Sim Gaming Expo 2026 - Chicago, Sept 18–20
North America's first expo for sim racing, flight & VR. Test the latest gear, meet the creators, score show-only deals. Schaumburg, Chicago - September 18–20.
Sim Gaming Expo 2026 is almost here, bringing some of the biggest names in sim racing, flight simulation, and VR together just outside Chicago. The event takes place from September 18 through September 20 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois.
For sim racers in the United States, this is one of the more interesting events on the calendar. You will be able to test hardware from a huge selection of manufacturers, see upcoming products, watch live competitions, meet people from throughout the industry, and potentially pick up hardware at show-only prices.
Sim Gaming Expo runs for three days, beginning on Friday, September 18 and finishing on Sunday, September 20. The event is being held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, located at 1551 North Thoreau Drive in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Friday runs from 12 PM until 8 PM, Saturday from 10 AM until 6 PM, and Sunday from 10 AM until 5 PM. That gives anyone traveling for the event a full weekend to work through what is becoming a pretty massive exhibitor list.
The sim racing lineup is probably the biggest reason to attend. Moza, Simucube, Simagic, Fanatec, VRS, Heusinkveld, Sim-Lab, Gomez Sim Industries, SRP, and SimCraft among others are all currently listed as exhibitors.
That covers a pretty ridiculous percentage of the enthusiast sim racing hardware market. There will be direct drive wheel bases, steering wheels, pedals, active hardware, motion simulators, cockpits, displays, accessories, and plenty of complete simulators available to try throughout the show.
Simucube, for example, has already confirmed that attendees will be able to try its Simucube 3 wheel base lineup and ActivePedal hardware. Moza and Simagic will also be present with their increasingly large ecosystems, while VRS, Fanatec, Heusinkveld, and several smaller manufacturers give you plenty of opportunity to compare completely different approaches to sim racing hardware.
Despite sim racing being a huge part of the event, Sim Gaming Expo covers simulation gaming more broadly. Flight simulation and VR will have a significant presence alongside racing, with companies such as Pimax, Rowsfire, Motozolo, Black Beach Studio, and others currently confirmed.
There will also be trucking simulation hardware, motion systems, PC gaming, and even other simulation categories represented throughout the floor. So, if you enjoy simulation outside motorsport, there should still be quite a bit to see.
That variety also makes the event interesting if you are bringing someone who is not quite as obsessed with steering wheels and pedals as the rest of us.
One of the main advantages of an event like this is being able to physically test products before buying them. Specifications can tell you a lot about a wheel base or pedal set, but things like ergonomics, brake feel, force feedback, seat comfort, and build quality are much easier to understand once you have actually used the hardware.
With so many competing manufacturers in the same building, you can also move directly between different products and make comparisons that would normally be almost impossible without owning everything yourself.
There should be unreleased hardware on display too. Sim Gaming Expo specifically promotes product reveals and opportunities to test upcoming equipment, so there is a good chance we will see at least a few things that have not reached the market yet.
The weekend will also include live sim racing competitions, with races taking place in front of attendees throughout the event. The Sim Gaming Expo Challenge Series will conclude during the weekend, adding a proper competitive side to the show rather than having the entire event revolve around exhibitor booths.
Presentations and discussion panels are planned as well. These give attendees an opportunity to hear directly from people working within simulation hardware, software, esports, and content creation.
There will also be plenty of creators and familiar faces from throughout the sim racing community walking around the show. For a relatively niche industry, having so many people in one building is a big part of the appeal.
Another reason to keep some space in your suitcase is that many exhibitors will be offering special event discounts. Sim Gaming Expo specifically lists show-only deals as one of the benefits of attending, covering hardware, software, and accessories.
Exactly what will be discounted depends on the individual exhibitors, but this can make the event particularly useful if you are already planning a simulator upgrade. You get the chance to test something first and potentially buy it for less than the normal retail price.
Tickets start at $40 for a single day. A two-day pass costs $60, while a complete three-day pass is $85. Children 12 and under can attend for free with a paid admission.
If you are traveling specifically for the expo, the three-day option probably makes the most sense. The exhibitor list is large enough that trying to test everything you care about in a single day could become difficult, particularly once lines start forming around the more popular simulators.
Sim Gaming Expo 2026 is shaping up to be a pretty massive weekend for simulation fans in the United States. Having Moza, Simucube, Simagic, Fanatec, VRS, Heusinkveld, Sim-Lab, SRP, GSI, SimCraft, and dozens of other companies under one roof creates a rare opportunity to try a huge portion of the current sim racing market in person.
Add flight simulation, VR, motion systems, live racing, panels, unreleased hardware, and event discounts, and there should be more than enough to fill the weekend. For anyone within traveling distance of Chicago, September 18 through 20 is probably worth keeping open.
