| Dates: 30 May to 1 June 2025 |
| Location: NEC Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| Organizer: UK Games Expo |
I don’t know how many times I have now attended, but during my first visit, I was walking the halls hoping to speak to publishers about my blog and praying that I might get a review copy or two. I attended for a single day, driving up all the way and back again by myself, trying to cram it all on. That’s all changed over the years. So let me tell you my plans for UK Games Expo 2025.
Earning my Keep
These days, my focus is still on discussing review opportunities with publishers. Getting games for free to review is really the only way to allow me to run the blog. So I’m spending Sunday speaking to a number of publishers at UK Games Expo 2025. I’ve booked a few meetings to make sure I get to speak to them, while the rest of the day I will walk up to stands and hope that someone is available to talk to me. So if you see me walking the halls on Sunday, feel free to say hello, but don’t be cross if I don’t have time, as I’m rushing to another appointment.
Otherwise, Friday and Saturday, I’ll be demoing for Asmodee UK again, like I did the last couple of years. It’s another way for me to be able to afford running the blog and attending events like UK Games Expo 2025. I’ve not yet been told which stand I’ll be on, but keep an eye on my social media. I’ll post there once I know. So please pop by and I’ll demo you a game or two and have a chat. Of course, my focus will be on demoing, but I’ll definitely want to talk to you too.
However, I have the most time in the evenings to properly chat. So look out for me at one of the open gaming tables in the halls on Friday or Saturday evening. A friend of mine will also be there. We’ll have a few games on us to play. Don’t worry, they’re all easy and chill. So if you’ve had a busy day, you won’t be overwhelmed. Just make sure you ping me on social media and let me know when you think you might say hello. It would be great to see you.
Planning and New Halls
Don’t forget that UK Games Expo 2025 isn’t in hall 1 this year, as it’s occupied by another event, meaning everything will be a lot busier: the car parks will be filling up quickly, trains will be packed, food outlets will be busy and there will be more people outside the halls. So allow plenty of time to get from one place to another and maybe pack lunch to avoid queuing at the food outlets.
UK Games Expo 2025 is big: over 43,000 square meters of exhibition space across halls 2, 3, 3a and 4 and over 600 exhibitors. Some of the suites in the nearby Hilton Hotel also host events. Last year, there were over 65,00o visitors over the three days of UK Games Expo and I expect this year to be similarly busy.
Friday tends to be the quieter day, because people are at work. Saturday is usually the busiest day, as families come and it’s the weekend. Sunday is also often busy, but usually quieter than the Saturday, because it’s a shorter day – and a school night. However, I can’t guarantee that 2025 will be the same. So come whenever you think is best.
However, make sure you plan your visit. Think about transport, parking, food, what companies to see, which events to attend and generally what you want to do. Also make sure you have plenty of water on you. Exhibition halls are places where you can easily dehydrate. So keep sipping and top up your bottles when you can.
If you want to recoup some of your costs, maybe think about entering the £1,000 daily giveaway. Find out more here: https://www.
If you come with family, then check out the Asmodee UK Adventure Pass. Details haven’t been released yet, but keep an eye out on their Facebook page here: https://www.
Who to See
I can’t list all of the exhibitors here, but I want to pick out a few I’m excited about at UK Games Expo 2025.
Let me start with a few indies close to my heart.
First of all, there is Atikin Games on stand 3A-165. Check out their latest game, Malus Hortus and all of their wonderful, hand-made board game accessories. The love and attention that goes into everything they do make it all very special.
The wonderful Bez from Stuff by Bez will be there as well on stand 3A-769. Her imagination and creativity shows in everything she does and you can’t miss her in her red outfits. It might be her last time at UK Games Expo, so please do pop by and say hello to her. You’ll be in for an amazing positive experience, I can assure you.
I would also like to recommend you pop by the Dissent Games stand 2-908. Check out their latest games Busy Buses, a game designed by children and Loose In The Library. They are an indie publisher worth taking a closer look at.
I guess I also have to mention Naylor Games, who are one of the blog’s supporters. You can find them on stand 3A-370 with their latest release Snowdonia: Grand Tour. Yes, that’s the successor to Snowdonia, a classic and highly respected game. So do check it out and see for yourself the amazing work that the team have put into this new release.
I also suggest you see Unfringed on stand 3-313, a publisher that I haven’t paid enough attention to until now. Their game Zuuli will be there in its second edition. It was picked up by Oink Games and released under the title Moving Wild. So if that’s not a recommendation, then I don’t know.
Bigger Publishers
There are also some bigger names at UK Games Expo 2025 with games that I’m interested in.
A lot of people have been saying many good things about Galactic Cruise by Dranda Games on stand 2-704. So I want to take a closer look and see if it’s a game that I should review. Explorers of Navoria also looks very interesting, so I’ll have a look at that too.
Osprey Games will be on stand 3A-448 showing off Ofrenda, which I already reviewed, as well as Line of Fire: Burnt Moon, which I want to take a closer look at. It looks like an interesting lane battler, which could be really exciting.
I also want to say hello to Red Raven Games who are on stand 3-402. Their games have always held a special place in my heart and pretty much all of them are really great fun to play with all the family. I want to speak to them about a couple of their games, Six Sojourns and Isle of Night, which have grabbed my attention.
If I can make an appointment, I’d also love to speak to Hachette Boardgames UK who have been doing an amazing job of distributing board games from other countries in the UK. They are on stands 2-316 and 2-416 and are going to have a wide catalogue of games on show. I spoke to them last year and would love to catch up with them to talk about their upcoming games.
I’m also hoping to speak with Paper Fort Games who are on stand 2-714 with their latest games Fathom and Terraria, both of which look very interesting. I’d love to see what they’re like. They are a publisher that I got to know through the all-time classic Cosmoctopus.
International Exhibitors
Of course, UK Games Expo is an international show. So I can’t miss the opportunity to speak to publishers from places a bit further afield.
First of all, there is Play With Us Design (PWUD) who are on stand 4-714. They want to show me one of their upcoming games, which I can’t talk about yet. They also have a number of other games, of course. As a Taiwanese publisher, their games are always a bit different, which is exciting. I can’t wait to see what their latest game is all about.
I’m also looking forward to visiting Playte on stand 3-745. They are a South Korean publisher and are probably famous for their L-board version of Can’t Stop. I love small box games and noticed that they have a copy of Pueblo that is much smaller, making it the perfect travel game. So while I’m not expecting to see any new games as such, finding a small box version of a game I enjoy is going to be exciting enough.
There are many, many more exhibitors at UK Games Expo, some of whom I’m also planning to visit, but I just wanted to pick out some of the maybe lesser well-known ones and those that are special to me. That doesn’t mean I won’t say hello to Ravensburger on stand 2-736 or Kosmos on stand 3-1030, of course.
So I hope you’ve got a better idea of what to expect and know how to say hello to me, if you have time. It’d be really lovely to speak with you and maybe play a game or two. Either way, enjoy the show and make the most of your time there. UK Games Expo is an amazing event that should offer something for everyone.
Useful Links
Audio Version
Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.
Music: “oct 8 2021” provided by mobygratis.
Playlist
These are the songs I listened to while I was writing this topic discussion article:
