PAX West 2025: The 5 Best Panels in This Year’s Jam-Packed Schedule

When and Where: Friday, August 29, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. (PDT) / 2:00 p.m. (EDT) at the Summit Building – Main Theatre

Square Enix’s Naoki Yoshida is heading to PAX West as a keynote speaker that you will definitely want to add to your schedule. Yoshida is, of course, a renowned game designer, producer, and director known for his work on the FINAL FANTASY games. After he joined Square Enix in 2005, he led the effort to evolve the original FINAL FANTASY XIV into FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. This overhaul of the game removed many initially unpopular systems to the benefit of fans and players. Yoshida also produced FINAL FANTASY XV and continues to oversee the game’s success and creative direction.

At his panel, Yoshida “joins PAX West to share more about his experiences as a game developer. He’ll also share his thoughts on the evolution of the games industry and how it has affected projects he’s worked on such as FINAL FANTASY XIV and FINAL FANTASY XVI.”

This will undoubtedly be a conversation that no gamer will want to miss.

Other PAX West Panels of Related Interest

PAX West will also host a panel titled: The Making of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles on Saturday, August 30, at the Blue Dragon Theater from 2:00PM-3:00PM.

The description for this panel is as follows: “Calling all Tacticians of Ivalice! In anticipation of the upcoming FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles launch on Sep. 30, SQUARE ENIX invites fans for a special panel with Game Director Kazutoyo Maehiro (FINAL FANTASY Tactics, FINAL FANTASY XII, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, FINAL FANTASY XVI) and Art Director Hiroshi Minagawa (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, VAGRANT STORY, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, FINAL FANTASY XVI). The panel will discuss how the developers were able to bring the significantly enhanced version of the game to life and share some behind-the-scenes stories about the development of the genre-defining game. Hosted by the award-winning voice actor, Ben Starr (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles, FINAL FANTASY XVI), this will be a panel that FINAL FANTASY fans cannot miss!”

If Final Fantasy is your all-time favorite game, make sure to add these two panels to your PAX West schedule.

Borderlands 4 Is Coming to PAX West as Part of the Gearbox Main Theater Show 

When and Where: Friday, August 29 at 1:00 p.m. (PDT) / 4:00 p.m. (EDT) at the Summit Building – Main Theatre

Borderlands 4 is releasing on September 12—so this PAX West panel from Gearbox will likely be one of your last times to hear about the new game before it hits consoles. This can’t-miss panel at PAX West will be filled with exclusive Borderlands 4 reveals that will leave fans hyped. And Gearbox will also be showcasing one of its other upcoming games, Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective.

The official schedule shares the following description of this exciting PAX West panel: “Get ready for a PACKED Gearbox Main Theater Show! Join us in person or watch on stream for can’t-miss reveals from Borderlands 4 developers and an update on Risk of Rain 2: Alloyed Collective.”

NASA’s “Artemis II Mission: Gaming the Future of Space Exploration” Panel Will Be a Fun and Educational Panel

When and Where: Friday, August 29 at 5:30 p.m. (PDT) / 8:30 p.m. (EDT) at the Blue Dragon Theatre

We know games can entertain and delight, but they can also educate and inform. And that’s exactly what NASA will highlight in its incredible PAX West panel, “NASA’s Artemis II Mission: Gaming the Future of Space Exploration.” In this panel, fans can understand more about how gaming is actually making a huge difference in our space travel and astronaut education… And might even take us to Mars.

The official PAX West panel description reads, “Humanity’s returning to the Moon for the first time since 1972. NASA is taking what we learned from the successful Artemis I mission and kicking off New Game Plus with Artemis II and four crew members: testing vital life support systems, spacecraft handling, and communication and navigation systems. Learn from the experts how the modeling, visualization, and simulation techniques that develop your favorite games are informing our astronaut training and enabling humanity’s next giant leap: Mars.”

“For Those Who Come After: Meet the Cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” at PAX West 

When and Where: Saturday, August 30 at 1:00 p.m. (PDT) / 4:00 p.m. (EDT) at the Summit Building – Main Theatre

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the most captivating, most beautiful, and most exciting new games we’ve seen in recent history. And that’s why the “For Those Who Come After: Meet the Cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” panel at PAX West is absolutely one of our top panel picks from the event. We can’t wait to hear more from the voice actors and motion capture performers who brought this indie hit to life. It’s a can’t-miss session, for sure.

The official schedule shares the following description of PAX West’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 panel: “Join panel host Ben Starr alongside some of the English voice actors and motion capture performers who brought to life your favorite characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Featuring Jennifer English and Charlotte Hoepffner (voice and motion capture performers for Maelle), Shala Nyx and Estelle Darnault (voice and motion capture for performers Sciel), and Ben Starr and Maxence Cazorla (voice and motion capture performers for Verso), the cast of Expedition 33 will discuss everything from the joy of playfully dueling with Gestrals (Wheee!) to the sadness of the inevitable Gommage (Whooo). Fans of the 2025 indie hit will not want to miss out on this behind-the-scenes look!”

The “Capcom presents: Resident Evil, Pragmata, Onimusha, and Monster Hunter Panel” Tops Our List

When and Where: Sunday, August 31 at 2:00 p.m. (PDT) / 5:00 p.m. (EDT) at the Summit Building – Main Theatre

If you have time in your Sunday, at home or on streaming, we highly recommend tuning in for PAX West’s “Capcom presents: Resident Evil, Pragmata, Onimusha, and Monster Hunter” Panel. Resident Evil has long been on our list of favorite franchises, and Onimusha’s upcoming release, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, already has some rave reviews that have us eager for more from the world. Monster Hunter is also a title we feel curious to know about. And ultimately, you can’t go wrong with a Capcom panel. The gaming giant is sure to thrill.

The panel description simply shares, “Join Capcom at PAX West 2025 for all the latest on Capcom’s recent launches and most anticipated upcoming titles.” But we know it will be an incredible time.

Include Nerdist in Your PAX West Schedule

As we mentioned, Nerdist will be streaming all the best panels from PAX West on its YouTube channel. So make sure to join us for all the fun. The full schedule for PAX West can be found here.