The Asian Board Games Festival was a free entrance event last May 2-3, 2026 at the Bayanihan Center
Attendees flocked to the Asian Board Games Festival Philippines (ABGF PH) last May 2-3, 2026 at the Bayanihan Center in Kapitolyo, Pasig City. First organized in Singapore in 2019 by the Singaporean board game publisher Origame, ABGF is an event where the public can play and buy the works of Asian game publishers, designers, and artists, in order to support the Asian tabletop industry. Larong Atin, a Filipino board game publisher, co-organized ABGF PH with Origame.
Over 200 games from over 30 publishers were featured at the event. Exhibitors came from Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The event showcased all kinds of games that reflected the diverse cultures across Asia: party games, strategic games, family-friendly games, and thematic games.
Day 1 had the highest number of participants with an estimated influx of more than 3,000 attendees. By the end of Day 1, many of the exhibitors were sold out. Some exhibitors had to sell their demo or personal copies. Other highlights of the festival were the launch of Berlin Manalaysay’s Death Metal Komiks, the Combateq collaboration between Combatron and toy designer Quiccs, a preview of the upcoming Encantadia: War of Gems card game, and a game design workshop by Emerson Matsuuchi who designed “Metal Gear Solid: the Board Game”.
“The first ever Asian Board Games Festival Philippines has just wrapped up, and I’m finding it hard to put into words how grateful I am,” said Freddie Tan of Larong Atin and main organizer of ABGF PH. “I’m stepping away from humility for a moment to call this an unqualified success, and I owe it all to the people I’m lucky to call my team and friends. To our exhibitors: you wonderful creators, designers, and dreamers, you were the stars, the heartbeat, and the reason people came. To the gaming community, you heard our call. You showed up. You lifted us with your support. You embraced these creators. You played and laughed with them. You reminded us why we started this in the first place and why what we do matters. Thank you for making this event possible.”
Larong Atin plans to mount another Asian Board Games Festival Philippines in 2027.
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