Wizards of the Coast, Acquisitions Incorporated Headline PAX East 2026 Lineup

With giants like Nintendo, Gearbox, and Wizards of the Coast set to appear at PAX East, plus the return of Acquisitions Incorporated to the main stage and countless indie developers to check out, the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston is about to become the biggest gaming floor in the Northeast for four days.

PAX East 2026 takes place from March 26–29 at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, Massachusetts. For D&D players, the headliner isn't a video game publisher. It's Acquisitions Incorporated, the comedy troupe that helped kick off the Actual Play tabletop genre years before shows like Critical Role or Dimension 20 got started. The troupe, which grew out of a Penny Arcade podcast with DM Chris Perkins running the very first Acquisitions Incorporated session with Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik alongside fellow webcomic artist Scott Kurtz, is returning to PAX East's main stage this year.

Wizards of the Coast will also be on the show floor alongside Standing Stone Games and a range of tabletop partners, making this one of the stronger tabletop presences PAX East has fielded alongside its video game programming. PAX East is a celebration of gaming and gaming culture featuring thought-provoking panels, a massive expo hall filled with the best publishers and studios, new game demos, musical performances, tournaments, and a community experience unlike any other.

The convention's marquee participatory event, the Omegathon, runs concurrently across the weekend. 16 teams face off in a series of battles, with the winner being crowned at the Closing Ceremony of PAX East. The field is assembled entirely by lottery: each one is randomly selected from badge holders who opt in for a chance to compete when they purchase their badges. Teams accumulate points across multiple games throughout the four days before the final showdown at Sunday's closing ceremony.

Since 2010, PAX East has always been held in Boston, though the exact location in Boston has occasionally changed. The Menino Convention Center configuration gives the show its largest footprint, accommodating both the tabletop and video game halves of an event that genuinely tries to serve both camps equally.

For the D&D community specifically, Acquisitions Incorporated's main stage slot is the clearest signal of where the show's tabletop heart beats. A live session on the main stage of PAX remains a signature moment for the troupe, with DMs Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford running the game while navigating the unpredictable energy of a live audience. What announcements Wizards of the Coast brings to the floor remain to be seen, but with the company's 2026 release slate already building toward its Season of Horror and the June release of *Ravenloft: The Horrors Within*, the timing puts PAX East right at the start of what promises to be a busy year for the game.