The 2025 Midwest Gaming Classic was BIG

Walking through the buzzing exhibit halls and stuffed ballrooms of the Baird Center on Saturday, it was common to hear murmurs of the number “40,000.” That’s how many pre-sale tickets, it was rumored, had been sold for the 2025 Midwest Gaming Classic. The homegrown fest was taking over the downtown convention hall Friday through Sunday, and, yes, it was packed. But 40,000? That’s roughly 10,000 more than the overall attendance of the 2024 MGC—itself a record-breaking event.

Official numbers have yet to be released, but you know what? Forty-thousand—or more!—sounds about right. The 2025 Midwest Gaming Classic was BIG. Though the MGC has grown wildly in its nearly 25-year existence (remember when it was held at the Brookfield Sheraton?) this was the first year it felt like a fully fleshed-out, real-deal, top-of-the-line, all-encompassing, all-things-“geeky” convention. Pinball, video games, and video game history remain the primary focus, but things like tabletop gaming and cosplay felt more represented than ever before. Toss in music, wrestling, panel discussions, and plenty of love for the homebrew scene, and you’ve got one of the best gaming events not just in the Midwest, but in the country. Not too shabby for something that began in 2001 as a 100-person event celebrating the Atari Jaguar.

Here are a few photos from Saturday, which represent only an infinitesimal slice of MGC 2025. Here’s to 2026! (April 24-26!)

Want more Milwaukee Record? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and/or support us on Patreon.