Games of the Future 2025 wins double Gold at the Eventex Awards 2026

Games of the Future 2025 has secured two Gold honours at the Eventex Awards 2026, winning in the Esports Event and Hybrid Event categories following a landmark edition in Abu Dhabi that helped redefine the future of live sport and entertainment.

Known as one of the biggest honours in the global events industry, the Eventex Awards celebrate the world’s most innovative and exciting live experiences, recognising events that push entertainment, technology and fan engagement to the next level.

And Games of the Future 2025 did exactly that.

From 17 to 23 December, more than 850 athletes from over 60 countries took over Abu Dhabi across 11 disciplines, where esport and physical competition collided.

The Gold Award for Hybrid Event recognises the Games of the Future’s groundbreaking fusion of digital and physical competition, where fans watched disciplines such as Phygital Fighting, Phygital Football and Phygital Shooter seamlessly transition from gaming arenas into live sporting action in real time.

Meanwhile, the Gold Award for Esports Event highlights the scale, atmosphere and global appeal of its world-class gaming competitions, with packed crowds and millions of viewers tuning in to watch some of the world’s top teams compete in Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Battle Royale featuring Fortnite throughout the week. Across the tournament, more than 355+ hours of gameplay were delivered using 360 gaming setups installed across multiple competition halls and venues throughout Abu Dhabi.

More than 40,000 fans attended the event live, while audiences around the world tuned in for 461 million broadcast views, making Games of the Future one of the most impactful hybrid events of the year.

The event also delivered standout tech-driven spectacles including Battle of Robots, which saw 2.48 tonnes of robots transported to Abu Dhabi for competition, alongside the regional debut of VR Game.HADO Global Invitation and the high-speed intensity of Phygital Drone Racing.

Organized in partnership with ASPIRE, the local delivery authority, and Ethara, the official Event Delivery Partner, together with the support from Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the UAE Ministry of Sports, the event showed how phygital sport continues to bring together gaming communities, sports fans and new audiences from all over the world in one shared experience.

Now, the countdown begins for the next chapter.

The Games of the Future 2026 heads to Astana from 29 July to 9 August 2026, where more than 900 participants from over 50 nationalities are expected to compete across eight disciplines in another global celebration of sport, gaming and entertainment.

Stay tuned for the latest updates, announcements, team news and behind-the-scenes coverage as the road to Games of the Future 2026 in Astana continues.