Melbourne International Games week is fast approaching, and the celebrations will be at their most accessible, and nostalgic, during Big Games Night Out — a full on takeover of Federation Square to showcase games big and small, local and international, digital and tabletop — including a major Aussie-made game debut.
Melbourne’s gaming industry is buzzy, home to classic titles like Untitled Goose Game and The Artful Escape, and this free, accessible community event will connect gamers young and old with everything the city’s developers have to offer.
At the front and centre of the lineup is the playable debut of a classic in the making, Mixtape, the new project from the BAFTA-winning local developers of The Artful Escape, Beethoven & Dinosaur. Mixtape is nostalgia in interactive form, telling a story of teenage highs and lows in a coming of age story soundtracked by the likes of DEVO, The Cure, Roxy Music, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Portishead, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Silverchair and more.
Mixtape will feature as a part of the Electric Arcadia Amusement Plaza, a classic mall-styled space packed with 80s and 90s feel by designers Callum Preston and Louie Roots — with playable demos of Mixtape, Jupiter Junkworks, Bones: Wandering Soul, Pro Jank Footy, My Arms Are Longer Now and more.
On the main stage, two teams of content creators, streamers and online personalities will go head to head playing 2025’s breakout online shooter in the Marvel Rivals All-Star Showdown from 6 to 7pm. Inside the Edge Theatre, the Tabletop & Roleplay Revolution will showcase a range of board games and tabletop RPGs.
For any young gamers, the Little Games Night Out will run from 3.30–6pm with live music, Crossy Road, Just Dance and more, while the Atrium games zone will play host to Tekken, Fortnite, Foosball, Mario Kart, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and other classics.
Wrap all that up with food, drinks, cosplay, competitions, musical experiences, markets and dozens of other games, there’s no reason not to at least swing by. Entry is free, and you can find out more information, including the full program, on the website.
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