Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, the biggest gaming and esports festival worldwide, gets set for its second weekend this summer after the extraordinary opening ceremony last weekend. 

Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, the eight-week long festival at Boulevard Riyadh City features 15 elite esports tournaments from 12 top titles. The gaming action is complemented by live concerts from top global, regional, and local artists, as well as numerous fun-filled activities and attractions for all the family.

But how to make the most of this Gamers8 weekend? Here’s eight things everyone should check out: 

FIFAe World Cup™ 2023

Gamers8: The Land of Heroes kicked off last weekend by crowing RBLZ Gaming as the FIFAe Club World Cup™ champions for 2023. Now it’s the turn of the FIFAe World Cup 2023™, where 24 players will attempt to show gamers across the globe that they are the best individual player and carve their names into competitive FIFA folklore. With a $1 million prize pool, the tournament begins on Sunday July 16 at Boulevard Riyadh City and runs until Wednesday.

PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI)

Gamers8: The Land of Heroes is welcoming the world’s best PUBG MOBILE teams to Riyadh for intense battle royale competition at the $3 million PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) tournament. 

The main tournament runs from Friday July 14 to Sunday July 16 with a $2 million prize purse.

Defending 2022 PUBG MOBILE World Invitational champions Vampire Esports from Thailand will be in action on the Allstars Stage alongside host country favorites R8 Esports. Sixteen other teams – from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Iraq, Dominican Republic, Kazakhstan, China, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Serbia, South Korea and Japan – have been either invited, or voted in by the global gaming community and join the sides from Thailand and Saudi Arabia. 

The six best performers from the PMWI Allstars stage will join the Twisted Minds team from the Saudi eLeague for the main PUBG MOBILE World Invitational, along with the top teams representing China (invited), Japan (invited), Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, Turkey, Mongolia and the Middle East. A battle for the $500,000 first prize and an additional regional slot for the league stage of PMGC 2023 is at stake.

Week 2 Concerts – Macklemore, R3HAB, Hamaki, DJ Sharkk

Altogether now: “This is the moment/Tonight is the night, we’ll fight ’til it’s over/So we put our hands up like the ceiling can’t hold us/Like the ceiling can’t hold us!” Riyadh – he’s here! Proudly making his debut performance in Saudi Arabia – and at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, no less – is the one and only Macklemore! R3HAB returns to Gamers8 for an epic lineup at the Mohammed Abdu Arena on Friday July 14 that also includes Egyptian favorite Mohamed Hamaki and Saudi Arabia’s DJ Sharkk. The concert doors open from 6pm and tickets are available from SAR299.

Aramco SIM Arena

Have you ever sat behind the wheel of your car and thought ‘I’d love to be a racing driver, I think I’d be really good’? Well, now is your chance. Because thanks to the incredibly realistic racing cars at the Aramco SIM Arena, all wannabe F1 motorists have the opportunity to pit their driving skills against the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. But trust us, it’s a lot harder than it looks. Try not to crash. 

The adidas Makerlab initiative 

adidas, the official merchandise sponsor of the season, have an activation booth on site, offering festival goers personalized designs from their Makerlab initiative. This initiative was created in 2016 to inspire, empower, and connect the brand’s creators through the platform of community powered workshops. Go check it out!

POWR Villa

POWR Villa, one of the main attractions appearing at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, is offering gamers the ultimate gaming experience this summer.

Supported by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), a strategic partner of Gamers8 organizers the Saudi Esports Federation this year, POWR Villa is offering gamers the opportunity to meet and play with their favorite POWR team influencers at the POWR Stadium. Other POWR Villa attractions include PlayStation, Resident Evil 4 and the incredible YouTube area. 

GameDevZone

Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, the biggest gaming and esports festival worldwide, is proud to feature GameDevZone, an educational platform that offers world-class opportunities to enhance and expand Saudi Arabia’s gaming and esports sector. 

More than 20 programs will be on offer at GameDevZone during Gamers8: The Land of Heroes. These include: Masterclasses; Java Programing With Minecraft; Game Design and Mechanics with Fortnite Creative & Unreal Engine; Metaverse; and Esports World Workshops. In addition to Nine66 being a presenting partner, there are 10 providers offering their expertise at GameDevZone: DigiPen Institute of Technology; Unity; Gen.G; Digital Media Academy Silicon Valley; Robothink; MISK; Google; Veryality; and Gosu Academy.

Kids Dome 

Gamers8 is renowned for family fun, and Kids Dome, which is being supported by the Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group as a presenting partner, features well-known international kids’ IPs and performances tailored for children. How would you design your ideal Barbie? And can you knock out the Angry Birds or prove your worth as a renowned swordsman at the VR activation Fruit Ninja? Make sure you check out Kids Dome for all this and much, much more. 

Running for the full eight weeks of Gamers8: The Land of Heroes until the end of August, Kids Dome will be open each day at Boulevard Riyadh City at the following times: 5-6.30pm and 7pm-11.30pm.

For further Gamers8 details, including ticket sales, please see all the information available on the event website.