GTI Asia China Expo 2025 has opened in Guangzhou, bringing together a substantial selection of new arcade games, amusement attractions and equipment. The first day revealed several Chinese-market releases, including titles that may eventually travel to Western venues.
Alongside the Asia Amusement Attractions Expo held in May, GTI Asia China Expo is one of mainland China’s key events for arcade operators and manufacturers. The show also provides an early look at the next phase of the international amusement trade-show calendar.
For Australian operators and collectors, the machines on display offer useful insight into current arcade trends: large-format racing cabinets, licensed redemption products, rhythm games, lightgun hardware and family attractions all featured prominently.
Readers exploring the wider arcade scene can follow the latest developments through RETROCADE’s arcade news and gaming coverage.
GTI Asia China Expo 2025
The 17th GTI Asia China Expo is being held from 10–12 September 2025 at Area A of the China Import & Export Fair venue in Guangzhou’s Pazhou Complex. The event is organised by Taiwan’s Game Time International and is separate from the China-only AAA exhibitions held each May.
GTI events have also taken place in Taiwan and Malaysia this year. The Southeast Asia edition was considerably smaller than the mainland exhibition, although some exhibitors appear at more than one show.
The Guangzhou event is notable for its scale, with amusement attractions included alongside arcade products. Its booth count and overall footprint can rival the largest international trade shows, including IAAPA. A large dome ride was among the attractions drawing attention during the opening day.
Wahlap’s new arcade line-up
Wahlap occupied a prominent position at the exhibition, presenting a broad range of games and adding considerable production value to its stand. The company also hosted entertainment around its rhythm-game displays, including the Chinese girl rock band Gacha Hime.
Konami’s Jubeat and Bombergirl were among the featured titles, with character costumes and other activities helping the stand function as an attraction in its own right.
Storm Racer 2 and Storm Rider X
Wahlap is returning to two of its established driving franchises with Storm Racer 2 and Storm Rider X. The company’s original Storm Racer was an important early overseas success, followed by the Storm Racer G update more than a decade ago.
Both new machines use large vertical screens, offering an alternative to the double-stacked displays used by some earlier racing cabinets. The two sequels are being co-developed with Hong Kong studio 3MindWave.
Several 3MindWave staff previously worked on the original Wahlap games, including members of the former Hong Kong development team. The studio had already been involved with Storm Rider 2, making its role on these new releases a natural continuation.
Phantom Vanguard: Modern Combat
Phantom Vanguard: Modern Combat adapts Gameloft’s Modern Combat mobile first-person shooters into a lightgun rail shooter. Wahlap is developing the arcade version with Gameloft and Taiwan’s IGS, following their work together on the Asphalt racing series.
The machine was shown beside IGS’s Monster Eye 3 Unite, which is expected to receive the Western name Kaiju Rampage Unite.
The game’s detailed plastic guns appear to take design cues from the Sig MCX. They can be used freehand or attached to a swivelling mount. In freehand mode, the weapon operates as a machine gun; when mounted, it becomes a heavy artillery cannon.
Jubeat returns in China
Wahlap presented a new Chinese version of Konami’s Jubeat, currently intended for that market. The cabinet is based on the reworked design seen at JAEPO 2020 and was displayed near the latest Chinese version of Chunithm.
Heavy crowds made the machine difficult to photograph, reflecting the continuing interest in a rhythm series that was particularly prominent during the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Reports from the show suggest that Wahlap conducted its own research and development with Konami’s approval and implemented 120Hz operation. Some players have also reported issues requiring further refinement, including a damaged button, possible frame-rate drops and input lag. Those observations are unconfirmed and may be addressed before release.
Bombergirl and Kingdoms Fantasy
Wahlap’s Chinese release of Konami’s Bombergirl retains the core action of the Japanese game while using less revealing character presentation. The new configuration is a shared-screen twin cabinet supporting two-versus-two play and includes a card-vending feature.
The cabinet platform also appears to support an overseas version of Wahlap’s Kingdoms Fantasy card battler. That edition is being released in Hong Kong and Taiwan and has been tested in Japan, a notable move given that Wahlap has not tested games there for some time.
Additional Wahlap products
Other Wahlap displays included an Ultraman-licensed remote-control car game from the company’s “Wa Game” range. Unlike Sega’s older Super Circuit, the attraction does not provide each player with a complete enclosed arcade console, raising questions about visibility around parts of the track.
Bandai Namco at GTI
Bandai Namco continued its presence at Chinese trade shows through its Namco Enterprises Asia subsidiary. The company’s display included Banpresto crane-game prizes, as well as two Pac-Man attractions.
Wahlap also carries the officially licensed Chinese version of Taiko no Tatsujin, but Bandai Namco’s own stand provided a separate look at the company’s current amusement products.
Pac-Man Whack-A-Mole
Following the debut of Pac-Man Baller Jr. at AAA 2025, Bandai Namco has added a Pac-Man-themed Whack-A-Mole attraction to its expanding Pac-Man Street Range.
The targets are not ordinary moles: they represent Pac-Man’s familiar ghost enemies. That simple licensing decision gives the classic amusement format a stronger connection to the character and its arcade identity.
Pac-Man kiddie ride
The second Pac-Man product is a video-based kiddie ride built inside the character. It follows Chinese launches for similar Taiko and Gator Panic rides introduced by Bandai Namco the previous year.
The Taiko and Gator Panic rides have since reached Western markets in limited numbers, so a wider release for the Pac-Man version remains possible. Its international prospects may become clearer at IAAPA.
Sega Logistics Service
Sega Japan was also represented, not with new games but through its Sega Logistics Service parts subsidiary. The company focused on its UFO Catcher prize range, adding another major Japanese name to the exhibition.
More GTI Asia China Expo releases ahead
The first day covered only part of the exhibition. UNIS presented its new Top Speed Legend racing game, while Raw Thrills showed the non-VR version of Godzilla Kaiju Wars, which had recently been seen in testing. UNIS has also secured the Genshin Impact arcade licence, with the announced developments appearing largely focused on redemption and prizes, similar to its Emoji projects.
Ace Amusement brought further original projects. Dino Attack enters the dinosaur lightgun-game space occupied by Jurassic Park Arcade, while Hover Rush is presented by the company as the first water-hovercraft racing game.
Additional show-floor videos have been published by Leon/Flamestone Amusement and Yuto Games. Further coverage is expected to examine the UNIS and Ace Amusement releases in greater detail, followed by a broader look at the remaining exhibitors.
For operators considering the practical differences between racing cabinets, upright systems and other formats, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide is a useful starting point. Racing fans can also browse the dedicated racing arcade collection.
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