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Games of the Future

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"Phygital Games" redirects here. For the sport itself, see Phygital sport.
Games of the Future
Games of the Future trophy
Tournament information
SportCounter-Strike 2, Dota 2, World of Tanks, laser tag, skateboarding, basketball
LocationKazan, Russia (2024)

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2025)

Astana, Kazakhstan (2026)
Participants2,000+
Websitehttps://gofuture.games/

The Games of the Future (Russian: Игры будущего; Arabic: العاب المستقبل, Kazakh: Болашақ ойындары; Bolaşaq oiyndary) is an annual global phygital (fusing physical and digital) sports tournament, organized by Phygital International.[1]

Format

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Marrying perfectly the physical and digital sporting worlds, the Games of the Future is a groundbreaking concept that redefines conventions by incorporating advanced technologies into competitive disciplines.

Players compete in their chosen discipline across two rounds: the first focuses on physical sporting performance, followed by a second round where players look to showcase their digital gaming prowess.[2]

Each of the disciplines represents a combination of dynamic sports with the most popular video games, including challenges, tactics, strategy and technologies. Disciplines include phygital football, phygital basketball, phygital dancing and others.[3]

Editions

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After a bidding process run by Phygital International, the annual event is awarded to a host country.

Year Country Host city Event dates Announcement date
2024 Russia Kazan February 21–March 3, 2024
2025 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 18–23 December June 1, 2024
2026 Kazakhstan Astana 18 July–1 August October 14, 2024

Games of the Future 2024

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Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rahmon at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games of the Future

The tournament was held from February 21 to March 3, 2024 in Kazan, Russia. Over 260 teams and over 2000 athletes from different countries participated in the tournament in 21 disciplines (16 in the main program and 5 in the extended program) based on a combination of physical activity, modern technology and digital environments, and players met in five areas ranging from sports to technology. There were 10 qualifiers for the tournament, the Phygital Games.

Russian Post postal mark dedicated to the tournament

On February 21, 2024, the opening ceremony of the tournament was held, attended by Presidents of Russia, President of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.[4]

Concerns and controversies

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Several teams have rejected the invitation to participate in the Games due to concerns of personal data being misused.[5] Nigma Galaxy withdrew from the tournament due to fears of being banned from official Valve tournaments.[6] United States Senator Mitt Romney voiced concern about Russia's growing influence in esports.[7]

Ranking

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Partial list of winners of the Games of the Future 2024:

List of winners

Virtual cycling

  1. Minsk (BEL), 522 points[8] — Yauhen Sobal, Taisa Naskovich, Anna Terekh, Mikhail Shemetau
  2. Marathon-Tula (RUS), 469 points — Gulnaz Khatuntseva, Diana Klimova, Sergey Rostovtsev, Pyotr Rikunov
  3. Italian Espresso (ITA), 425 points

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

  1. AP.Bren (PHI)[9]
  2. ONIC (INA)
  3. Fire Flux Esports (TUR)

Phygital Hockey

  1. Liga Pro Team (RUS)
  2. COSMOS X17 (RUS)
  3. Ak Bars (RUS)

Phygital Football

  1. Penarol (URY)
  2. Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)
  3. Mexico Quetzales (MEX)

E-Athletics

  1. Russian Cyborgs (RUS)
  2. Falcon Verts (KSA)
  3. Pharaohs (EGY)

Phygital MMA

  1. Kuznya (RUS) — 32 points
  2. GOR Union (Multinational) — 30 points
  3. MMA Fighters (ARM) — 27 points

Warface + Laser tag

  1. Young (RUS)
  2. HLS (RUS)
  3. Winstrike (RUS)

Dota 2

  1. Xtreme Gaming (CHN)
  2. LGD Gaming (CHN)
  3. Invictus Gaming (CHN)

Show Match Super finals — Entity Gaming.

Beat Saber

  1. Ivan IlluminatiSalad Kosnikov
  2. Erik kip Niyazov
  3. Mikhail DRO3D_RUS Stepanyuk

Standoff 2 + Laser tag

  1. Absolute (RUS)
  2. SaiNts (RUS)
  3. forZe Esports (RUS)

Phygital Skateboarding

  1. Latino Gang (ARG)
  2. Hustlers (EUR)
  3. Slugs (RUS)

World of Tanks

  1. Beyond (RUS)
  2. Enemy (RUS)
  3. Solnce

Battle of the Robots

  1. DS ROBOTICS (IND)
  2. Daddy Boys (RUS)
  3. TurboMeKhatroniki (RUS).

Counter-Strike 2 + Laser tag

  1. XGod (KAZ)
  2. Looking for Org (RUS)
  3. HOTU (RUS)

Sports programming

  1. Fyodor Romashov (RUS)
  2. Alexander Babin (RUS)
  3. Kirill Kudryashov (RUS)

Phygital Basketball

  1. Liga Pro Team (RUS)
  2. R10 Team USA (USA)
  3. URAL BASKET (RUS)

Drone racing

  1. Team Min’s Korea (ROK)
  2. Flat-Out (BUL)
  3. DRD (RUS)

Games of the Future 2025

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On June 1, 2024 at the first-ever World Phygital Summit held in Istanbul it was announced that the second international multi-sport tournament in the concept of phygital sports, 2025 Games of the Future, will be held in the United Arab Emirates.[10] Beating nine prospective bidders, the UAE has won the bid to host the Games of the Future 2025.[11]

On December 9, 2024, it was announced that the Games of the Future 2025 would start on November 21.[2]

On August 7, 2025 it was announced that the Games of the Future 2025 will have total prizes of $5 million.[12][13] Athletes will compete across 11 disciplines during six days, which will happen at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi, from 18–23 December.[14][15][16] Competitions will be held in eleven different disciplines.[17][18][19][20][21]

Discipline Description Prize pool
Phygital Fighting Fighting video game + the bout in a physical arena $500,000
Phygital Basketball Basketball video game round + physical on-court action $400,000
Phygital Football Football video game + game on a pitch $600,000
Phygital Shooter Digital shooter round + round of laser tag $150,000
Phygital Dancing Live athletes' movements should complement an interactive rhythm video game $50,000
MOBA PC Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) tournament played on PC $1,000,000
MOBA Mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) tournament played on mobile $900,000
VR Games Various virtual games that test reaction spee $50,000
Battle of Robots Remote-controlled robots come face-to-face in fast-paced encounter $400,000
Battle Royale Clubs fight to be the last club standing $700,000
Drone Racing High speed drones + obstacle course + pilots using first-person view (FPV) headsets $250,000

Games of the Future 2026

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The 2026 Games of the Future will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 18 July to 1 August 2026.[22][23][24]

Three countries competed for the right to host this tournament. The initiative to hold the "Games of the Future" in Kazakhstan was proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the opening ceremony of the first games.[25]

Astana was officially confirmed as the host city for the 2026 edition on July 14, 2025 during the official meeting of Oljas Bektenov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with leaders of Phygital International (promoter and rights holder of the Games of the Future): founder René Fasel and CEO Nis Hatt.[26] The meeting was followed by a press conference, attended by Serik Zharasbayev, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alibek Khassenov, President of Kazsportinvest JSC, and Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International.[27]

The tournament will include competitions in Phygital Football, Phygital Fighting, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Dancing, Phygital Hockey, Phygital Shooter, Phygital Battle Royale, MOBA 1 and MOBA 2, Phygital Drone Racing, Battle Bots, Phygital Boxing, Cybathletics, with prizes totalling $10 million.[28][29][30][31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Games of the Future heading to UAE". The Stadium Business. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  2. ^ a b "Games of the Future date confirmed". Inside The Games. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  3. ^ "Games of the Future 2025 rankings kick off for phygital sports combining digital and physical competitions". SVG Europe. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  4. ^ "Putin meets with Eurasian counterparts amid multi-sports tournament in Kazan". aa.com.tr. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  5. ^ "Games of Future invited teams are facing community backlash". esports.gg. May 10, 2024.
  6. ^ "Nigma Galaxy withdraws from the $1 million Games of the Future event after backlash". esports.gg. 2024-06-08. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  7. ^ "US concerned about Russia's growing influence in e-sports arena: Letter to NSA reveals". News9live. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  8. ^ "Minsk Cycling Club Team Won Gold at the Games of the Future". The Stadium Business. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  9. ^ Lojo, Michelle. "AP Bren repeats over ONIC for 'Games of the Future' crown". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  10. ^ "Games of the Future 2025 will take place outside of Russia | ONE Esports". www.oneesports.gg. 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  11. ^ "Phygital sports: UAE wins bid to host Games of the Future 2025". gulfbusiness.com. 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  12. ^ "[PRNewswire] 아부다비, Phygital 종목 확정...Games of the Future 2025 준비 박차". 다음 - 연합뉴스 보도자료. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  13. ^ "Abu Dhabi Powers Up The Games of the Future 2025 with a Lineup of Phygital Disciplines". AP News. 2025-08-07. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  14. ^ PRNEWSWIRE (2025-08-07). "Abu Dhabi Powers Up The Games of the Future 2025 with a Lineup of Phygital Disciplines". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  15. ^ البيان. "«ألعاب المستقبل» تعلن إطلاق 11 فعالية في«رياضات الفيجيتال»". www.albayan.ae (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  16. ^ "Abu Dhabi powers up for the Games of the Future 2025". Citizen Digital. 2025-08-08. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  17. ^ "PR Newswire". India Today. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  18. ^ https://www.asahi.com/and/pressrelease/15957952
  19. ^ 网易 (2025-08-11). "阿布扎比以Phygital项目赋能赛事". www.163.com. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  20. ^ "The Parisian Times | Abu Dhabi Powers Up The Games of the Future 2025 with a Lineup of Phygital Disciplines". theparisiantimes.com. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  21. ^ "Abu Dhabi Powers Up The Games of the Future 2025 with a Lineup of Phygital Disciplines". AP News. 2025-08-07. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  22. ^ PRNewswire. "COUNTDOWN TO THE GAMES OF THE FUTURE 2026 ASTANA BEGINS: DATES, DISCIPLINES AND MORE REVEALED". Benzinga. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  23. ^ Fakhruddin, Mufaddal (2024-10-14). "Kazakhstan to Host Games of the Future 2026". IGN Middle East. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  24. ^ "Kazakhstan to Host the Games of the Future 2026". www.oneesports.gg. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  25. ^ "The 2026 Future Games will be held in Kazakhstan". qazalem.kz. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  26. ^ "Олжас Бектенов обсудил с Рене Фазелем проведение в Казахстане «Игр будущего»". Казинформ (in Russian). 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  27. ^ "COUNTDOWN TO THE GAMES OF THE FUTURE 2026 ASTANA BEGINS: DATES, DISCIPLINES AND MORE REVEALED". www.bastillepost.com. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  28. ^ KazTAG.KZ. "Budget and prize fund of Future Games 2026 will make $10 million". kaztag.kz. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  29. ^ "COUNTDOWN TO THE GAMES OF THE FUTURE 2026 ASTANA BEGINS: DATES, DISCIPLINES AND MORE REVEALED". AP News. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  30. ^ "Dates for Games of the Future 2026 in Astana announced". Qazinform.com. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  31. ^ https://finance.yahoo.com/news/countdown-games-future-2026-astana-133800717.html
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