G-STAR 2026: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Busan)

Four days of Korean gaming at BEXCO

G-STAR 2026 runs from November 19 to 22 at BEXCO. Korea’s largest international game show fills the convention centre with publishers’ stands, playable demos and stage events. Visitors include gaming fans and industry people from across East Asia. In Korean it is 지스타, and most locals just say “G-STAR.”

The show began at KINTEX near Seoul in 2005. It moved to Busan in 2009, and BEXCO has been its home in most years since. Past editions kept the consumer floor separate from the business area, where developers, investors and publishers hold meetings. If you’re there to play, the public halls are the main event. If you’re there for deals, the business side is.

The organiser’s official G-STAR site carries the dates, hall layout and ticket links.

Reaching Centum City

BEXCO is in Haeundae-gu, in the grid of glass towers known as Centum City. Getting there:

• Busan Metro Line 2: Centum City Station, whose second name is BEXCO, comes up beside the halls.
• Donghae Line: Centum Station is a short walk to the east.
• From Gimhae Airport: take the Light Rail to Sasang, then Line 2 east. It is a long ride across the city.
• From Busan Station (KTX): Line 1 to Seomyeon, then Line 2 toward Jangsan.

Next door is Shinsegae Centum City, once certified as the world’s largest department store. It has a food hall, cinemas and the Spa Land bathhouse, so it is where most attendees eat and rest between hall sessions.

Inside the halls, the way regulars do it

The big publisher booths with playable demos usually run their own queues. Regulars pick the one or two titles they care about most and line up for those first. Lines tend to be longest on the weekend, November 21 and 22, because school and office crowds can’t come Thursday or Friday. Visitors with a choice of day usually go on a weekday.

Things that make the day easier:

• T-money card: this tap card works on the metro, buses and at convenience stores, and spares you a single-ticket machine each trip.
• Phone power bank: you’ll be photographing booths, scanning QR codes and using the event app all day.
• Tote bag: booths hand out freebies and merchandise all the time.
• Layers: Busan in late November is cool outside, while the packed halls get warm.

Korean queue etiquette is strict. Nobody holds a place for friends who show up later. Staff often cut a line off once a session is full. Cosplayers usually collect near the outdoor plazas, and people normally ask before taking close-up photos of them.

Staying near the show

Hotels around Centum City and Haeundae Beach are the natural base. The beach is two stops east on Line 2, at Haeundae Station. Book-ending a show day with an evening on the beachfront promenade is a common routine. Late November is too cold to swim but fine for walking. Gwangalli Beach, with the Gwangan Bridge lit up across the water at night, is a short taxi ride southwest.

Visitors with a spare day often take in:

• Haedong Yonggungsa: a temple built on the seaside rocks northeast of Haeundae.
• Jagalchi Fish Market: in the old port area of Nampo-dong.
• Gamcheon Culture Village: a hillside of painted houses.

Seomyeon, at the junction of Lines 1 and 2, is where students head after the show for late food and bars.