The Game City 2023

We went to Game City in Vienna on Friday 13 October. The last time the gates opened was 3 years ago and in 2023 we were finally able to visit the event in Vienna City Hall again.

After a long „pandemic break“, Friday the 13th was our lucky day. The Game City was back and the rush was huge. Whether you're young or old, if you're into the gaming scene, you'll definitely get your money's worth here. Find out what it was like for us and what you can hopefully look forward to in 2024 in this article.

Directions and parking facilities

By car

Take the motorway in the direction of Vienna via the A1. Follow the motorway to Wientalstraße - keep left at the fork and continue on the B1 along Keißlergasse and the B223 to Rathausplatz. There are a few car parks available here. For me, the most practical solution would be the BOE Garage Rathauspark - 580 parking spaces and a price of €4 per hour.

By public transport

With public transport, you can easily hop on a Westabahn train and get to Vienna Westbahnhof in no time at all. From here, all you have to do is take the U3 to the Volkstheater or Herrengasse and after a 10-minute walk you will have reached your destination.

For this excursion destination, I have to say that it doesn't matter whether you go by car or public transport. By car, it's 90 % via the motorway and you only have to drive about 25 minutes off the A1. The disadvantages of travelling by car are clearly the stress in city traffic, the increased effort for the driver and also the environmental aspects. Travelling by train allows you to relax completely and arrive at your events feeling relaxed. The only disadvantage is that you should book your ticket as soon as possible, otherwise the return journey can be expensive. 

What you can expect at Game City and what is on offer

I'm not going to go into all 110 exhibitors (Here is the list) in detail. But I will tell you what the best moments and attractions were for me personally. As a little Nintendo fan, I was of course delighted to see how many consoles were on site where you could play various games such as Mario Kart, Splatoon and Super Mario Bros Wonder. There was also a retro console corner. As I have a selection of old consoles at home myself and am a passionate collector, it was particularly nice for me to see that forgotten devices often still make an appearance. If you want to visit Game City 2023 with the whole family, you definitely can. Because there is also a children's room and a +18 room to ensure there is something for everyone.

What was new to me was that nowadays even the health of gamblers is taken into account. GEDS is a health platform for children. What was really great for me was to see such a company represented at a gaming event. There was also an exciting laser tag area, a Just Dance dance floor and a „skateboard wave“. So there was not only the opportunity to play games, but also to really let off steam. 

After all the head training on the consoles and the physical exertion after a Just Dance session, what should not be missing? - A really tasty meal to recharge your batteries. Here, too, there was a good selection and something for everyone. For me, of course, there was meatless food from Planted a kebab and what can I say, it was incredibly tasty. Strengthened, we continued on our way. What I always do, regardless of the event, is pick up a souvenir. The last stop for me at Game City 2023 was a merchandise tent where you could pick up something for your inner child 😉

The location - Vienna City Hall

For me, this was the highlight of the whole event. Normally you're used to halls where such events take place. But not Game City 2023: I think it's unbelievably great that a gaming event is taking place in Vienna City Hall. I also really liked the support and presence of Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr at this event. You could tell that he also has a little gamer in him and that Game City is a nice nostalgia trip.

My summary of Game City 2023

I only knew about this event from hearsay, but hadn't yet had the chance to attend one. Game City to visit. Last week the time had finally come. I can't tell you if and what was better or worse compared to previous years. But I can tell you how I perceived the event this year.

First of all, I have to mention that it was a free entry compared to most other events in this genre. In other words, no matter what you were hoping for or what was waiting for you there, you didn't have to pay for it. Which is really remarkable for me. To put so much effort and energy into such an event and offer it for free, I take my hat off to them. As Nintendo shaped my childhood, it was a little trip back to a wonderful time for me. It was also possible to play on the existing retro consoles such as Atari or Sega - a dream for every little nerd.

The next place that amazed me at Game City 2023 was definitely Vienna City Hall. Old charm and stylish furnishings meet the gaming scene. What a picture - opposites that attract. I don't think there's a better way to describe it. There were also plenty of food options for my taste. Whether meat, vegetarian or vegan, everyone got their money's worth here. 

Of course, not everything was perfect. I don't think that's possible at an event like this and it's not a must. But you also have to address these small points as feedback. How else should an organiser improve or know that fans were not completely satisfied with certain points. In my personal opinion, there were two things that weren't bad, but that could perhaps be thought about in 2024 and could be improved.

Firstly, it was the drinks counter. I only saw 2 stands and you only got everything in cups. I can understand that with certain drinks. But if I'm thirsty and I take a bottle of mineral water, the advantage for me is that I can take it with me and close it again. My second suggestion for improvement. As I'm a big Xbox fan and generally like to browse through the huge selection of consoles and games, I would have liked to see rooms just for Xbox/Microsoft or Playstation/Sony. 

All in all, I can only say that Game City 2023 was a successful event for me. The best location I've ever seen. A large selection of Nintendo consoles to play yourself - lots of different exhibitors and free entry to boot. Whether young or old, everyone really had fun here. In conclusion, I can only say goodbye Game City 2023, it was a great pleasure and we will definitely see each other again in 2024.