Japan Amusement Expo 2026: The Preview

IAAPA 2026 may be soaking up much of the headlines and attention this month, but for the past few years, November has also meant Japan’s biggest arcade trade show, Amusement Expo (formerly JAEPO), and that continues in 2026. It being so close to IAAPA now has meant some difficulties for those who wish to attend both, but this time it is at least a week earlier than it was the previous couple of occasions.

Before things get underway at this year’s show with the business-only day, here’s a quick preview of the main names who will be exhibiting here. We won’t be attending in person (as usual), but there will be a full recap up once the show has wrapped. Until then, let’s take a look:

Bandai Namco Experience

Bandai Namco Experience, as they are now known in Japan (Bandai Namco Amusement Europe and America have not changed their names), are set to have the biggest presence of the event; both in booth size and products. This is in large part thanks to the appearance of two big name games of theirs: Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune Ignition, and Biohazard RE:2: Arcade. The latter will soon be coming to Orlando for IAAPA as Resident Evil 2: Arcade, and before that it will be enjoying its first expo showcase here. Unfortunately we have not received confirmation on when Maximum Tune Ignition will head West, as was promised some time ago, but we can hold out hope for it to be sooner than later.

As well as those two, they will also have their new Penlalive rhythm game, which recently came back to the fore with some new location tests, Mobile Suit Gundam Arsenal Commander (the latest update to Bandai’s trading card game), and the new One Piece medal game. Taiko no Tatsujin will be making its usual return too, both in its original form and the giant Don to Dekkai Omatsuri da Don attraction edition. If you’ve never heard of this before, this truly is a sight to behold, though it has only appeared at a select few locations in Japan so far…

Konami Arcade Games

Konami are about to make their first major appearance at IAAPA for quite some time (both in their own right and via Genda Americas), but before that, they will be on home turf with their latest titles. These will include Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba Nichirin Battle Slash, one of the main games they will have at IAAPA following recent Stateside tests, Jubeat U’nit, which has similarly been receiving tests on both sides of the world and will also be at IAAPA, and their other main Bemani rhythm game titles, such as Dance Dance Revolution, Beatmania IIDX, and Sound Voltex.

Something that hasn’t yet been confirmed for IAAPA but has again seen US tests will additionally be here, in the form of Crash Bazooka. This has been among several Konami video redemption titles placed on test at Round1USA, which have largely not been deployed in Japan, but this one is being exhibited here. It will be interesting to see whether much is changed with the gameplay, or whether it will be there more as an advert for their overseas activities (which has happened previously; Super Punch Mania was shown off last year and has only released to R1USA so far).

Sega Fave

If there’s one company that will be unfortunately attending this show under a cloud, it is Sega, as for the past week they have they been in the thick of a major cyber attack crisis involving their arcade network, ALL.Net, in Japan. This has impacted virtually all of their games, and even Bandai Namco’s, as they piggyback off the service. With no fix still in sight and scores of non-functioning cabinets across locations over there, Sega have even had to cancel the exhibition and live championship that they had planned for Initial D The Arcade here.

This sadly leaves little in the way of arcade video game action on their booth too, as the rest of it looks to be merely focused on their medal games and UFO Catchers. House of the Dead Reawakened is also seemingly absent, but that one is because only Sega Amusements (the separate Western representation of the Sega name) have been promoting it so far, with them debuting it at IAAPA instead. Perhaps Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Arcade DX might be putting in a late surprise appearance to make up for the state of things… but who knows.

Taito

Taito are possibly the dark horse of the Japanese industry, as although they are not active in the way they used to be with new video games, they have kept advancing their arcade business in other ways, and still appear with a booth at this show each year. That will be evident here in them placing more focus on the likes of their Cube immersive reality room (which has a new experience called Juban Dice or Die), and the “Rakugaki Kids” location concept, as well as the first original Capricco crane machine they have done in some time.

In terms of actual games, they will at least have two new kid-tainment pieces from Wahlap, Eggy Hop and Eggy Party. These have not been picked up by anyone in the West as yet, but are going to appear on Wahlap’s own booth at IAAPA, and one does have some Taito DNA coming through, as Eggy Hop is effectively a take on their Hopping Road for the 2020s. There will also be more for kids in the form of something called Change Car Racer, plus Chicken Bike Rider, another piece out of China which has been shown off by them before.

These won’t be the only exhibitors at Japan’s Amusement Expo, as there will also be the likes of Marvelous and Capcom with smaller booths, as well as less well known names like Kaga Amusement that distribute for others. exA-Arcadia won’t be around, as for them it is still too close to IAAPA to logistically attend, but that just means their next big reveals will be at that show instead.

With the difference in time zones, the first day of the expo will be underway this evening in the US, whilst in Japan it will be the 6th already. Once the second day for the general public is over and done with, we will have that full recap with details on the new games shown off (mainly Bandai Namco’s). Until then, which of this preview of Japan’s Amusement Expo 2026 interests you the most?