Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Riyadh’s Gamers8 festival gets bigger, better and bolder

The world’s largest esports and gaming festival comes to Riyadh this summer for the second time, with a world-record prize pool of $30 million.
Kicking off on July 6 under the title “Gamers8: The Land of Heroes,” the eight-week event will feature an array of esports competition, live music by renowned artists, shows, community gaming and education platforms, and secondary activities.

Taking place at the purpose-built venue in Riyadh Boulevard City, the event is looking to become the target destination this summer for gamers and entertainment seekers alike, according to chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation Prince Faisal bin Bandar.

Prince Faisal said: “The Land of Heroes is the place for world-class esports champions and gaming universe lovers. It is the ultimate occasion where you can compete for glory and become a hero walking among the worlds of your chosen story.

“Showcasing the most popular titles on the planet will be amplified even further this summer. To be frank, when we mean bigger and better this summer, we truly mean it. We cannot wait to reveal what we have in store for ‘Gamers8: The Land of Heroes.’”

Following the success of last year’s inaugural festival, which saw 1.4 million visits, the second edition doubles the grand prize pool of $15 million.

In 2022, gaming leagues from across the globe battled in top five titles, including Rocket League, Fortnite, Dota 2 Riyadh Masters, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and PUBG Mobile.

It witnessed the participation of 391 top players from 61 countries and 113 international teams.

While the 2023 entertainment calendar has yet to be released, it promises bigger and better elite competitions, unlocking new challenges and experiences every week.

Paralleling last year’s agenda, Gamers8 will conclude with the Next World Forum, the first-of-its-kind esports and gaming platform. This will bring together industry leaders, global players, and investors from all over the world to engage in a sequence of panel discussions, workshops and activations. The forum hones in on the future of the industry.

Gamers8 is an initiative established under the Saudi Esports Federation that seeks to build an infrastructure around the gaming industry, create communities and ecosystems around esport, provide viable jobs for local creatives, and position the Kingdom as a global esports hub.

With more than 23.5 million Saudis considering themselves gamers, the esports festival hopes to create an avenue where people not only enjoy the games, but also forge a career path through their passion, Prince Faisal told Arab News in an exclusive interview last year.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
×