Best Events & Community in Illinois — 9 verified listings

• Combo Breaker — Schaumburg. Annual fighting game championship over Memorial Day Weekend at the Schaumburg Convention Center, May 22-24, 2026. Hosts Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, and 2XKO tournaments with worldw
• Frosty Faustings — Lombard. Chicago-area winter fighting game tournament at the Westin Chicago Lombard. The 2026 edition drew nearly 4,000 entrants across 2XKO, Guilty Gear Strive, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and classic titles.
• Anime Central (ACen) — Rosemont. Chicago/Midwest's largest anime convention at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center May 15-17, 2026. Features a massive video game room, concerts, the largest US artist alley, and 33,000 expected a
• C2E2 - Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo — Chicago. Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo at McCormick Place South March 27-29, 2026. Features comic creators, voice actors, gaming, Cosplay Central, and entertainment from across film, TV, and games. Held i
• AdeptiCon — Schaumburg. World's premier tabletop miniatures convention at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center each spring. Hosts 1,650+ events including Warhammer tournaments, the Golden Demon painting competition,
• Bit Bash Chicago — Chicago. Chicago's Interactive Arts Festival celebrating its 10th year with curated independent video games, unique controllers, and multiplayer experiences. XTREME Bit Bash takes place August 31 at iO Theater
• Anime Midwest — Rosemont. Family-friendly anime convention at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center July 3-5, 2026. 15,000-person three-day event with video gaming, concerts, cosplay, and free ramen. Held in Rosemont, Illin
• IGDA Champaign-Urbana — Champaign. IGDA Champaign-Urbana is a downstate Illinois chapter tied to the University of Illinois and the surrounding research community. The chapter draws from UIUC's strong CS program and runs meetups for bo
• Indie City Games (Chicago) — Chicago. Indie City Games is a Chicago indie developer cooperative behind Bit Bash and a long-running meetup tradition. The group provides a safe space for indie devs to share work and discuss craft. Many of C

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