Every year since 2022, the DEF has been held which has attracted some of the top E-sports teams arounds the world as well as large number over spectators over a span of 17 days.

With the upcoming Dubai Esports and Games Festival (DEF) 270 days away, lets have a look at the 17 day gaming event that takes all of Dubai’s esports community in storm.

Taking place from April 19th to May 5th across Dubai , DEF promises a feet sweeping experience for gamers of all levels with various esports tournaments across a variety of devices, game reveals and a lot more. Last year, the tournament was held in a grand spectacle with multiple events being scattered in different places. all around Dubai ensuring that everyone and anyone can easily access it.

Arguably, the main event was the DEF Play Beyond Tournament. This saw various regional and global gaming pros battle it out. With heart-pounding action taking place at the center with various creative and different matchups between the several teams promised for mouthwatering clashes , keeping the spectator involved and on the edge of their seats always. Eventually at the end, Team Purple emerged victorious in a nail-biting final, where they competed for supremacy across various games. These consist of EA Sports FC24, Roblox, Tekken 8 and Fortnite Dubai Map.

There were other many Regional Tournaments and Championships being held throughout the span of the festival. More than 3.6 million players gathered from across the region to compete in 16 exhilarating tournaments across various games such as Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Leagues of Legends, Yalla Ludo etc. There were prizes worth more than a mind-boggling 70,000 AED being awarded throughout all the tournaments.

However , the DEF were not done as they also hosted an UAE PC Cafe Master Cup 2024. This consisted of eight gaming cafes, across the city hosting exciting tournaments with a total prize pool of AED 15,000. A newly released event in 2024, PC Cafe gamers would compete in 5v5 Valorant qualifiers in various venues. Qualified teams would then battle it out with each other in a thriller of a final to be crowned the best PC Gaming Cafe.

Congratulations to @natusvincere for winning the PGC 2022!@ExpoCityDubai @PUBGEsports pic.twitter.com/heNFkPAHp1

— Dubai Esports and Games Festival (@DxbEsportsFest) November 20, 2022

The DEF didn’t just do thriller tournaments but many other events such as the GameExpo and various other summits . These summits talked about a variety of topics such as AI, how to use Unreal Engine , futuristic games etc. it welcomed 1500 industrial leaders to talk about various topics in the dynamic gaming landscape. This was hosted in World Trade Centre and it also consisted of multiple hubs such as the Retro Hub and Future Hub.

There were also various educational opportunities with workshops and various challenges designed for students aged 7-12. One exciting challenge was a Minecraft challenge where young minds were to explore different problems and use their creativity to solve them in a digital Dubai. There are also various tours being offered to various schools and universities to explore the festival and have a look at the future of gaming in the Game Expo.

Lastly, there was an exciting cosplay event hosted, where contestants had an opportunity to showcase their creativity. It revolved around dressing up as their favorite characters in a much more creative and interesting way . There were multiple entries sent, which were judged by international judges who are experienced cosplayers. Winners took home cash prizes worth a total of AED 8,000.