Bids for the 2038 Asian Games

India expressed interest in hosting the Games, with Ahmedabad proposed as the host city. The proposal was discussed during the OCA Executive Board meeting in Sanya, China. The OCA confirmed that an evaluation visit would follow. The city will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and is aspiring to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.

On 29 April 2026, the OCA Executive Board announced that it had welcomed a bid submission by the Indian Olympic Association. Its technical report is to be submitted and reviewed in September 2026.

Ahead of a sending off of Philippine athletes to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino announced in September 2026 that the committee was planning to bid for the 2038 Games, noting it has been 72 years since Manila hosted the second Asian Games in 1954..

In October 2026, the Philippine Olympic Committee announced in a social media post that a bid for the 2038 Games was submitted. They have also submitted bids for the 2030 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and the 2029 Asian Esports and Mind Sports Games. In 2028, the Philippines will host the 2028 Asian Beach Games in Cebu City.

The South Korean cities of Gwangju and Daegu launched a joint bid in 2021 under the “Dalbit (Moonlight) Alliance”. A formal launch ceremony was held in Daegu on 15 November 2021. A public signature campaign gathered support across both cities.

The bid later faced criticism from civic groups regarding a lack of public consultation. In 2023, renewed efforts included public surveys showing majority support for the project.

In May 2026, the Government of Vietnam officially signalled its intent to host the 2038 Asian Games. The "Development of Key Sports 2026–2046" program was approved and launched, which integrates the bid as a primary national objective. The strategy focuses on achieving a top 15 continental ranking and upgrading national training facilities to international standards to support the hosting requirements for the 2038 edition. Hanoi were previously awarded the 2018 Asian Games, but pulled out for financial reasons. The Games were eventually awarded to Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.

Various news sites across China floated the idea of Hong Kong hosting Asian Games on its own in the near future. This is after their successful hosting of the 2025 National Games of China which Hong Kong co-hosted alongside Macau and mainland China's Guangdong province. To this moment, the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China has not yet issued a statement of interest regarding a future Asian Games bid. Hong Kong previously bid for the 2006 Asian Games, but lost to Doha, Qatar.

Malaysia has explored a potential bid, with Kuala Lumpur expected as the candidate city. Government-level discussions remain preliminary. OCA leadership has encouraged Malaysia to consider hosting future Games.

In April 2026, it was reported that the Mongolian National Olympic Committee had submitted a bid for the capital Ulaanbaatar to host the 2038 Asian Games. Mongolia is also bidding to host the 2030 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.