PAX, or the Penny Arcade Expo, makes Seattle the dream summer destination for gamers worldwide. New game exhibits, panels, cosplay, and tournaments pack the four day convention full of activities no one should miss.
The catch? The annual event sells out notoriously fast, BUT…we have the secrets to ensuring yourself tickets before that happens.
First…know when to be on the lookout!
PAX does not publicize the release date or time of tickets until they are on sale. History of their past events show that tickets are typically released in April or May.
|
Year |
PAX Prime Ticket Release Date |
|
2015 |
May 7th |
|
2014 |
May 28th |
|
2013 |
April 17th |
|
2012 |
April 25th |
|
2011 |
April 15th |
Second, HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT!
Trust us that this is the secret to getting passes. If Twitter isn’t your thing, then create an account just for this. Seriously. PAX announces the release of tickets via their site and Twitter, and a super cool feature that you can set up for your phone is getting text alerts as soon as a Tweet is made. We tried it out this year in fact, and it is definitely the way to go. We got the text message notification the instant PAX announced the release on Twitter, and as such, it was super easy to jump into the queue and get tickets, which had us like:
PAX Twitter handle: @Official_PAX
Third, have your money and friends ready!
In previous years PAX did away with 4-day badges and only released single day passes. They cost $40 each per day. There is also a limit to the number of passes an individual can buy. Normally it has been 4 per person (per badge type). If you plan to attend with a large group, make sure you share this article with them so they know how to get their tickets, too!
Oh no! PAX sold out before I could get tickets! What do I do now?!
That does stink, but don’t panic! You can still get passes!
Option 1
Use a resale site like SuperSeats or StubHub. Tickets on these sites are usually over face value, but the likelihood of encountering counterfeit tickets is really low. These sites protect you in the unlikely case of counterfeit tickets by giving you a refund, or replacing them. EBay is also available and should provide a refund if tickets are counterfeit.
Option 2
Use Reddit. PAXPassExchange is a subreddit devoted to matching PAX buyers with sellers. Tickets here can be more affordable options because there are no service fees, but there is no guarantee of the authenticity of the tickets. If you get ripped off with counterfeit tickets you might be out of luck. And NEVER BUY A PAX BADGE FROM CRAIGSLIST.
Still have questions or concerns? Feel free to email us at [email protected], and we’ll see how else we can help!
