Look, let's be honest, gaming festivals in South Korea often feel like endless corporate PR exercises, but GXG 2026 (Game culture X Generation 2026)—hosted by Seongnam City and co-organised by the Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency and the Game Culture Foundation—is returning to the Pangyo Station plaza area from September 11 to 12.

GXG 2026 is expanding its hands-on programme, 'THE PLAY', and exhibition programme, 'THE ART', to deliver a diverse lineup of content that lets visitors properly experience the cultural and social value of games.

Over at 'THE PLAY' in the North Plaza A of Pangyo Station, visitors can dive into gaming culture through everything from actual gameplay to creative activities. The GXG Play Lounge is where you can fire up some console games. Meanwhile, the brand experience zones feature activities like drawing your own brawler, taking four-cut photo strips, and checking your gaming habits. There is also voice actor dubbing for game characters, AI-powered game sound production, and mini board games, alongside a selection of books dedicated to game art, illustration, and animation.

Heading over to the GXG Campus Arcade on the second floor of Tech One Tower, you will find games developed by students from the game-related departments of Shingu University and Dong Seoul University.

As for the exhibition programme 'THE ART' on the second floor of Tech One Tower, it features an exhibition where you can listen to original tracks from finalists of the GXG Soundtrack competition spanning from 2024 to 2026 all in one place. Over at the central plaza, a corporate social responsibility exhibition will highlight various CSR activities and key case studies from across the gaming industry.

To sweeten the deal, organisers are running a stamp rally where you can collect stamps by participating in major festival programmes to bag some prizes, alongside a bunch of other on-site events.