Rainbow Six Siege X developer Ubisoft and tournament organiser BLAST have revealed that the R6 North American League Regional Finals will take place in Philadelphia, US.

From November 29th to December 14th, 2025, the six best teams from the region will compete for a guaranteed place at the Six Invitational 2026 in Paris.

The tournament will feature two phases. The online quarterfinals will be played in a BO3, double elimination format from November 29th to 30th. Meanwhile, the second phase will include both the semi-finals and finals from December 13th to 14th, and will be a LAN event at the LocalHost Philly venue.

Teams will compete for the lion’s share of a €100,000 (~$115,550/£86,940) prize pool: with first receiving €40,000 (~$46,220/£34,800).

These are all the teams that will be competing in the North American League Regional Finals:

Tickets for the LAN event in Philadelphia are available for $20, and can be obtained through the Nerd Street webpage. All matches will also be broadcast live on the official Rainbow Six esports Twitch and YouTube channels.

The BLAST R6 North American League Regional Finals is one of the pathways that offers a guaranteed spot in next year’s international event. Regional Finals will also take place in the Europe MENA League, South America League, and Asia Pacific League. A final spot will also be up for grabs in the Munich Major in November.

The Six Invitational 2026 in Paris, France is the crowning event of the scene. This is where the best team in the world is decided, before kickstarting the next season of R6 esports.

Running from February 2nd to 15th, 2026, the event will see 20 teams from around the world compete. These include the Regional Finals champions, the Munich Major winner, the Regional Last Chance Qualifier winners, and the top-scoring organisations from the Global Point Standings.

The Overwatch Champion Series (OWCS) has revealed its map pool for the World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm this November.

In total, 13 maps will be in play across five competitive modes: Control, Hybrid, Escort, Push and Flashpoint.

These are all the maps that will be in play during the OWCS 2025 World Finals:

The same map pool will also take effect for the grassroots esports event FACEIT League Season 7, where the finals of the Masters Showdown will be premiered at DreamHack Stockholm.

The OWCS World Finals is the most prestigious tournament in the Overwatch 2 esports scene, serving as the crowning event of the season.

The event is scheduled to take place from November 26th to 30th, 2025 as an offline LAN event in the Stockholmsmässan venue in Stockholm, Sweden.

The tournament will feature a double-elimination bracket; the first rounds of both upper and lower brackets will be best-of-3 (BO3), and subsequent matches will be best-of-5 (BO5). The Grand Finals will be BO7, where the champion team of the season will be decided.

Fans can watch the top 12 OWCS Stage 3 teams from across five regions compete: ranging from EMEA, North America, Korea, China and Asia.

DreamHack Stockholm’s official website offers tickets for those who wish to attend in person, with various tiers offering unique perks for the OWCS international tournament.

Other esports events outside of OWCS will also be featured at DreamHack Stockholm, including the first-ever Major tournament for The Finals, and a qualifier for ESL Pro League Season 23 called DreamHack Knockout.

Call of Duty Mobile has unveiled the final ruleset that will be used at the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship 2025 taking place from November 7th to 9th.

Ahead of the event, Activision has made several adjustments to the regulations that will be implemented at the season-ending tournament.

Within the final changelog ahead of the World Championship, Activision has added a range of weapon-specific attachments to the ruleset to increase their viability for competitive play.

The 3-Line Rifle, Machine Pistol, Oden, RAM7, SKS, Tundra, Type 63 and USS-9 all feature new attachments that could spark a shift in the competitive meta during the mobile shooter title’s biggest tournament of the year.

In addition, the Engineer and Overclock Perks have been added to the Perk Restriction list, preventing players from selecting them when building a loadout ahead of a match.

Activision stated that the October 14th changelog is the final update to Call of Duty Mobile’s competitive ruleset of the year. The publisher also revealed that ‘all participating pros at the World Championship Finals will be polled and surveyed,’ enabling the publisher to gather feedback ahead of the 2026 season.

For 2025, the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship heads to Katowice, Poland, a city that’s no stranger to high-profile FPS esports events.

In total, 16 teams from across the world will compete across a GSL group stage and a double-elimination bracket playoffs to determine the eventual champion. The best team will walk away with the lion’s share of its $850,000 (~£640,067) prize pool.

Following victory at the Call of Duty Mobile Major 2025, Chinese team Wolves Esports heads into the tournament as one of the favourites. The competition will also feature defending World Champions Team Elevate, which also won the CODM World Championship 2025 Garena Finals in August.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new law that outlaws sweepstakes casinos, creating a dramatic shift in the online gambling market.

Assembly Bill 831 was signed shortly before the October 11th deadline after passing the California Legislature with a unanimous vote.

The law specifically targets dual-currency sweepstakes platforms that imitate sports betting and real-money casinos. On January 1st, 2026, the prohibition will become operative.

Although states like Connecticut, Montana, and New Jersey have already implemented similar bans, California, the most populous US state, represents the largest market that has not yet done so.

California’s legislative opposition to sweepstakes gambling was unanimous, demonstrating the broad support for regulating these unregulated sites.

Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto filed a lawsuit against sweepstakes operator Stake.us before the statewide law was passed, claiming the website was functioning as an unlawful gambling operation.

Many withdrew from the California market shortly after the lawsuit was filed because it also targeted streaming service Kick and related suppliers.

As evidenced by the recent exodus, regulators have said that cutting off their supplier networks is the primary weapon against such operations.

Over the past 12 months, authorities have stepped up efforts to crack down on sweepstakes casinos across the United States.

In order to provide gambling products outside of stringent gambling regulations, the platforms frequently used digital ‘gold coins’ and ‘sweeps coins’, which are non-monetary currencies that can be exchanged for real-money prizes.

As more states pursue bans and enforcement, industry estimates for 2025 have been lowered in response to the actions of California, New York, Louisiana, Arizona, Michigan, and other states. Experts predict further revenue declines in 2026.

Numerous state and federal regulators have now sent more than 100 cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes operators, completing a comprehensive effort to stop the proliferation of unregulated online gambling in the US.

The 32 qualified teams for the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) 2026 Championship have been decided following the conclusion of the regional 2025 Split 2 Pro Leagues.

Six winners from the regional finals and 26 top-placing teams from the Championship Point leaderboards will be heading to the LAN event in Sapporo, Japan, with only eight spots remaining through the regional Last Chance Qualifiers.

These are all the teams that have successfully qualified for the ALGS Championship:

The Championship is scheduled to take place early next year, from January 15th to 18th, 2026. It will be an offline PC event at the Daiwa House PREMIST DOME in Sapporo, Japan, with a total prize pool of $2m (~£1.48m).

Top teams to keep an eye on include Alliance, a team that dominated the EMEA region in both the Regular Season and the Finals. The team has seen a strong performance in 2025 so far, becoming the winning roster of the Split 1 Pro League while also placing second in the Year 4 Championship.

Gen.G Esports has also stood out as a top contender from the APAC South region, after some of its players broke numerous records during the Split 2 Pro League. It ended the Regular Season with 160 points and finished first in the Finals after becoming the last standing team in game eight.

The last few places will be decided through the regional Last Chance Qualifiers, running from October 17th to 19th, 2025, serving as the final opportunity to compete at the crowning event of Year 5.

Whether you’re jumping ship or just checking out the competition, these Battlefield 6 tips will make the transition as smooth as possible. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is just around the corner, but Battlefield 6 is already off to a great start. So grab your rifles, start the jet engine, and get ready to dominate objectives. And maybe get some kills along the way. 

Moving from COD to BF can be hard, especially for new players. While the genre is the same, both games have different gameplay. Sure, some motor and aiming skills will transfer; if you are a good shot in Call of Duty, you’ll do well in Battlefield, too. However, plenty of mechanics in Dice’s shooter will be alien to COD fans. 

Our essential Battlefield 6 tips aim to introduce new mechanics, modes, and gameplay to Call of Duty players. If you are a BF veteran, there isn’t much new to learn here, but if you are returning after a long hiatus, it wouldn’t hurt to get a refresher, either. 

Battlefield is back, and it’s bigger than ever. The Beta saw a peak of 521,079 players join the action. However, the full release surpassed even the free Beta with over 747,000 players in 24 hours. The numbers are impressive and clearly show an increased interest in Dice’s shooter. For the first time in years, Battlefield is poised to take the thunder away from another shooter juggernaut, Call of Duty. 

With the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 trailer receiving a lukewarm reception from fans, it seems Activision’s money-maker might dip in player numbers. Many fans are already disappointed by the lack of innovation in Call of Duty games. Combine that with Black Ops fatigue, and you have players looking for new experiences. 

Call of Duty received flak for including over-the-top cosmetic skins in recent games. Skins like Beavis and Butt-Head, Homelander, and Nicki Minaj are showing up in military-themed matches, disappointing fans. EA and Dice are capitalising on the momentum already, with developers reassuring fans that the game will remain a serious one.

These tips will get you up to speed on how to play Battlefield 6, do well in matches, and not worry about your kill-to-death ratio. 

I know it’s tempting to jump straight into the action, drive tanks, take out whole squads, but if you are new to Battlefield, it won’t hurt to check out the campaign first. Like Call of Duty, Battlefield singleplayer campaigns are short experiences that showcase the gameplay. Even against AI enemies, you’ll learn how the game handles, the basic mechanics, and how to aim correctly. 

Doubling down on starting slow, check out a multiplayer mode that is less chaotic. Conquest and Breakthrough modes take place on huge maps and include vehicles. I recommend checking out Domination first. The mode is fought on a smaller section and is infantry only. So you don’t have to worry about tanks and jets here. It’s a nice and gradual introduction that feels closer to the Call of Duty experience. 

Battlefield 6 controls are different from Call of Duty: Black Ops 7; the sticky aim is different and not as strong. So feel free to check out the controls and adjust them to your liking. I also recommend changing the FOV to something that feels better. Adjusting the horizontal and vertical aim sensitivity can also help the game feel more responsive. 

Unlike Call of Duty, getting kills is not essential in Battlefield 6. Unless you are playing the Deathmatch mode, taking out enemies shouldn’t be your only objective. Players who help teammates, target objectives, and use their class abilities are usually at the top of the scoreboard in BF6. So, relax, you don’t need to take down entire squads to do well. 

Classes in Battlefield play a significant role in how you play the game. If you are coming from COD, playing the Assault class will feel right at home. The support can revive players, the recon can spot enemies better, and the Engineers can repair friendly vehicles. Check out the other classes to see what fits you the best. 

Take some time to get familiar with all the items in your loadout. The loadout doesn’t just include guns; it has gadgets, throwables, and class items. Learn what each of them does and how to use them in battle effectively. It will help you climb the scoreboard faster and more efficiently during matches. 

A usual Battlefield match has up to 32 players on each team. A squad is a sub-group of four inside a team. It’s better to have friends in your squad, but random players can also make good teammates. Regardless of the class, a squadmate can revive another squadmate, making it invaluable to stick together. Your squadmates also act as a spawn point, so spawn on them to get back into the action faster. 

Sniping in Battlefield can be hard, especially with the bullet drop calculations. If you love quick scoping in Call of Duty and are struggling to keep up in Battlefield, you can change a few settings. I recommend mapping the manual zero-in button and the hold breath button to a single key. This way, you’ll automatically zero in and take quick shots. I know this goes against what Battlefield usually does, but the option is there, so why not use it? 

Battlefield 6 is not a camping game. Sure, you can camp on buildings and mountains, but you’re easy to take out. Jets, parachutes, and destruction make camping nearly pointless. If someone is camping in a building, take out the walls or the floor; no need to rush and die. Someone hogging a prime sniping nest? You can grab a jet and ram into them. 

Driving a vehicle in Battlefield is easy, but you’ll need some time to get used to it. I recommend riding each vehicle to find your sweet spot. Helicopters and jets are not easy to fly with a keyboard and mouse. I recommend having a controller on standby if you want to take to the skies, which makes the whole experience easier. 

Battlefield 6 might be different from Call of Duty, but it is still a shooter. General shooter tips also apply, such as using everything at your disposal, not running in the open, using cover, and helping teammates secure objectives. It will take a day or two of getting owned before you start getting into your groove. Stick to it, no other game lets you pull off trick shots from a jet like Battlefield does. There’s more to come, according to the Battlefield 6 Roadmap, so there’s plenty to look forward to. 

Razer has launched a limited edition mouse mat designed in collaboration with League of Legends player Lee ‘Faker‘ Sang-hyeok.

The Razer Gigantus V2 – Faker Edition is inspired by Faker’s Unkillable Demon King nickname and features an exclusive design.

The mouse mat features a golden Unkillable Demon King motif to commemorate Faker’s fifth League of Legends World Championship victory in 2024.

The launch of the limited-edition mouse mat is Faker’s second co-branded product launch with Razer. In February, the player and the brand released the Razer Viper V3 Pro Faker Edition, which also features a white and gold design inspired by the T1 jersey he wore when competing at the 2024 League of Legends World Championship.

“This year marks two milestones: ten years of Razer’s partnership with Faker and his historic tenth qualification for LoL Worlds as the only player to ever do so,” said Jeffrey Chau, Global Esports Director at Razer. “The mouse mat celebrates these achievements and gives fans a piece of that legacy.”

Designed with an anti-slip base and textured micro-weave cloth surface, the Razer Gigantus V2 provides users with pinpoint precision and stability during gaming sessions. The mouse mat is available to purchase now, with only 2,000 large units available worldwide.

Since 2015, Razer has partnered with Faker, one of the most recognisable esports players in the world. In recent years, the player has launched a variety of PC gaming mice and peripherals.

In 2025, the League of Legends icon has a chance to win a sixth world title at this year’s event, taking place in China.

As the fourth seed from the LCK, T1 features in the first match of this year’s tournament, taking on Invictus Gaming in the Play-In. The winner of the best-of-five series advances to the Swiss Stage, while the losing team is eliminated.

It’s been 12 years since the last modern military-themed Battlefield was released, which is long enough for a new generation of gamers to grow into the FPS genre. That’s important because Battlefield 6 isn’t (only) intended for the franchise faithful. Rather, it’s an ambitious entry attempting to emerge as a cultural touchstone for gamers. 

The ambition is certainly there, and we know all about EA’s high hopes, but what’s the reality? Having spent an initial weekend with BF6, I have a few thoughts: It’s not perfect, and the release-day version will be built upon. That will allow plenty of growth and a player base time to get to grips with it. But is the outlook positive?

Ripple Effect deserves some credit. There were plenty of suggestions that the Campaign was behind schedule, and yes, it is a little underbaked. The world that’s created, the global locations, the plot, and the varied weapons and vehicles access are net positives. The campaign has a good tempo, leaves the ending door ajar, and is fun.

However, the detailed environments, solid narrative, and immersive missions are a little let down by some glitches. Occasional soldier twitching and sliding are some examples, and a little more quality assurance may have helped. However, this is a campaign that largely serves to bolster BF6, adding extra depth and enjoyment for those wanting the background. 

I have to say that I don’t remember much about past Battlefield campaigns. Yet I feel like some of the cinematic set pieces here (and simply cool moments) will keep images from this storyline fondly nestled in my mind. Particularly so in the multiplayer maps, where locations reflect that story. All of this is to say, the campaign adds to the whole in a very fun way. 

I can only reflect upon the multiplayer of Battlefield 6 as someone who loved BF3 and BF4, and who played the BF6 open betas. My view is one of a Battlefield fan who is invested, yes, but also one of a gamer who doesn’t want to gatekeep. In this respect, what I’ve seen of the multiplayer modes and maps feels like a breath of fresh but familiar air. 

Nothing will ever capture the nostalgic joy I found in BF3/4, but BF6 feels close, while also seeming new and enjoyable to those finding the franchise. So if it feels a little more CoD-like in movement (it does), then that’s fine. All-out warfare is still here, large-scale modes offer engaging experiences, and a commitment to big-picture gameplay is still rewarded.

Sure, there’s no large-scale Rush in the base multiplayer offering, but there’s plenty of vehicle and anti-vehicle action, plus squad and teamwork-fuelled gameplay. And while the smaller-scale infantry-focused modes may not be for me, they’re available for those who like that kind of thing. Genuinely, I feel there’s plenty of fun for older fans and newcomers alike. 

In fact, this mix of catering for Battlefield fans, old and new, may be the key strength of Battlefield 6. No game can be all things to everyone. Yet with nine maps, eight multiplayer modes, and a Season 1 roadmap looking strong, there’s a lot to be said for the spread of quality offered by BF6. 

Even without the BF6 Battle Royale details confirmed, you’re guaranteed several things with the new BF game: action, destruction, and perhaps some quality escapism, in the flavour of FPS gaming you prefer. If the official modes and offerings aren’t always for you, the Community (formerly ‘Portal’) element allows you to find something that may be. 

Sure, you’re not going to buy Battlefield 6 to ignore the core official elements. Still, if you just want to race fighter jets, focus on Hardcore Conquest (limited HUD, closed weapons), then you can do that. Or, potentially, you can check out the Custom Server Browser for something else to catch your eye. Ultimately, BF6 has impressed me here with its breadth.

Naturally, no launch is without kinks. Thankfully, I haven’t experienced any of these: the campaign crashing the whole game, unidentified errors, ‘content not installed’, or an infinite loading screen. So maybe I’ve been lucky. But if I’ve already seen Battlefield 6 how it’s intended, it’s allowed me to realise this is a BF game that feels akin to my past favourites.

Even with the confirmed changes from beta and perhaps future changes to come, I’m feeling pretty positive. After all of the buildup, the leaks, the rumours, and the concerns I’ve held, it’s time to enjoy the game. And I really feel like I can enjoy it. Do I still think the cost is high? Yes. Am I still unsure about the Battle Royale? Absolutely. But there are counters to both. 

The cost now feels like an investment and less risky: On those rainy days when only the dog wants to go out, I may well get home, dry off, and play an hour or two of multiplayer. I’ve already completed the campaign, but I’ll probably play that again. And, honestly, I may not like the coming Battle Royale. But regardless, Battlefield feels back, bigger, and important.