wheee!) to the sadness of the inevitable Gommage (Whooo). Fans of the 2025 indie hit will not want to miss out on this behind-the-scenes look!
• Rewinding Time: A Decade of Life is Strange (Firebird Theatre, 1:00PM-2:00PM): Join us as we celebrate a decade of Life is Strange with the voice actors who brought these beloved characters to life over years! Featuring Katy Bentz (Steph Gingrich), Dayeanne Hutton (Kate Marsh), Erika Mori (Alex Chen) and Han Soto (Gabe Chen) this panel will take a look back at the evolution of the franchise and the experiences of the actors who made these stories so memorable. Moderated by StephOfAnime we'll explore behind-the-scenes stories, character insights, and how Life is Strange has shaped gaming over the past 10 years. Audience Q&A to follow!
• The Making of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles (Blue Dragon Theater, 2:00PM-3:00PM): Calling all Tacticians of Ivalice! In anticipation of the upcoming FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles launch on Sep. 30, SQUARE ENIX invites fans for a special panel with Game Director Kazutoyo Maehiro (FINAL FANTASY Tactics, FINAL FANTASY XII, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, FINAL FANTASY XVI) and Art Director Hiroshi Minagawa (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, VAGRANT STORY, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, FINAL FANTASY XVI). The panel will discuss how the developers were able to bring the significantly enhanced version of the game to life and share some behind-the-scenes stories about the development of the genre-defining game. Hosted by the award-winning voice actor, Ben Starr (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles, FINAL FANTASY XVI), this will be a panel that FINAL FANTASY fans cannot miss!
• Weaponry in Motion: Bringing Art, Combat, and Systems Together in The Outer Worlds 2 (Main Theatre, 3:00PM-4:00PM): Step behind the scenes of The Outer Worlds 2 with this PAX West panel hosted by Aarik Dorobiala, Senior Community Manager at Obsidian Entertainment. Join Art Director Daniel Alpert, Combat Designer Rob Donovan, and Lead Systems Designer Kyle Koenig as they explore how faction weapons are brought to life—from striking visual designs and satisfying combat feel to the intricate systems that balance them. Learn how weapons like the Boarst Blaster, Plasma Beam Caster, and more reflect their factions’ identities and shape the way you play.
• Celebrating and Demystifying the Art of Creating Visual Novels (Frog Theater, 6:00PM-7:00PM): From gacha games to game jams, visual novels are one of the most omnipresent and accessible storytelling mediums in games! They may be an excellent entry point for any would-be game developers, but that doesn't mean they're easy to make. Join veteran developers celebrating an often misunderstood genre and discussing the processes and experience of creating visual novels. We'll share tips and practical advice so you can leave ready to build your own game!

Sunday, August 31 at PAX West 2025

• The Relationship Between Game Design and Art Direction with Naoki Yoshida and Hiroshi Minagawa (Main Theatre, 11:00AM-12:00PM): Naoki Yoshida (FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XVI) and Hiroshi Minagawa (FINAL FANTASY XVI, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS) team up to discuss the importance of art direction and design in world building and the creation of unique visual styles for our favorite medium. Learn more about their inspirations, experiences, creative processes, and more in this chat between legendary developers!
• Capcom presents: Resident Evil, Pragmata, Onimusha, and Monster Hunter (Main Theatre, 2:00PM-3:00PM): Join Capcom at PAX West 2025 for all the latest on Capcom's recent launches and most anticipated upcoming titles.
• PAX Power Rankings with Ify (Blue Dragon Theatre, 3:30PM-4:30PM): It's almost the last day of PAX, and we have nothing left to do but to leave you with tons of important information you're sure to use in your life after the con. We're going to rank everything you ask us to. Before the panel, submit something you want ranked, and in the end, we'll argue about positions before we lock in rankings and you can let us know if you agree with us.
• Post-Apocalyptic Peer-Review: Bad Science in Fallout (Firebird Theatre, 5:30PM-6:30PM): War never changes - and neither do the shady scientists of the world of Fallout! From dodging government oversight to employing some seriously questionable methods, the scientists at Vault-Tec, West-Tek, the Institut,e and other iconic groups have been left unchecked for far too long. Frankly, we think they've gotten a bit too big for their lab coats so we're throwing down the gauntlet to challenge the science of Fallout's most prominent inventors to the most grueling test known to science: peer review. Join our panel of experts as we scrutinize the science behind everything from deathclaws to doomsday robots, synths to super mutants, ghouls to G.E.C.K.S., and everything in between!
• Design Club: Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater (Blue Dragon Theatre, 6:30PM-7:30PM): !!!ALERT NOISE!!! Join the Extra Credits crew and friends as we do a live-play design breakdown of the first hour of the just-released Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. A lot has changed in the world of video games since Snake Eater's original release in 2004, and our cadre of game devs is ready to deep-dive into how the remaster's design philosophy affects all that tactical espionage action we've loved for years. So tune your Radio to frequency [Insert Name of Conference Room Here] and join us on our mission to rescue Sokolov. Just whatever you do, don't look under the box.

Monday, September 1 at PAX West 2025

• Talk to Us, We’re Listening: How Grounded 2 Evolves with the Community (Main Theatre, 12:00PM-1:00PM): Grounded 2 is growing in real time—and the community is part of the dev team. Join host Aarik Dorobiala (Senior Community Manager) and panelists Chris Stanick (Community Support Manager), Miles Winzeler (Producer), and Yvan Isnard (UX Director) for a behind-the-scenes look at how Early Access feedback is shaping Brookhollow Park. From your wildest builds to new boss battles like AXL the tarantula, see how your voice can help forge the next chapter of Grounded 2.
• Game Like a Librarian (Frog Theatre, 1:30PM-2:30PM): Finding information is one of the most basic mechanics in video games. But how can perspectives from the world of library science change how we game? How do we find info IRL and in games? How do we discover wayfinding and reference info in the gameworld? Join professional librarian researchers and game developers in conversation around games like Portal, Blue Prince, and the Crimson Diamond to find out how we've all been researchers all along.
• Video Game History Foundation @ PAX! (Blue Dragon Theatre, 3:30PM-4:30PM): We're all in agreement that preserving our history is important, but what do we even mean when we say that? How do we prioritize what to save, given limited resources? How do copyright laws limit what we can accomplish? And at the end of the day, whose responsibility is it to make sure things don't get thrown away? Video Game History Foundation founder Frank Cifaldi reflects on the highs and lows of his 25-year obsession-turned-career to demonstrate that when it comes to preserving our past, we're all that we've got.
• So What Do You Actually Do? - Games Industry Producers Live Panel & AMA (Leaf Theatre, 3:30PM-4:30PM): We had a great response to this panel in 2023, so we're bringing it back! What do producers do in the games industry? What skills are required? What's the day-to-day? What's the difference between working at a studio vs working at a publisher? Indie vs AAA? How do you get into the industry? This panel will be moderated by Erika [Mariko Olsen, senior producer, Xbox Game Studios publishing] to answer frequently asked questions, chat about things you didn't even know you needed to know, and take questions from the audience (that don't break NDA!).
• PAX Closing Ceremony and OMEGATHON FINAL ROUND (Main Theatre, 5:30PM-6:30PM): 2 Omeganaut Finalists enter, 1 Omegachamp leaves. But for the first time in this competition, we wonder: What game will they play? A secret only to be revealed to those who attend.

PAX West 2025 runs August 29 through September 1 at the Seattle Convention Center. Keep your eyes on Popverse for more PAX.

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