Gaming will never lead to anything. At least, that’s what our parents used to tell us on a daily basis as we spent hours in front of the screen. But for the pros among us, that’s all set to be proven very wrong with a set of competitions boasting thousands in prizes.

The GO Malta Esports Festival is back for its sixth – and largest – edition yet this December, and €25,000 is on the line

Over the years, esports has grown into a beautiful beast roping in thousands of players from all around the world, massive international tournaments and insane prize pools. And at the heart of our own island lies Gamers.com.mt’s Malta Esports Festival.

After last year’s fifth anniversary festival, MESF is back for what is set to be the biggest esports festival ever organised in Malta. Hosted over a gigantic area of 2,500 square metres (which is almost three times bigger than last year’s venue), the festival will also be bringing an Expo area to Ta’ Qali’s MFCC.

This is a perfect opportunity to show Malta’s gamers what you’ve got… and win thousands in the process

With various different game tournaments, a mix of local pros and international teams will be seeing impressive prize pools being offered to the top gamers, and it’ll be happening on the main stage in front of hundreds of people… not to mention tens of thousands of online spectators! The festival is endorsed by local and international sponsors, like GO, Gaming Malta and The Malta Tourism Authority.

Here are some of the highlights at this year’s MESF … and what’ in store for the winners in each category.

1. Counter Strike: Global Offensive

€13,000 initial prize pool

Any fan of first-person shooter games will instantly recognise the name CS:GO, and MESF’s 2018 offering for the game is just as staggering as you’d expect.

Eight of the best upcoming CS:GO teams in the world will be competing at this event, starting online and ending the last four-team rounds offline live on stage at Ta’ Qali.

The roaring crowd of families, friends, fans, local professionals, managers, coaches, media crew and casters will make this one absolutely unmissable for all the hardcore gamers out there.

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

€5,000 Prize Pool

If there’s one game which has everyone seething with anticipation and excitement, its the recently released yearly iteration of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, a continuation of the beloved Treyarch franchise. Greeting a yearning fanbase, the immense wave of content in Multiplayer, Zombies and Blackout game modes is appealing to so many gamers out there, coming from previous and other titles to try it out

Gamers.com.my have teamed up with European Esports Gaming [EEG] to provide one of the best Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 competitions to date in Europe, having 22 teams coming from around Europe. There will even be two teams waving the Maltese flag!

3. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

€1,500 initial prize pool

Much like the slightly more recent Fortnite, the PUBG phenomenon is difficult to match in both scale and hype. The Battle Royale style of games has seen many iterations over the last couple of years, but PUBG has persisted as one of the most beloved and passionately played games of its genre.

Now, an estimated 15 teams will be bringing their computers to Ta’ Qali this December, competing in multiple tournaments during the weekend to determine the best four-player squad.

The gruelling match-up aims has a sweet prize waiting at the end, making that final Chicken Dinner that much more satisfying.

4. FIFA 19

€2,000 initial prize pool

Ever since local star Kurt ‘kurt0114’ Fenech took home €20,000 with his FIFA chops, the already beloved football video game has been propelled to new sights on the island. Now, MESF wants to take that to the next level.

On December 8th, participants will compete against players from two skill levels in order to find the title winner of each level. If you are a FIFA fan, this is your opportunity to show off your talents and skills in gaming more than ever before.

The GO Malta Esports Festival 2018 will be taking the island by storm between the 7th and 9th December

All of the above merely scratches the surface, with other games such as League of Legends bringing in their own gruelling tournaments and eye-watering prizes

For more information on what will be going down at this year’s massive festival and how to apply to participate, check out Gamers.com.mt’s website.

Tag someone who needs to participate in this year’s esports Festival!

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).