In its 60th-anniversary edition, Lucca Comics & Games reaffirms that play is a universal language capable of transcending generations, forms and communities. From board games to role-playing games, via LARP, trading card games and miniatures, the Games programme at Lucca Comics & Games 2026 – LEGACY brings together big international names, previews, special projects and opportunities to play for yourself. The Carducci Pavilion remains at the heart of the gaming programme, flanked by the Lucca Games Café and a network of spaces and activities that bring gaming into the city.
AT LUCCA60, JOE MANGANIELLO, SPECIAL CURATOR OF THE PROGRAMME DEDICATED TO DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
To mark the festival’s 60th anniversary, actor Joe Manganiello (pictured) returns to Lucca as the special curator of the Lucca60 programme dedicated to Dungeons & Dragons. Among the new features on show will be the D&D Icons range, which will see some of the game’s most celebrated creators bring beloved settings such as Dragonlance and Greyhawk back to life. Also present in Lucca will be authors Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman, among others, who will herald the grand return of Dragonlance.
THE ART OF CREATING WORLDS: CRITICAL ROLE AND THE NEW DAGGERHEART EXPANSION
Lucca will also welcome another universe that has transformed the way role-playing games are told and experienced in recent years. Christopher Perkins, Creative Director at Darrington Press, and Elise Rezendes, Senior RPG Producer for Critical Role’s role-playing games, will discuss Critical Role’s expansion from live-action role-playing to a transmedia universe comprising animation, games, books, live shows and merchandise. This will be an opportunity, in collaboration with Acheron Games and Darrington Press, to bring Hope & Fear, the latest Daggerheart expansion, translated into Italian for the first time – to Lucca, featuring four new classes, the Dread Domain, over 100 new weapons and items, and 130 enemy profiles.
MARKO DJURDJEVIC BRINGS ORKS TO EUROPE: THIRTY YEARS OF WORLDBUILDING, ART AND GAMING
Among the main guests in the Games area will be Marko Djurdjevic, an artist, author and creative director with a thirty-year career spanning Marvel, Riot Games, Sony, Warner Bros., Hasbro and Guerrilla Games; founder of the SIXMOREVODKA studio and creator of the Degenesis RPG. Lucca Comics & Games will be the stage for the first European public presentation of ORKEN, his new creator-owned transmedia epic fantasy series launched on Kickstarter by the author.
TRADING CARD GAME: AN UNPRECEDENTED EDITION
Lucca Comics & Games reaffirms its status as the premier venue for the world of Trading Card Games. Alongside the dedicated Pokémon area in the Palestra Bacchettoni, in Piazza Santa Maria, Bandai Card Games and Gametrade are dedicating a space to the Official NARUTO CARD GAME, due in 2027, featuring the CP-001 Chakra Card, the first official merchandise and free demonstrations of the One Piece Card Game, Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World, Gundam Card Game and Digimon Card Game. But the games featuring the hero from the Village Hidden in the Leaves don’t end there: DNA Cards is bringing NARUTO Mythos TCG, the official game from Cicaboom, complete with an exclusive playmat dedicated to the clash between Naruto and Sasuke in the Valley of the End. Just one week after its global release, Lucca will be the first convention in Italy to showcase the Cyberpunk collectible card game, with free demos and a pre-launch tournament in the Carducci Pavilion. Also making its official debut in Lucca will be Bushiroad’s Palworld OFFICIAL CARD GAME, building on the success of the sold-out first expansion, Dawn of Palpagos, alongside Cardfight!! Vanguard, Weiß Schwarz and Shadowverse: Evolve. An entire dedicated pavilion will be devoted to horror, featuring Hellbreak, the new TCG from Spin Master developed in collaboration with Universal Pictures and Ghost Galaxy, and distributed in Italy by Asmodee. There’ll also be space for Riftbound, which brings League of Legends to the table with ‘Learn to Play Riftbound’ activities and the exclusive Riven Shattered promo card, whilst Mana Trust presents a limited-edition playmat designed by Diego Fichera and inspired by Claudio Castellini’s Lucca60 Legacy poster. Among the TCG legends, Yu-Gi-Oh! Magic Store is also making an appearance, bringing I Magnifici Maestri, the new game featuring 18 reimagined cards inspired by some of the most iconic characters from the animated series.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING AND THE ART OF CARDS
Magic: The Gathering is celebrating the release of the ‘Reality Fracture’ expansion in Lucca with demonstrations, tournaments and meet-and-greets with creators and artists, and is previewing Magic: The Gathering® Star Trek™, the next installment in the ‘Universes Beyond’ series. In addition to the previously announced Rebecca Guay and Scott M. Fischer, Wizards of the Coast and Boose are bringing an extraordinary line-up of artists: making their Lucca debut are Evyn Fong, creator of the Dawnhand Eulogist card, and Alexis Ziritt, alongside Marta Nael, Justine Jones, Paolo Parente, Domenico Cava and Karl Kopinski, who will be available for meet-and-greets, signings and unique artwork. Galactus Roma SRL, meanwhile, is hosting illustrators Lucas Graciano, Ryan Pancoast and Steve Prescott for the first time; they will be present throughout the event offering signings and live sketches.
MINALIMA AND THE WORLD PREMIERE OF DEFENDERS OF HOGWARTS
To mark their twentieth anniversary, Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, founders of the MinaLima studio and creators of some of the most iconic visuals from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films, have chosen Lucca to present the new Harry Potter board game. Lucca Comics & Games will, in fact, be the first event in the world to feature Defenders of Hogwarts, due for release in spring 2027. Also coming soon is Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island in the MinaLima Classics series, including a collector’s edition in a slipcase.
NEW RELEASES FROM MAJOR PUBLISHERS
The Carducci Pavilion and the entire games area at Lucca60 will offer a wealth of new releases from the major board game brands. Ravensburger is previewing Horrified Ravenloft and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Labyrinth with a collaboration with Carcassonne. There are also new releases for Disney Lorcana TCG, including the Collection Quest series, the ‘Woody – Helping a Friend’ promo card, and the new multiplayer Format Coconut. Mattel returns to the Carducci Pavilion with major new releases such as Wiped Out, Odd Logic, Liar’s UNO, UNO Show’em No Mercy, UNO One Piece and UNO KPop Demon Hunters, with activities coordinated over the weekend by Luca and Alessandra from Affari da Nerd. Need Games! presents a world premiere of the latest releases from Fabula Ultima, including ‘Fabula Ultima – Bestiary Vol. I’ and the Yoshitaka Amano variant edition, alongside an exhibition and four international illustrators. Asmodee is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Lupi Mannari di Roccascura with a limited edition and is bringing Toy Battle by Paolo Mori and Alessandro Zucchini. Giochi Uniti presents The Social Contract, the geopolitical game developed in collaboration with Factanza, whilst Spin Master transforms Tetris into a board game. Clementoni brings us Star Wars – The Metamorphic Art Collection. MS Edizioni and Hidden Games present the murder mystery Murder Over a Legacy, set in Lucca, and a preview of Fourth Wing – L’ascesa del Capo d’Ala, with book signings by Barbascura X, Enrico Macchiavello, Simone Guida of Nova Lectio and Alan D’Amico. Studio Supernova is celebrating Lucca60 with collector’s editions of Onitama, The King is Dead and Yro, limited to just 150 copies per title. Lucca60 will also be the stage for the debut of Indiecore Distribution, a new Italian company dedicated to the distribution of independent role-playing games. Rounding off the line-up, amongst others, are Hollow Press, DV Games, Red Glove, Yas!Games, Wolfy & Jordy, Officina Meningi, Lisciani, RoundTwo, Aristea, Wyrd Edizioni, Nigredo Press and Raven Distribution.
THE GAMES STAGE AND THE ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS OF LUCCA60
Bringing the joy of board games to the fore is Casa Abis, the duo comprising Gabriele Abis and Stella Falchi, with over 2.5 million followers and a collection of more than 400 games. Silvia Escilgioco and Marco Marzocca will also be taking turns on the Lucca60 Games Stage.
THE LUCCA GAMES AWARDS
Lucca Comics & Games and Lucca Crea will once again be presenting the Game of the Year, Role-Playing Game of the Year and Board Game Designer of the Year awards this year. The finalists for Game of the Year are: Art Society, Bomb Busters, Echoes of Time, Rebirth and Thunder Road Vendetta. The finalists for Role-Playing Game of the Year include Daggerheart, Dreaming Kadath, Legend in the Mist and The House Doesn’t Always Win. The winner of the 2026 Board Game Designer of the Year award has also been announced: designer Paolo Mori, recognised for his ability to move between different genres, from historical wargames to family games and narrative puzzles.
ALL THE EXPERIENCES AT LUCCA GAMES
The Games Café returns with a programme that continues into the evening, featuring the Indie Games Café, the Ludoteca, tables dedicated to the awards, and events such as the Daggerheart Multi-Table on Friday 30 October and D&D Epic on Saturday 31 October. The Ruolimpiadi and the 38th edition of the Mastering Tournament are also back, with registration open until 30 September on the Lucca Comics & Games website. The Old School RPG area is celebrating the 20th edition of the Old School Tournament and the 40th anniversary of the Master of Masters’ gaming career, with an Old-School Essentials multi-table event on Friday 30 October. There’s plenty on offer for miniature enthusiasts too: Miniature Island will feature demonstration tables, dioramas, the Palestra dei Colori and the highly anticipated official appearance of Vallejo Colors. The historic Grog Trophy, the award dedicated to miniature painting, is also confirmed. LARP enthusiasts, meanwhile, will find plenty of events thanks to The Citadel, which brings together LARP associations for a host of gaming sessions, including two evenings of ‘From Beyond’ inspired by ‘Call of Cthulhu’ and the ‘Legacy’ theme. Live-action role-playing will also feature in the Chamber LARP area, with the Chaos League moving to the Luigi Boccherini Conservatoire. The Performance Area at Lucca Comics & Games 2026 will once again host live painting sessions throughout the event; at the end of the festival, the works will be auctioned off. The strategic partnership between Lucca Crea and the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, the scientific partner of Lucca Comics & Games, is being renewed and strengthened in 2026. The collaboration continues and develops further, bringing content, expertise and perspectives from the world of academic research to the heart of the festival through a multidisciplinary approach organised into three strands: Game Science, Comics Studies and Cultural Sciences.
