The Asian Board Games Festival is a free entrance event on May 2-3, 2026 at the Bayanihan Center
The Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF) will debut in the Philippines on 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 visiting Asian game publishers, designers, and artists.
In an ever more digital world, people are looking for ways to spend time together offline, which has resulted in the growth of the tabletop games industry. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global tabletop games market is valued at approximately $18.4-$21.5 billion in 2025-2026. It is expected to reach over $30 billion by 2030 driven by the rise of hobby gaming, crowdfunding, and board game cafes. However, much of the market share is dominated by the west. ABGF was created as a movement to give attention to Asian games and to develop the regional industry.
The event is free for all attendees and is open to all ages and experience levels. Attendees can play and buy over 200 games from over 30 publishers from 10 different countries including Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, China, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The event will showcase all kinds of games that reflect the diverse cultures across Asia: party games, strategic games, family-friendly games, and thematic games.
Some of the games at ABGF include Origame’s Buffet Boss and Wok and Roll. Cili Padi Games from Malaysia will bring Dancing Queen which won the BoardGameGeek 9-Card Game Design Contest. Underdog Games from South Korea will bring #Inconversible: a game about deleting Instagram photos after a break-up.
“When you come to ABGF, you feel part of a community,” said Daryl Chow of Origame and founder of ABGF. “It’s not like transactional market events where you come, buy games, and then just go through. In ABGF Singapore, you really talk to the designers. You learn about why they make games. No designer will say they have no time for you; because for people who make games, connecting with people who play makes everything worthwhile.”
While entering the event is free, attendees are encouraged to purchase an ABGF Play Passport which will allow them to collect stamps from different countries by playing their games. Those that complete the stamps can claim exclusive prizes.
The Philippines will be the fourth country to participate in ABGF after Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. ABGF Philippines (ABGF PH) is co-organized by Origame and Larong Atin, a Filipino board game publisher which has published games such as Darna at ang Nawawalang Bato, Hugot, and PlataPorma.
Aside from game booths, ABGF PH will feature other activities such as panel talks from industry veterans on how designers and artists can get their foot into the industry, designer talks where fans can learn more about their favorite designers, and launches of other Filipino works. Berlin Manalaysay, author of the komik Combatron, will launch his new komiks “Death Metal”. Toy creators Quiccs and TidoDojo will launch their Combatron toy collaboration and Larong Atin will run demos of its new miniatures tabletop game: Combatron Komiks Kombat Arena.
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Larong Atin, the main organizer of the Asian Board Games Festival Philippines, aims to publish accessible and innovative Filipino games that can be showcased to the world. For more information about ABGF PH, email [email protected], contact Duane Banzon at 0917–874–2789, or visit www.asianboardgamesfestival.com/abgf-ph-2026.
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