FAQS

Oh man, it’s so much to type, and my wrist kind of hurts. I’ll tell you what, you can read all about it right here!

Great question! Start here and go forward.

You can subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on your preferred social media for some highlights and updates on what’s happening. Check all our social channels here. Are you on Discord? We’re pretty active there too, and you can connect with other PAX attendees as you prep for the show. Join the PAX Official Discord Server.

PAX is a show for all-ages. We will flag certain schedule items with 13+ or 17+ at times if there is sensitive content. Children under 6 are welcome for free with an adult, and children aged 6-12 are welcome to attend with a Kids badge (accompanied by a badge-holding adult). 

We would love you to! As a general rule, you can absolutely take photos/video as long as you can do it without obstructing pathways and preventing people from moving around. We ask that if you’re doing so, you respect the spaces around you and the people who are the subjects - ask kindly and respect if someone tells you no. 

P.S. We love seeing the show through your eyes - sharing is caring, so don’t forget to tag us! 

In short, yes, you’re very likely to appear on camera. This could be in an official (PAX Photographers) or unofficial (other attendees) capacity because PAX is in the public domain

We reserve the right to film and photograph areas of the show for marketing and other internal use. For more details, please refer to our terms of participation.

Mostly. Strollers are not permitted in the Expo Hall, but they are fair game everywhere else.

We have medical badges available for those who may need assistance. Medical badges provide entrance to panels, expo hall, and other events provided any associated line has not already been capped to capacity. Email us at [email protected] for more information.

All Panels are first-come, first-served and access to all panel content comes free with your PAX badge. Be sure to keep tabs on panel lines via the PAX Mobile App.

Generally we clear the room after every panel with one exception - Friday morning between Storytime Session and the Penny Arcade Q&A. That’s the one instance where you don’t have to leave your seat. There may be other exceptions, but those exceptions are few and far between...refer to the schedule, once available, for additional information.

Tournament sign up happens on a first come, first served basis starting at 10:00 am on the day of the tournament.  So if a Console Tournament takes place on Saturday at 7:00pm, to be at the top of the roster, head over to Console Tourney on Saturday at 10am.  

On occasion, we have show-run tournaments that have a different sign up method, and in that case it will be noted in the description of that event. This also goes for PAX Arena and exhibitor-managed events. 

When in doubt, check the descriptions and/or ask a nearby enforcer to the area your tournament takes place in. 

Afraid so! You can get a good sense of our criteria on our safety and accessibility page, and your first stop should be at Info Desk for weapons check tagging for us to verify everything is legit and abiding by our criteria for safety. If we have to hold your prop weapon for the show, we’re sorry, we wish things were different, and we’ll make sure you get it back when it’s time to leave. We’re charged with keeping tens of thousands of people we like an awful lot all safe and sound, and we’ve got to play things pretty conservatively when dealing with weapons (even in prop form).

In general, autographing sessions are free, but there are some asterisks there.  For instance, obviously you need to have a PAX badge good for the day of the autograph session.  We're also assuming you're only talking about a single autograph from each person.  If you're looking for a stack of autographs, well, that might run you.  Refer to the autograph session description for details. You can learn more about how autographing works and see the schedule (when it’s ready) here.

Nice to meet you, Game Company! It's pretty simple...just email us at [email protected].

You can ask us questions on social media, discord, or email us directly at [email protected] to get in touch.

Don’t.  Just...DON’T! You can read more about our harassment policies here.

You can follow us on most social accounts where we post these big announcements, including badge sale dates and the moment they go live. You can also subscribe to our newsletter for the same info. We’ll send out the news simultaneously on our social media and email, so turn on those notifications and mark us as important!

We thought you’d never ask! In order to help alleviate lines and stress at the event, we cut off when we mail badges out to insure they can make their way to you. This helps our Badge Pickup lines go faster, and allows you to head right into the show whenever you want. 

Standard change of address procedures with the post office should resolve this for you without having to worry, but for extra insurance feel free to email us at [email protected] at least 45 days before showtime and we should be able to update the address on file for you.

If you ordered your badges prior to the badge mailing deadline, we have great news: your badges will mail out in one of a few waves of shipments, and should arrive at their designated location up to 1 week prior to the event. Your priority shipping comes with tracking, so you should be aware of where your badges are throughout the process. 

If you don’t receive your badges by the week of the show, email [email protected] with your confirmation information and our team will look into it.

Let’s just say the last time we did that, the big boss went postal. Anyway, there’s a higher chance that your badges will get lost in the shuffle. We promise, this is better for everyone.

Our hours for Badge Pickup and show maps will be available on the Info page under Maps, Hours, and Entry Info as soon as they are up to date! Also be sure to check our homepage and our social media (we usually pin the most important info posts right at show time.)

Unfortunately no, but once you've got the badges you're welcome to trade/gift/sell badges to friends or family. All we ask is that you not price gouge people, but beyond that it's your badge to do with as you please.

Impossible to say for sure, but we really don't recommend you go that route whenever possible. If you have to, remember there's always a chance you're going to get taken advantage of and if that happens, there's nothing we can do for you as we have no part in the sale. All we can say is make sure that all badges you buy are made of plastic (not cardboard or paper). But again, we strongly urge you to only buy badges directly from this site, it's the only way to be sure.

Once badges sell out, they are gone for good, so if you are sure you want to attend it’s always best to get them as early as you can. Our team does their best to update when we’re about to sell out of badge types, so we recommend subscribing to our newsletters and following us on social to make sure you’re in the know.

One does not simply walk into PAX… until maybe the afternoon, that is. We have entry policies in place with queues and security measures to make sure everyone gets in safely. These will be outlined on our Info page under Maps, Hours, and Entry as soon as it’s up-to-date for this year’s show. 

The convention center is completely wheelchair accessible, but you may also want to pick up a medical badge to hopefully make life just a little extra easier on you. Shoot an email to [email protected] and they’ll fill you in on the details, get a form for you to fill out, and otherwise get you on your way. 

Yes! However, be warned that a lot of your fellow attendees will also be using it, potentially clogging those invisible air-pipes. Try not to rely on it, because you may find it...unreliable.

Yes! There’s so much to do at PAX West, we can’t be contained by one building. Many long-time PAX attendees may remember PAX taking place over many buildings across downtown Seattle (our feet will never forget), so we’re grateful that the Seattle Convention Center has expanded to accommodate more space for activities. While we try to keep things in similar spots year to year, we recommend downloading the PAX Nav mobile app for maps, locations, and more. Learn more about SCC’s Arch and Summit buildings here: https://seattleconventioncenter.com/

We don’t have a coat check at this show (mostly because it’s usually very nice outside). 

We know you’ll need hotel rooms, so we always do what we can to secure as many rooms as possible with the steepest discounts possible. Check out the inventory at our Hotels and Travel page.

If you’re getting ready to bring your sweet ride into downtown Seattle, we recommend coming in with a plan. We’re partnering with SpotHero to help you book a spot ahead of time. Head to our travel page to learn more.