Big Games Night Out – Australia’s largest free celebration of games culture – returns for another massive year at Fed Square on October 9. 

Presented by Creative Victoria in partnership with Fed Square as part of Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW), Asia Pacific's largest digital games celebration, Big Game Night Out’s 2025 program honours classic games while paving the way for the future. 

The eye-catching centrepiece exhibit, ELECTRIC ARCADIA – designed in collaboration with Melbourne’s Callum Preston and Louie Roots – will transform a corner of Fed Square into a week-long exploration of games nostalgia. This tribute to the timeless Amusement Plaza will transport fans to the classic era of the 80s and 90s and highlight the enduring impact games culture has on our lives.

Next door at Koorie Heritage Trust, INDIGINERD presents a unique 80s-inspired Dungeons & Dragons adventure inside a Stranger Things-themed room that will also serve as an immersive photo opportunity for fans.

Tabletop games take centre stage at Big Games Night Out with MELBOURNE MEEPLES TABLETOP TAKEOVER. Featuring a special Games Market and life-size playable games for everyone to enjoy, visitors will be reminded of the power of tabletop games to foster connection in the digital age. 

And for the next generation of gamers, the inaugural LITTLE GAMES NIGHT OUT will kick off festivities from 4pm-6pm. A place where children and adults can dress up and party together, this family-friendly afternoon will feature games, facepainting, Australia's Favourite Bubbleman, Dr Hubble and Joey Lightbulbs' Family Rave.

The fun continues at ACMI, with late night access to its major new exhibition Game Worlds. 

An exciting range of festival favourites will also return, including over 100 free-to-play arcades, digital and tabletop games, esports, Cosplay Runway, main stage Just Dance-offs, ACMI late-night programming and a spectacle of live music, prizes and roving entertainment.