Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Home Blog Page 219

NAVI Beats Spirit to Book a Spot in IEM Katowice 2025 Playoffs

Sarjyo Mukherjee
-
0
NAVI Beats Spirit to Book a Spot in IEM Katowice 2025 Playoffs

NAVI has booked their spot in the Spodek arena beating Team Spirit in the qualifications of IEM Katowice. A solid performance from donk was not enough for Spirit as jL and iM delivered on crucial moments to take NAVI through.

Veto

  • Natus Vincere removed Train
  • Spirit removed Inferno
  • Natus Vincere picked Mirage
  • Spirit picked Dust2
  • Natus Vincere removed Ancient
  • Spirit removed Anubis
  • Nuke was left over

Map 1: Mirage; Pick: NAVI; Winner: NAVI

Starting strong on the T side, NAVI went 3-0 up before Spirit could get on the board. Despite going 5-1 up and having full control of the game, NAVI lost hold as Spirit managed to recover from the deficit and end the half with a leveled scoreline of 6-6. Spirit got an early lead with a pistol round win on their offense but NAVI managed to convert the force buy and go 11-7 up before Spirit could get another round on board. Despite winning a 1v5. donk’s heroics could not motivate his team to make a comeback this deep into the map as NAVI closed the map with a 13-8 scoreline.

Map 2: Dust2; Pick: Spirit; Winner: Spirit

Starting their map pick with a 3-0 start, Spirit started strong sending NAVI on the backfoot right from the get-go. NAVI took charge of the game after the 3rd round and managed to 5-3 up but Spirit got hold of the game late into the half to edge NAVI out by 7-5. Spirit started the half with a pistol-round win and seemed to be running away with the game as NAVI managed to get back on the board. By the end of the second half, NAVI found them on the verge of winning the map after winning a streak of rounds but Team Spirit managed to win the final ones to close the map with a close 13-11 scoreline.

Map 3: Nuke; Pick: Decider; Winner: NAVI

Going 4-0 up early on, NAVI lost to a Spirit force giving Spirit the room to make a comeback thus leaving behind NAVI who managed one more round before closing the first half with a 5-7 scoreline. Spirit managed to get ahead in the second half but NAVI managed to hold themselves against donk and co. pushing the game to overtime. Continuing on the defense, NAVI managed to win 2 rounds of the defense but Spirit quickly leveled the scoreline in the 2nd half of OT. While winning the final two rounds on the T side, NAVI won the series, booking their spot in the Spodek.

CS2 PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: Teams, Schedule, Format & How To Watch

Sonu Banerjee
-
0
CS2 PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: Teams, Schedule, Format & How To Watch

PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 is all set to be the next big Counter-Strike 2 event that fans will be eagerly looking forward to once the ongoing IEM Katowice comes to an end on February 9th.

Kicking off on February 14, 2025, the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 CS2 event will bring together some of the world’s top teams who will compete for the lion’s share of the $1,250,000 USD prize pool.

In this article, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, including its participating teams, schedule, format, and where you can watch it live.

CS2 PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: Teams

The PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 CS2 tournament will see sixteen elite teams, who have been picked based on their Valve Regional Standings, battling it out on LAN in Romania.

Here’s a list of all the teams who will make their way to the event:

  • The MongolZ
  • FaZe Clan
  • MOUZ
  • Team Falcons
  • FURIA Esports
  • paiN Gaming
  • MIBR
  • 3DMAX
  • Eternal Fire
  • Complexity Gaming
  • SAW
  • BIG
  • FlyQuest
  • Astralis
  • Wildcard
  • Virtus.pro

CS2 PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: Format

PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 will pit sixteen teams against each other in a Swiss format. The top eight teams from the Group Stage will make their way to the Playoffs. All games will be BO3s.

The Playoffs will see the teams competing in a single-elimination bracket. All matches will be BO3s with the exception of the Grand Final, which will be BO5.

CS2 PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: Schedule

As mentioned earlier, PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 is scheduled to commence on February 14, 2025. The event will showcase ten days of intense Counter-Strike action till a winner is crowned on February 23.

The detailed schedule of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 has yet to be revealed by the tournament organizers.

CS2 PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: Where To Watch

Fans can catch all the action that unfolds during the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 CS2 event by tuning into its official livestreams on Twitch or YouTube.

Valorant Unveils 2025 VCT Season Capsule: Release Date & New Karambit Revealed

Sonu Banerjee
-
0
Valorant Unveils 2025 VCT Season Capsule: Release Date & New Karambit Revealed

With the Valorant community standing on the brink of the highly anticipated Masters Bangkok event, Riot Games has unveiled the 2025 VCT Season Capsule.

The details of the Capsule were confirmed in an X (formerly Twitter) post by the official Valorant Twitter handle on February 3, 2025.

As per the announcement, the 2025 VCT Season Capsule will include a Karambit melee skin, alongside a bunch of exclusive Player Cards and Gun Buddies.

Ready to dive deeper into what the new Season Capsule will bring to Valorant? We’ve got you covered!

VCT Season Capsule 2025 Contents

Here’s a list of all the contents that the VCT Season Capsule 2025 has in store for the Valorant players:

  • VCT 2025 Karambit
  • 4 Regional Player Cards
  • 4 Gun Buddies

The new VCT 2025 Karambit is the first-ever skin to include five chromas representing the four International Leagues and the VCT theme. Upon upgrading the knife to level 3, players will be able to see a special glow when top fragging in the server.

The Player Cards will have animated designs that celebrate the International Leagues.

The Gun Buddies also represent the participating regions and will have unique animations when fired.

VCT Season Capsule 2025 Release Date

The 2025 VCT Season Capsule will be officially added to the Valorant store on February 6, 2025, at around 2 pm PST.

VCT Season Capsule 2025 Price

At the time of writing, the exact price of the 2025 VCT Season Capsule hasn’t been disclosed by Riot. However, given that the VCT LOCK//IN bundle was priced at 5,440 VP, fans can expect the new bundle to have a similar price tag.

That’s everything you need to know about the VCT Season Capsule 2025. Be sure to keep an eye out on the Riot Games social media handles for further updates on the capsule.

Sony PlayStation State of Play Rumored for Next Week

Aritra Patra
-
0
Sony PlayStation State of Play Rumored for Next Week

Whispers are circulating about the PlayStation State of Play broadcast potentially landing next week, likely during Valentine’s Day week (February 10-14). This speculation stems from leaker NateTheHate, who has a track record of accurate predictions, including the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal date.

So, what could Sony have in store? Let’s consider their upcoming first-party titles slated for 2025. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei is on the horizon, and a State of Play appearance could bring a gameplay reveal and firm release date. Bungie’s Marathon, a PvP extraction shooter, might make an appearance if playtesting is still on the cards for this year.

We also have Haven Studios’ debut title, Fairgames, to look forward to. While Naughty Dog recently unveiled their new IP, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and Insomniac is busy with Marvel’s Wolverine, these projects might still be too early for a deep dive. A more likely candidate for a new trailer is Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, also targeting a 2025 launch.

It’s worth noting that Sony recently streamlined its live service game ambitions, canceling two unannounced projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. While the fate of Bend’s title remains unknown, Bluepoint’s game was reportedly a live-service God of War experience. Guerrilla Games’ live service Horizon game, however, appears to have survived the cull. Could a reveal be imminent?  

Turning to potential third-party announcements, Kojima’s Physint, a PlayStation-exclusive stealth-action game, is in development, but a reveal might be premature. A safer bet could be Phantom Blade Zero, the stylish hack-and-slash RPG from S-Game.  

And let’s not forget Microsoft’s expanding presence on PlayStation. With Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launching soon on PS5, a release date announcement at State of Play seems plausible.

G2 Eliminates Falcons From IEM Katowice 2025

Sarjyo Mukherjee
-
0
G2 Eliminates Falcons From IEM Katowice 2025

A poetic affair as NiKo with his new squad gets eliminated by his cousin and former teammates in G2 esports. While NiKo came close to proving that leaving G2 was the right decision, G2 managed to mount a comeback to progress further in IEM Katowice 2025.

VETO

  • Falcons removed Anubis
  • G2 removed Train
  • Falcons picked Ancient
  • G2 picked Dust2
  • Falcons removed Inferno
  • G2 removed Nuke
  • Mirage was left over

Map 1: Ancient; Pick: Falcons; Winner: G2

Started off with a pistol round win, Falcons quickly lost the following round giving G2 the edge. Both teams traded rounds for a while before G2 managed to get a few rounds on the board where but Falcons narrowly edged out a lead by the start of the second half. Falcons had their lead leveled as they lost the pistol round along with the following ones and without being able to contain the G2 offense, the second half spelled disaster for the freshly minted team as Malbs and co closed the game with a 13-9 scoreline.

Map 2: Dust2; Pick: G2 ; Winner: Falcons

Falcons stunned G2 with a dominant start as after a tough Dust 2, Degster came into his own and dynamically sued his sniper across the map. The rest of the Falcons crew chimed in with their sniper as G2 only got 3 rounds on their offense. While G2 had a better start to the second half but Falcons had a lead big enough that gave them enough room to mount their comeback. With 1.89 IR, degster stood out as the best player with a 13-7 scoreline.

Map 3: Mirage; Pick: Decider; Winner: G2

Replicating their momentum from Dust 2, Falcons kicked off in style on Mirage as G2 had little room to breathe on their defense. NiKo proved to be instrumental in the first half and gave Falcons a massive 8-4 lead before moving into the second half. Having gone behind, G2 managed to start their T side far better than their showings from the previous map and after a rough start, m0nesy had his moments on the T side of Mirage that quickly took away the lead that Falcons had. Relentless aggression from Malbs and HeavyGod kept Falcons on their toes as m0nesy made the best use of the space he had, chiming in with frags mid-round. Falcons failed to capitalize on the lead they had as G2 managed to mount a comeback and win the game with a close 13-11 scoreline.

Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025: Teams, Schedule, Format & How To Watch

Sonu Banerjee
-
0
Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025: Teams, Schedule, Format & How To Watch

The highly anticipated Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025 is only a few weeks away, and the excitement is palpable within the game’s community as fans eagerly await more details about the first international tournament of the year.

Valorant Masters Bangkok, which is scheduled to take place between February 20 and March 2, will feature eight elite Valorant teams who will compete for a shot at the lion’s share of the $500,000 USD prize pool. Here’s everything you need to know about the event.

Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025 Teams

At the time of writing, the following teams have been confirmed to have qualified for Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025:

  • EDward Gaming
  • Trace Esports

Both the aforementioned teams have qualified through the VCT 2025: China Kickoff.

Over the next week, as various regional VCT events wrap up, we’ll reveal the complete roster of teams heading to Bangkok.

Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025 Format

Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025 will see eight teams competing in a best-of-three Swiss system format. Teams will need two victories to advance to the Playoffs, while the teams with two losses get eliminated.

Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025 Schedule

The playoffs will pit the four qualifying teams in a double-elimination bracket. All games in the playoffs will be BO3, with the exception of the Lower Bracket Final and the Grand Finals, both of which will be BO5.

Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025 Schedule

Below, we have listed the detailed schedule of Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025:

  • Round 1 Matches: Feb. 20 – Feb. 21
  • Round 2 Matches: Feb. 22 – Feb. 23
  • Round 3 Matches: Feb. 24
  • Upper Semi-Finals: Feb. 27
  • Upper Finals & Lower Semi-Finals: Feb. 28
  • Lower Finals: Mar. 1
  • Grand Final + Showmatch: Mar. 2

Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025: Where To Watch

Valorant fans can catch the Masters Bangkok 2025 livestreams by tuning into the official Twitch or YouTube handles of Valorant.

That’s everything you need to know about Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025. Be sure to keep following TalkEsport for further information on the tournament.

Riot Games to Launch League of Legends Game Changers Circuit in 2025

Pranav Nalawade
-
0
Riot Games to Launch League of Legends Game Changers Circuit in 2025

Riot Games is reportedly set to launch a new Game Changers Circuit for League of Legends in 2025. This initiative aims to provide women and marginalized genders with an official esports circuit and a development pathway within the League of Legends esports ecosystem. The Game Changers Circuit is expected to begin in April 2025 and will feature a series of tournaments and qualifiers throughout the year.

The Game Changers Circuit is designed to create opportunities for underrepresented groups in esports. By providing a dedicated platform, Riot Games aims to nurture talent and create role models for aspiring players from underrepresented backgrounds. The circuit will include qualifying events for teams to enter the main competition, a main circuit tournament showcasing top talent, and a potential seasonal championship for the highest-performing teams.

Riot Games has seen great success with its Game Changers program in VALORANT, which has built a diverse and inclusive ecosystem. The 2024 Game Changers Championship saw ten teams compete for a $500,000 prize pool, and Shopify Rebellion became the first Game Changers team to qualify for an official Challengers league. Riot Games aims to replicate this success in League of Legends by providing a similar development pathway and competitive opportunities.

Launch League of Legends Game Changers Circuit

The Game Changers Circuit will be launched in the EMEA region, with at least eight teams expected to participate in the inaugural season. Several LEC teams have already expressed interest in competing, and some have even finalized their women’s rosters in anticipation of the new circuit. The circuit will consist of a group stage and playoffs to determine the eventual winner, similar to other League of Legends competitions.

Riot Games’ commitment to inclusivity in esports extends beyond VALORANT, and the Game Changers Circuit for League of Legends is a significant step towards promoting diversity and inclusivity in the competitive gaming landscape. The initiative aims to increase participation rates among underrepresented groups, showcase talent often overlooked in traditional competitive settings, and build a supportive community for diverse players and fans.

The Game Changers Circuit is expected to have a positive impact on the esports industry by nurturing talent and creating role models for aspiring players from underrepresented backgrounds. By providing a dedicated platform, Riot Games hopes to pave the way for a more diverse and inclusive competitive gaming future.

Riot Games has yet to announce the Game Changers Circuit for League of Legends formally, but sources indicate that an official announcement is expected in early February. If confirmed, the Game Changers Circuit could become one of the most significant competitive developments in years, transforming how marginalized gender players gain access to professional play and offering long-term opportunities for integration within the LEC and beyond.

The Game Changers Circuit represents an important milestone in the evolution of esports, potentially paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive competitive gaming future. As the launch date approaches, more information regarding tournament formats, prize pools, and registration processes is expected to be revealed.

Nvidia RTX 5090 Graphics Card: Price, Release Date, Specs & Benchmarks

Aathityaa Swaminathan
-
0
Nvidia RTX 5090 Graphics Card: Price, Release Date, Specs & Benchmarks

We know that we’ve all spent several months waiting for the announcement and the arrival of the Nvidia RTX 5090 which is now officially available! Well, worry not since we’ve covered all essential information about the Nvidia RTX 5090 including its release dates, pricing as well as technical specs, and benchmark stats. 

So, if you’re someone who wants to upgrade your gaming rig according to modern standards, you should stick around till the end!

RTX 5090 Release Date: Here’s when the card comes out

Nvidia announced that the RTX 5090 would officially be released on January 30, 2025, at 9 AM EST (6 AM PST). The RTX 5090’s release will mark the perfect time to start looking closely at online websites for the GPU’s price points.

RTX 5090 Price: Prepare Your Wallet

The full price tag of high-end gaming performance remains an expensive necessity that RTX 5090 users will fully experience.  The manufacturer set the pricing of RTX 5090 at $1999.99 MSRP.  The elevated price requires evaluating if higher performance makes it worth the expense according to your gaming requirements.

If you want to know which 5000 series GPU from Nvidia is an easy buy for you for your budget, check out this article here.

RTX 5090 Specs: Under the Hood Powerhouse

Nvidia RTX 5090 Graphics Card

Here’s a look at what makes the RTX 5090 a strong contender for one of the best GPUs in the market. This graphics card delivers incredible power through its latest edition Ada Lovelace architecture. This review presents detailed information about essential RTX 5090 specifications.

  • Architecture: Ada Lovelace
  • CUDA processor cores: The card includes a specific number that needs further confirmation.
  • Memory: 32GB GDDR7
  • Memory Interface: (To be confirmed)
  • Power Consumption: 575W

The card serves professional gamers and content creators who need next-level performance for their needs.  This high-end video card features an abundant memory size with elevated power usage that indicates its main purpose includes playing 4K games at high refresh rates combined with professional video editing and complicated 3D work.

Makeup Performance Becomes Clear Through The RTX 5090’s Benchmark Results

Time to reveal the benchmarks that everyone has been anticipating.  Reports and leaked performance benchmarks demonstrate that the RTX 5090 achieves notably better results than the RTX 4090.  Several benchmarks indicate this new graphics card provides between 30% to 40% more speed compared to previous models. Better frame rates together with increased resolution settings lead to complete game immersion for players.

The RTX 5090 will excel at 4K gameplay as it provides unrivaled smoothness even when ray tracing features remain activated.

High Refresh Rate Gaming: 

A high refresh rate monitor can reach maximum rates with the RTX 5090 which provides competitive gameplay advantages in quick-paced games. Nvidia retains its ray tracing leadership position with the RTX 5090 through advanced refinement of this technology which delivers more authentic immersive visual experiences.

The benchmarks you see here are early results that might differ from actual gameplay experiences. The complete picture of RTX 5090 performance must be obtained by waiting for independent evaluations coming from Gamers Nexus and similar trusted review platforms.

Is the RTX 5090 Worth It?

People need to evaluate the worth of the RTX 5090 graphics card because its high price demands serious consideration regarding the average gamer’s needs.  People who need absolute peak performance alongside a sufficient budget should opt for the RTX 5090 without hesitation. Budget-conscious gamers have various high-quality options to choose from instead of the RTX 5090 because these alternatives deliver strong performance at cheaper prices.

And on that note, here’s a list of the best gaming CPUs in 2025 that you can pair with an RTX 5000 series GPU – of course without compromising on budget or performance!

The RTX 5000 series GPUs have brought in a brand new standard for performance, but at a significant cost. They’re more advanced for gamers who want to play the latest titles in the market and demand absolute graphics excellence. Just make sure that you absolutely need a certain tier of these GPUs before breaking the bank on one of them. 

Keep watching this space at TalkEsport for the latest updates on RTX 5090 until next time!

Deadlock Changes Are Coming To Valorant, Riot Dev Confirms

Sonu Banerjee
-
0
Deadlock Changes Are Coming To Valorant, Riot Dev Confirms

Despite a year and a half has passed since Deadlock was added to Valorant, the Norwegian Sentinel has remained rather underwhelming across all ranks in the shooter.

Since its initial release in June 2023 alongside the game’s Episode 7 update, Deadlock has suffered from abysmal pick rates in both pubs and the pro scene of Valorant. Over the years, the devs have tried making her a viable pick in the meta with multiple buffs to her kit. However, most players have opted to stick to better defensive alternatives like Cypher and Killjoy who excel at locking down sites and holding flank for their team.

For the same reason, it’s hardly surprising that Riot developers have once again announced some significant upcoming changes to the Agent.

Deadlock Changes Confirmed by Valorant Dev

In a recent post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Valorant’s Balance Designer Ryan Cousart has confirmed that they are planning to introduce some changes to Deadlock in the near future.

The dev also revealed that her sound sensor will likely remain untouched, but the rest of her kit could see some improvements.

“We want to keep sound sensor as is,” Cousart said in his post. “For now, but will be looking to empower players that are mastering her reactive, yet aggressive, stall potential.”

“We’ve experimented a bunch of crazy shit with Sound Sensor and honestly… just couldn’t find something that felt right,” the dev said in a follow-up Tweet. “I think we’ve cooked on something light but sweet though that will let Deadlock players do more Deadlock stuff.”

When Are Deadlock Changes Coming To Valorant?

Unfortunately, Riot Games hasn’t announced an official date for the upcoming Deadlock changes in Valorant at the time of writing. However, it’s safe to say that Valorant fans are excited to finally see some Deadlock buffs on the horizon.

If you’re an avid Valorant fan, be sure to keep an eye out on the official social media handles of the game for further announcements on the aforementioned Deadlock buffs.

Eternal Fire Crushes Falcons in IEM Katowice Quarter-Final

Sarjyo Mukherjee
-
0
Eternal Fire Crushes Falcons in IEM Katowice Quarter-Final

Falcons have failed to get going once again as Eternal Fire prooves that have their number online as well as LAN. Sheer dominance across both maps pushes Eternal Fire further into the IEM Katowice quarter-final upper bracket as the Falcons will fight for survival from the lower bracket.

Veto

  • Eternal Fire removed Ancient
  • Falcons removed Anubis
  • Eternal Fire picked Inferno
  • Falcons picked Train
  • Eternal Fire removed Mirage
  • Falcons removed Dust2
  • Nuke was left over

Map 1: Inferno; Pick: Eternal Fire; Winner: Eternal Fire

Despite losing the pistol round, Eternal Fire managed to win the force by putting Falcons on the backfoot right from the get-go as their defense stood little chance against the firepower of the Turks. Halfway into the first half, the Falcons managed to get ahead with a single-round lead but Eternal Fire managed to close their offense with a massive 8-4 lead. Once again Falcons failed to win the second round of the second half after winning the first round which gave them ruined any hopes for a comeback. As expected, Eternal Fire did not let the Falcons in any room and quickly closed out the map.

Map 2: Train; Pick: Falcons; Winner: Eternal Fire

Eternal Fire having little to no experience on Train managed to find answers to everything that Falcons threw at them as their offence posed little threat to Eternal Fire who went on to win 9 rounds in the first half. Falining to win the pistol round, Eternal Fire went 12-3 up, upon which any Falcons had no room for error as they managed to win 3 more rounds as Eternal Fire dominantly won the map.

1...218219220...1,986Page 219 of 1,986

EDITOR PICKS

Opinions

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

TalkEsport is world's premier stop for esports scores, news and coverage! In the industry since 2009, TalkEsport has garnered immense authenticity and credibility, making it the top destination for Esports!

Contact us: [email protected]

FOLLOW US

© TalkEsport Media & Broadcasting (P) Ltd. All Rights Reserved 2012-2025.