Gem State Gaming Convention 2026

GSGC is growing bigger and brighter!

• Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th: The weather is warming up, and we are taking advantage of it! Join us on Saturday, June 27 from 9am - 11pm + Sunday, June 28 from 9am - 8pm!

• The Center, in Caldwell, ID: We're moving to Caldwell, ID! The Center at the Canyon County Fairgrounds is a newer venue, built in 2022. Its expo hall has large garage doors, lots of natural light, more parking, a full lobby, several connected meeting rooms for our rpg games and workshops, and a grassy outsdoor space!

• New Events & Sponsors: Our dedicated team of volunteers have packed both Saturday and Sunday with TCG's, miniatures, rpg's, board games, activities, and more -- with all of that and our much larger vendor hall this year, the Realms & Relics Merchant Marketplace, you'll always be able to find something to do!

While we are sad that the combat robots won't be returning this year, we have added a bunch of new features and activities!

• Realms & Relics Merchant Marketplace -- a fantastical vendor hall to provide you with all your fantasy and gaming needs! The vendor hall is open from 9am - 6pm and is completely free and open to the public! No badge required to browse or buy wares!

• Couldn't find what you wanted at Realms & Relics, or want to offload some games of your own? The Board Game Swap Meet is on Sunday, from 12pm - 3pm! Register for a table in the vendor hall and swap, sell, or buy the games you've been dying to find (or get rid of!)

• Questline -- Download the Questline app and complete vendor and staff quests throughout the weekend to earn rewards and glory!

• Video Games -- We've bringing together gamers and consoles once again! Roll & Respawn will be hosting PC games, Sunderfolk (a TTRPG / board game inspired video game) will be handing out free posters to everyone who plays through a demo, and Idaho Melee will be hosting a Smash Bros tournament!

• Outside, Summer Games -- Enjoy the summer weather with jumbo yard games! We're adding more and more jumbo games to the library every year!

• Quiet Room -- Want to get away from all the noise? We have a quiet room setup with coloring books, craft activities, and an enchanting playlist of calming fantasy music!

One Day, Weekend, and Family Badges:

Our regular One-Day, Weekend, and Family badges will include a mini Swag Bag full of con swag and gaming goodies -- but at this time, they don't come with a free board game.

We are hoping to continue conversations with sponsors and publishers to bring back this perk in the future, so if you are or know a publisher or designer interested, send them our way!

VIP One-Day, VIP Weekend, and VIP Family:

VIP badges include a free board game, T-Shirt, Button, and more! With over $50 in estimated value, it has all the con swag and gaming gear you'll need to thrive this weekend.

This year's board game is one we haven't given out before, and our VIP Swag Bags are limited to 50 across all badge types (One-Day, Weekend, and Family), so buy a badge asap to reserve yours!

Family Bundles

VIP and regular Family Bundles are a special deal! We want families of all types and ages to be able to enjoy the con at an affordable price, so we've packaged 2 Adult Badges and up to 4 Youth badges into one price.

Use them all, or don't -- just make sure the whole family is there to check in at the same time!

Note: VIP Family Badges will receive TWO VIP Swag Bags!

Event Submissions Are Open!

Please submit your events for this year! If you'd like to host a Learn to Play demo or get a group together for a game, this is where you'll submit the event details!

THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT EVENTS HAS PASSED -- This means they won't be printed on programming, but they will still be available online and sign up sheets will be available on event day!

Introducing: The Realms & Relics Merchant Marketplace!

This year, we're bringing together over 30 vendors -- including your local game stores, game designers and publishers, gaming groups and organizations, artists, and craftsmeeple.

This year's vendor hall will even include a few activities -- game demos, a scavenger hunt, and a series of quests you can complete for a prize!

Entry to Realms & Relics Merchant Marketplace will be entirely free, so interested shoppers can come from anywhere, with or without a badge!

Vendor Applications are open now!

We're considering any vendors and businesses who:

• have the "vibes" that fit the fantasy / gaming niche

• create art or products with a fantasy / gaming niche

• create rpg, board game, or gaming accessories

• are game designers / publishers / artists

• are available for both days OR even just one day

• (optional) are interested in donating product, coupons, or other ideas to our Play-to-Win game library, mini Swag Bags, or VIP Swag Bags

More Details Coming Soon!

Over the next several weeks, we'll be sharing more information and updates with you -- keep an eye out on our Facebook page!