PAX Online is a nine-day virtual event replacing PAX West and PAX Aus

Due to the continued impact of COVID-19, both PAX West and PAX Aus won't be in-person events this year, but free, all-digital experiences called PAX Online.

In April, we were still hoping to bring you PAX West this year. But health and safety are paramount, and as we worked on solutions, it became clear that if we really wanted to welcome everybody home, we'd have to take PAX Online. Read the full post here: https://t.co/tMoLP5ndfA pic.twitter.com/7VVJYzn4aaJune 16, 2020

PAX West was originally scheduled for September 12-20 in Seattle, Washington, while PAX Aus was meant to run from October 9-11 in Melbourne, Australia.

PAX Online will take place from September 12 to September 20 of this year, with three streams running 24 hours a day throughout the entire event. That means panels, gameplay, concerts, and competitions will take place 24/7 for over a week (24/9, as PAX organizers are referring to it). There will be esports competitions hosted by PAX and the chance to download and demo games from the comfort of your couch.

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According to the PAX Online site, there will also be "new and exciting stuff" going on at the virtual event so keep an eye out during the nine-day marathon. And remember, it's all free - you just need the internet to get involved.

If you're like some of us here at GR+ and find yourself heading home with a suitcase full of swag after a PAX event, don't fret. You'll be able to buy PAX University merch from both PAX West and PAX Aus, plus a brand-new collection of PAX-related swag that's yet to be revealed. There are even some early PAX West items available for pre-sale now.

For the social butterflies among us (looking at myself here), the PAX team is working on custom chat rooms and tournament-aggregation systems as well as other ways to interact. Will it be the same as getting to host a livestream where I saw previews of Maneater, Boyfriend Dungeon, and Moving Out?

Maybe not, but it's the safe and free solution to the perpetual COVID problem, and for that we're grateful. See you in cyberspace at PAX Online!

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Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.