I’ve had an interesting history with this particular gaming expo. The last time I tried to attend, I couldn’t even load the software launcher, back before it was available through the Steam store. That was absolutely my fault. I was trying to access it on a well-aged Microsoft Surface Pro. Long story short, I didn’t have a gaming rig back then. Heck, I don’t even have one now. I do have a Steam Deck though. And Endix is now playable through Steam ( and Epic Games). Hmmm, interesting. Let’s see if I can attend Endix May 2026 by way of my Steam Deck!
Even though I was playing on my Steam Deck I had a monitor, mouse and keyboard plugged in. This allowed me to move and interact in the usual way. WASD for character movement and E for interacting etc. I could also use the keyboard to input my username and password easily.
I started off by booting up the Endix app. A breakthrough straight away. Doing this brought me directly into the login menu. And my username and password from before worked straight away. Nice! I was already way ahead of where I got last time I tried this.
At the top of the screen were four tabs: Community, Avatar, Settings, and Schedule. Guess I’ll put my Avatar together. Change my eye colour to blue, give myself a big bushy beard and mustache. Plenty of facial hair, but a bald head up top. A nice blue checked shirt and some jeans. Sorted. The character creator is quite robust, but I didn’t want to spend too much time on my avatar. I was excited to explore the expo.
Day One
Hitting the Start button dropped me right in front of a billboard showing off the Schedule. Although visitors are free to wander around the expo whenever, there are scheduled events throughout the days too. Looking on the map in the pause menu shows plenty of Fast Travel points, but for the time being, I just decided to have a wander around.
The first game I came across was Dave the Diver. This section of the exhibition included a detailed recreation of the sushi bar featured in-game. There was a sign to interact with that sent me to the game’s Steam page. This happened a lot throughout my time in Endix. Clicking on things to open up a web browser. This allowed me to download demos, fill in forms and watch special videos.
As I ventured deeper into Endix, I encountered multiple billboards along the way, showcasing various trailers for a multitude of games. I passed a gothic church that housed movie theaters, all playing horror game trailers. This was around the first time that Endix crashed on me. The screen froze, and then my Steam Deck restarted itself. This happened twice more at various intervals. Every time I had to log back in and start over. I tried adjusting the graphics settings to medium, but that didn’t fix the crashing issues.
Let’s be clear. It didn’t say anywhere that the Endix May 2026 exhibition was playable on a Steam Deck. It’s not Steam Deck verified. I don’t blame the creators of the exhibition for these crashes. It was super annoying though. So far, I had enjoyed exploring the show.
The final straw was when I discovered the emote wheel. I tried testing that out and IT CRASHED AGAIN!! By this time, it was late and I wanted to go to bed! Hopefully I’d have better luck tomorrow.
Day Two
The second day of attending Endix on my Steam Deck. Straight away it was better. I think the problem with yesterday is that I was using Big Picture mode instead of just activating the launcher in regular desktop mode.
I popped back into the expo environment and immediately fast travelled to the main exhibition area. This was to avoid any potential crashes on my way to the main area, and so I could dedicate my limited time to actually seeing the games on display.
The main attraction for me was Mightreya, a big and flashy Kaiju-themed game, complete with a big moving Kaiju figure out front to take photos with. I even busted out some dance moves with the emote wheel. It didn’t crash either! Hallelujah!!
After that, I headed into the exhibition hall proper and went straight to the Indie Games section. Each game had its own themed room, with game assets and trailers on show. It was actually pretty immersive, and a pleasure to explore. I never quite knew what to expect around each corner. For example, Sea of Rifts had a sailing theme, and Akatori, a monk-inspired room.
Final thoughts
Endix May 2026 is a very intriguing exhibition. Although not the first virtual event of its kind, Endix looks slick. Very slick. And now it’s available on platforms like Steam and Epic Games. It feels like a premium experience. Yes, there were hiccups along the way, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. And they were probably my own fault anyway.
As someone who enjoys the hustle and bustle of real-life events, I’m not sure if I think virtual events will ever replace exhibitions in physical locations. Virtual ones have their own audience, and can push the limits of reality. The organisers of Endix seem to know what they are doing, and hopefully the event goes from strength to strength. And not go the way of events like E3 and WASD Live (rest in peace!)
I really didn’t spend as much time signed in to Endix May 2026 as I’d hoped, but dang, my time attending has made me hungry for more. I missed out on a lot of things, including one of the over 600 free game keys on offer. It is still the only place i’ve ever danced with a Kaiju. Roll on with the next one I say!
