HOUSTON — PAX Unplugged, one of the largest tabletop gaming conventions in the United States, will hold its first Houston event June 25-27 next year at the George R. Brown Convention Center, organizers announced Friday.
PAX, formerly known as the Penny Arcade Expo, said Houston will host the tabletop-focused convention as part of its growing schedule of gaming events.
PAX Unplugged features board games, card games, role-playing games and other tabletop games that do not use electronic devices. The 2024 event in Philadelphia attracted an estimated 30,000 attendees.
The Houston event will mark PAX’s return to Texas after organizers canceled PAX South following its 2020 event in San Antonio. The convention ran in the Alamo City for six years.
Organizers said Houston offered advantages that included its major airport, hotel capacity and infrastructure.
PAX co-founder Mike Krahulik also cited Houston’s gaming community as a reason for selecting the city.
“We think the dork population is quite high in Houston,” Krahulik said.
PAX currently holds annual events for PAX West, PAX East, PAX Australia and PAX Unplugged.
The organization will hold its next PAX Unplugged event in Philadelphia in December, followed by PAX East 2027 in Boston in April before bringing PAX Unplugged to Houston.
Organizers will put badges for the Houston convention on sale later in 2026.