After Tokyo Game Show 2026 opened to the public, giveaways such as GTA VI T-shirts attracted large crowds, with some items quickly appearing on second-hand platforms. The concentration of people also led to the temporary suspension of certain distribution activities due to safety concerns.
The PlayStation booth featured a special theater showcasing Netflix's recently released GTA VI content with haptic feedback and surround sound. Attendees who participated in the experience received a free T-shirt featuring a design that combined PlayStation button symbols with the GTA VI gradient color scheme.
These T-shirts appeared on the Japanese second-hand trading platform Mercari within two business days, with individual listings priced at over 12,000 yen. After the first public day began, slots for related experiences were quickly filled; about 10 minutes after entering the venue, queues for the exhibition area stopped admitting new visitors due to capacity limits.
Similar situations occurred outside the game exhibition area. The Red Bull booth originally planned to distribute metallic tumblers with lighting effects and free drinks to attendees, but due to excessive crowding, the distribution was halted at 11:15 AM that day. The event later resumed, and these tumblers quickly appeared on Mercari for over 6,000 yen.
Other on-site items resold included Palworld trading cards, Final Fantasy trading cards bundled with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth experiences, and a special new issue of an early doujinshi magazine by Game Freak. This issue's theme was related to a newly launched weather-themed mobile game by the company.
Tokyo Game Show celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, with further increased attendance on public days. The organizers had added a fifth exhibition day for the first time, but this day was canceled due to the threat of an approaching typhoon.