DreamHack India is marking its fifth anniversary this year. Over time, it has solidified its place as a key event in India’s gaming and esports calendar, offering thrilling LAN tournaments across multiple esports titles, cosplay competitions, tech exhibitions, meet-and-greet sessions with popular content creators and streamers, and the popular Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) zones.
This year, NODWIN Gaming, a leader in new-age youth entertainment, gaming, and esports, in collaboration with the leading ticketing and live entertainment platform Insider.in, will be hosting DreamHack x Hyderabad Comic Con, the country’s largest pop culture celebration, from November 15 to 17.
Here's a rundown of the tournaments happening this year, contested over three days and boasting a combined prize pool of INR 45+ lakh:
1. Snapdragon Pro Series (SPS)
Title: Call of Duty: Mobile (COD:M)
Prize Pool: INR 24 lakh
Number of teams: 6
One of the biggest draws at the event, the Snapdragon Pro Series will feature COD:M will feature intense competition amongst six professional teams going head-to-head for the title’s biggest prize pool at a LAN tournament in India of INR 24 lakh.
2. OMEN Campus Quest Season 2
Title: VALORANT
Prize Pool: INR 5 lakh
Number of teams: 6
For fans of tactical shooters, this VALORANT competition will feature the nation’s leading six campus teams battling it out for glory. The prize pool distribution will award INR 3 lakh to the winners, INR 1 lakh to the runners-up, and INR 50,000 each to both third and fourth places.
3. PAN FEST
Title: Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI)
Prize Pool: INR 2.4 lakh
Format: 8 lobbies per day
Maps: Erangel and Miramar
PAN FEST is the ultimate battleground for BGMI enthusiasts, featuring daily action across eight lobbies, with the winner taking home INR 10,000. The tournament will be open to everyone on a first-come, first-served basis, and players will need to register on-site at the venue.
4. KO Fight Night
Titles: Tekken 8, Super Mario Bros Ultimate, and Street Fighter VI
Prize Pool: INR 4.5 lakh
Format: Double Elimination Bracket system, 1v1 Matches
KO Fight Night is the longest-running fighting games tournament, taking place this time at DreamHack x Hyderabad Comic Con. It will feature three titles and will be contested in the double elimination format.
Tekken 8 will offer the lion's share of the KO Fight Night’s prize pool, providing INR 3.6 lakh, with the winner securing INR 1.6 lakh and the runner-up receiving INR 80,000. The title will feature 128 players, with all matches played in a best-of-three format, and the Grand Finals being played as a best-of-five match.
Super Mario Bros Ultimate will feature a prize pool of INR 60,000, with the winner receiving INR 30,000. All matches will be played in a best-of-three format within a single elimination bracket system, while matches from the Top 4 will be best of five.
Street Fighter VI will have a total prize pool of INR 30,000, distributed as INR 10,000 for the winner each day across three days. Each day will feature 32 players, with all rounds played in a best-of-three format until the Top 8. Matches from the Top 8 to the Grand Finals will be best of five, with the Grand Finals allowing a bracket reset and played as a best-of-five showdown.
5. Chess Championship
Title: Chess
Prize Pool: INR 5 lakh
Format: Rapid and Blitz
DreamHack x Hyderabad Comic Con will feature chess for enthusiasts who can look forward to intense battles of brainpower in two formats - Rapid and Blitz. The Rapid format, which is a longer format featuring games of more than 15 minutes, will offer INR 3 lakh of the prize pool. The Blitz format on the other hand comprises shorter games of around 3 to 10 minutes and will account for INR 2 lakh of the prize pool.
6. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Categories: Mobile, PC, and Console
Prize Pool: INR 4.4 lakh
The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) segment allows players to bring their devices and compete in a wide range of titles. PC titles will include an overall prize pool of INR 2.4 lakh across FPS games and other titles such as Spectre Divide, THE FINALS, Rocket League and Brawlhalla.
Mobile titles will feature a prize pool of INR 1.4 lakh for popular battle royale titles, eFootball, World Cricket Championship 3 (WCC 3), and Rocket League Side Swipe. Console games will have a prize pool of INR 60,000 where players will compete in games like Tekken 8, Street Fighter, WWE and FIFA.
7. Retro and Board Games
Categories: Table Top and Retro Zones
Prize Pool: INR 95,000
The retro and board game tournaments provide a nostalgic escape from the high-intensity esports competitions.
The board games will include Monopoly, Ludo, Carrom, Snakes & Ladders, and UNO.
The Retro Zone will feature Tekken on PlayStation 1, Contra, Pacman, and Tetris.
