While it’s been a mainstay in Las Vegas for the last ten years, I had never heard of LVL UP Expo before attending last week. That’s surprising, because I visit conventions around the country all year long. Every year I attend
San Diego Comic Con
,
Summer Games Fest
,
PAX East
,
PAX West
, BlizzCon (
when it happens
) and
D23 Expo
(when it happens) as well as competitive events like the
Pokemon World Championship
. From now on, LVL UP Expo will be right at the top of that list.
Unlike most fan expos, it’s a little hard to pin down exactly what LVL UP Expo is all about. It’s a unique blend of Anime Expo, EVO, PAX, Comic-Con, and, believe it or not, WWE, that’s unlike any convention I’ve ever seen. I regret missing out on such a cool show all these years, and now I’m on a mission to make sure no one else misses out on it too.
The Everything Convention
The LVL UP Expo takes place annually each spring inside the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, attracting over 100,000 visitors across three days. Many exhibits at LVL UP are similar to those found at most fan conventions.
The exhibition area, brimming from one end to the other with temporary retail stands and corporate-themed photo opportunities, houses the familiar faces. Samsung made an appearance to showcase the latest Call of Duty mobile game on the new Galaxy S25 model. Stylin Boxes offered their typical range of pricey mystery boxes featuring characters like Bob Ross and G.I. Joe. Wild Bill showcased its array of root beer flavors along with large copper cups. The event included costume competitions, animated series knowledge quizzes, and interactions with celebrities (with Neil Newbon drawing particularly big crowds). For those seeking the ultimate fan convention atmosphere, LVL UP covers every aspect needed.
I was particularly struck by how much this event exceeded typical conventions. While meet-and-greets and artist alley areas—among the largest I’ve encountered—are standard fare at Comic-Cons, you would not usually come across an EVO-style fighting game competition, tournaments for five distinct trading card games, or a retro gaming World Series showcasing Halo 2, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Sonic the Fighters. Pop-up Maid Cafes are often found at Anime Expos, yet such venues rarely host individual developers presenting demo versions of upcoming independent titles as well. No matter what niche interests you have, chances are good they’ll fit right into LVL UP.
I should also talk about the professional wrestling section. Located right between the vintage video game area and the Johnny Rockets diner known for its 1950s-style burgers stood a regulation-size wrestling ring where live matches were held over the course of the weekend. This was unlike anything I had encountered at previous anime or gaming expos; however, it really elevated the overall experience of the convention.
I’m usually pretty satisfied with a convention after the weekend, but three days was not enough to enjoy everything LVL UP Expo had to offer. Not only because there was so much to do, but also because there was so much to do for free.
Getting Your Money’s Worth
I received an invitation from PM Studios, a company known as both a developer and publisher involved in several notable titles such as Black Myth: Wukong, Honkai: Star Rail, and the forthcoming game Yooka-Replaylee. Alongside some other publishers, they showcased numerous demos for recently released and upcoming games with minimal waiting times—this was quite refreshing compared to my usual experience at events like PAX where queues can stretch endlessly. One standout title was Dragon is Dead—a fantastic blend reminiscent of Diablo II and Dead Cells—which kept me engaged enough to spend multiple hours playing through the demo section repeatedly.
Everywhere you look at LVL UP Expo you’ll find something to get your hands on. Next to PM Studio’s booth was
a Japanese arcade featuring more than 200 games
Everything is ready for freeplay. You could easily spend the whole weekend immersed in arcade games, and many people indeed did so. Above the wrestling area, two famous BattleBots were showcased, having been transported from the adjacent BattleBot Arena. In this space, visitors had the opportunity to engage with small-scale robots and stage their own battles or try out various drones in an intricate mini obstacle course.
There were available spots for Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Whenever there were no ongoing tournaments, players could utilize any of the CRTs in the retro section to enjoy Dreamcast or Sega Saturn titles. A whole corner of the tournament zone was allocated for VR experiences, where people could jump in at any time. Additionally, an Osu! Tournament had been organized in the tournament hall featuring more than a hundred computers.
I won’t miss out on the next LVL UP Expo again. This event combines all my favorite aspects of fan conventions with numerous exclusive experiences. Whether you’re from around Las Vegas or planning a trip to The Strip, make sure to pencil in the final weekend of April. Get ready by brushing up on your Halo 2 skills and starting work on that Hatsune Miku costume you’ve been dreaming of wearing.