Valve shipped out yet another update to CS2 earlier today, marking the third update the game has received within the span of 72 hours.
While the first update of the series was a major update introducing Rush, pet chickens, and silent reloading among other things, the latter two aimed to fix various issues that persisted following the big content drop.
The latest CS2 update is a small one, but it brings some much-needed fixes to the Rush game mode and silent reloads for a couple of weapons.
Apart from the loading screen now having a better description of the rules of the Rush mode, the rules for determining when to kick players due to team damage have also been adjusted. Specifically, you no longer get kicked for doing too much team damage at the round start. There have also been various clipping adjustments to areas where players would be able to clip through walls and shipping containers.
Shortly after silent-reloading was introduced to CS2, players managed to find a series of bugs involving the feature. One of these bugs enabled you to silent-reload quicker by tapping the R button before holding it, while another bug could be abused to fire shotguns twice in a row.
Just found out how to min-max your silent reload!! ๐คฃ
Double-tap R + hold: Speeds up ~0.3s of the silent part and transitions into a silent reload once audio starts.
Global Esports are heading to China to make their first-ever appearance at the highly anticipated VALORANT Champions as the top seed from the Pacific Region following their impressive run at the VCT Pacific Stage 2 earlier in September, where they won the trophy.
Set to run between September 24 and October 18, 2026, the group stage has already kicked off at the time of writing and will run until October 4. Global Esports, who were drawn into Group B, will face some highly formidable names in Team Vitality, LOUD, and EDward Gaming, making their Champions debut a highly interesting one, especially for the fans.
Their opening match is set to take place on September 26, 2026, at 2:30 PM Indian time, when they will take on Team Vitality. The opening match result will determine their fate down the line, as two losses in the group stage will see them crash out. Find the schedule below:
Date
Match
Time (IST)
Stage
September 26, 2026
Global Esports vs Team Vitality
2:30 PM
Group Stage
September 30, 2026
Global Esports โ Opponent TBD
TBD
Group Stage (Potential match)
October 2, 2026*
Global Esports โ Opponent TBD
TBD
Group Stage (Potential match)
October 4, 2026*
Global Esports โ Opponent TBD
TBD
Group Stage (Potential match)
Being drawn into Group B, the other opening match will take place between LOUD and EDward Gaming, and its result will also play a key role in determining who GE faces next. The winners and losers of the opening matches will face each other in the following match, whose result will, in turn, determine the third game.
The Champions’ group stage uses a double-elimination format, which gives GE the much-needed buffer as they make their debut. Losing two matches in a row will call the curtains on a team, but there is a strong chance that GE comes out of the group given their convincing performances in the previous events.
For VALORANT fans in India, a Champions spot is a major milestone that sets the benchmark for the future. Not only does this give India its first-ever VALORANT Champions representation, but it will also help develop the esports scene for the future. Having defeated Nongshim RedForce 3-2 in the VCT Pacific Stage 2 Grand Final, GE’s confidence is at an all-time high, and a strong performance here will set a new course for this team, but only time can tell how they fare.
The TEZ Free Fire MAX India Cup (FFMIC) 2026 Fall Grand Finals are finally here. The top 12 teams from across India will compete at the Noida Indoor Stadium on September 26 and 27, with the first day featuring the important Point Rush stage.
Unlike a normal Grand Finals opening day, the Point Rush matches will help teams earn Champion Rush Headstart Points for the title-deciding matches on September 27. All 12 finalists will play six matches on September 26, with the first game scheduled for 2:50 PM IST.
The tournament also carries a โน1 crore prize pool, while the top three teams will qualify for the FFWS 2026 Global Finals in Bangkok, Thailand.
TEZ FFMIC 2026 Fall Point Rush Date and Timings
The FFMIC 2026 Fall Point Rush will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Noida Indoor Stadium.
The official broadcast is scheduled to begin at around 2:30 PM IST, while Match 1 starts at 2:50 PM IST. Six matches will be played, with approximately 30 minutes between each scheduled start.
Match
Date
Time
Game 1
September 26
2:50 PM IST
Game 2
September 26
3:20 PM IST
Game 3
September 26
3:50 PM IST
Game 4
September 26
4:20 PM IST
Game 5
September 26
4:50 PM IST
Game 6
September 26
5:20 PM IST
These six matches will not directly crown the champion. Instead, teams will try to secure the best possible advantage before Champion Rush on Day 2.
FFMIC 2026 Fall Point Rush Teams
A total of 12 teams have qualified for the Grand Finals. Six teams booked their places through Week 2 of the Knockout Stage, while another six joined them through Week 3.
The 12 teams competing in the Point Rush are:
Clutza Esports
Desi Gamers Esports
GodLike Esports
NG Pros
Orangutan x Elite
Resurrection Esports
Revenant XSpark
S8UL Esports
Team Apex Gaming
The W Squad
Total Gaming Esports
TSG Pros
This lineup features several established Indian Free Fire teams. Team Apex Gaming, S8UL Esports and Total Gaming also represented India at the Free Fire World Cup 2026 earlier this year.
How Does Free Fire MAX India Cup 2026 Point Rush Work?
Point Rush is important because it gives teams an advantage before the Champion Rush stage.
The 12 finalists will play six matches on September 26 using the regular scoring system. After all six matches, the top six teams will receive Headstart Points for Day 2 based on their Point Rush standings.
The Headstart Points are:
Point Rush Position
Headstart Points
1st
10
2nd
7
3rd
5
4th
3
5th
2
6th
1
7thโ12th
0
These points will matter on September 27 because the Grand Finals will switch to the Champion Rush format.
What Happens After Point Rush?
The actual FFMIC 2026 Fall champion will be decided on September 27.
The Champion Rush threshold has been set at 110 points. A team first needs to reach the required points to become Champion Rush eligible. After becoming eligible, the team needs to secure a Booyah in a subsequent match to win the tournament.
This makes finishing high in Point Rush valuable. For example, the Point Rush leader will enter the next stage with 10 Headstart Points, putting it closer to the 110-point threshold from the beginning.
Where to Watch FFMIC 2026 Fall Point Rush?
Fans can watch the FFMIC 2026 Fall Point Rush online through the official Free Fire MAX Esports India YouTube channel. The broadcast is expected to begin at 2:30 PM IST on September 26, around 20 minutes before the first match.
Fans can also attend the Grand Finals at the Noida Indoor Stadium in Noida, Delhi-NCR, with the LAN event taking place across September 26 and 27.
FFMIC 2026 Fall Point Rush: What Is at Stake?
The Point Rush is only the first half of the two-day Grand Finals, but every point could prove important.
Along with the โน1 crore total prize pool, three places at the FFWS 2026 Global Finals are on the line. The top three teams from FFMIC Fall will earn India’s slots at the global tournament in Bangkok later this year.
With only six Point Rush matches available, teams such as GodLike, Total Gaming, Orangutan x Elite, S8UL, Revenant XSpark and Apex Gaming will look to finish as high as possible and carry valuable Headstart Points into the Champion Rush stage.
Rockstar has had a mostly smooth run building hype for GTA 6 throughout 2026, but its latest merchandise drop has finally cracked that streak. The newly revealed Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection, a $399.99 box of Vice City-themed collectibles tied to the game’s upcoming November 19 launch, is being torn apart by fans online, with many even going as far as to cancel their pre-orders.
What is in the GTA 6 The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection Collectorโs Box?
The box itself doesn’t even include a copy of the game. Buyers get eleven items instead:
A six-inch Macca the Gator figure with a hidden stash compartment
Oakley Frogskins sunglasses in a Vice City colorway
A New Era snapback
A crossbody bag
A magnetic mirror
A shot glass
A keychain shaped like a razor blade
Enamel pins
Stickers
A swizzle spoon
A double-sided poster map of Leonida
It ships November 19 alongside the game, weighs 24 pounds, and doesn’t qualify for free shipping.
GTA 6 Collectorโs Box details
– Priced at $399.99 – Includes a full map of Leonida – 6โ Macca the Gator figure with a stash compartment – GTA VI Oakley Frogskins sunglasses with – Prizm Sapphire lenses – New Era 9FORTY A-Frame snapback – Leonida Keys crossbody bag – Macca theโฆ pic.twitter.com/XBfcM9Hi6t
On paper, that’s a lot of stuff for the price, with the Oakley sunglasses alone likely bumping up the value significantly. In practice, though, a good chunk of the community isn’t too keen on buying it.
Much of the backlash centers on the feeling that several pieces, especially the mirror, spoon, and razor-blade keychain, are just repackaged versions of merch Rockstar sold decades ago with the original Vice City, which were controversial at the time as well for leaning into cocaine imagery.
It didnโt take long for the GTA 6 community to explode into outrage since the reveal. Threads popped up on social media forums, with gamers filled with buyer’s remorse. Some even shared screenshots of them cancelling their pre-orders shortly after.
Some in the community also dismissed the box as low-effort filler that doesn’t match the quality of earlier pre-launch reveals, like the Extended Look trailer or the PS5 controller bundle.
It’s worth noting the box hasn’t sold out yet, which is unusual for GTA-branded merchandise and is itself being read by fans as a sign of how mixed the reception has been within the gameโs community.
Despite the shortcomings of the collectorโs box, itโs highly unlikely for it to dent the game’s actual sales come November 2026. GTA 6 is still one of the most anticipated video game releases in years, if not ever, but it’s a rare misstep for Rockstar’s marketing and a reminder that even the biggest franchises in the gaming realm can misjudge what their fanbase actually wants to pay for.
Rockstar Games has edited a promotional image for its new GTA 6 Collector’s Edition after fans spotted unannounced map locations on it. The image showed a map poster from the set, and part of that map had labels for islands Rockstar has not officially revealed.
What the GTA 6 Collector’s Edition map showed
On September 24, Rockstar revealed Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State, Vice City Collection. It is a $400 box of physical merchandise. One of the 11 items in the box is a double-sided souvenir poster with a map of Leonida, the fictional state based on Florida where GTA 6 takes place.
Fans looking at the store image found a cluster of four islands on the left side of the map. Two of the four islands had full name labels: Sanbars and Crude Islands. Some outlets read the first name as “Sandbars.”
Notebookcheck reported that fans also found partial labels near the top and bottom of the image, one beginning with “Dra” and another with “Beld.” The “Dra” label may be Draper Island, a name the community mapping project had already linked to footage of Port Gellhorn.
Rockstar edits the store image
Soon after screenshots spread on social media, Rockstar updated the store listing and took the name tags off the islands. The island outlines stayed on the map. The before and after images were shared in a side-by-side comparison posted on X.
Rockstar has not explained the edit. Notebookcheck noted that the reason is unclear, since the labels reveal little about the final game, and suggested the studio may want to show these places in its own marketing before launch.
Fan reaction online was mostly about timing. Many players pointed out that screenshots of the original image were already saved and shared, so removing the labels did not keep the names private.
GTA 6 map locations spotted on the poster
Label on poster
Status after edit
What is known
Sanbars (or Sandbars)
Removed
Full name was visible. Not officially announced
Crude Islands
Removed
Full name was visible. Not officially announced
“Dra…”
Removed
Partial label. Possibly Draper Island
“Beld…”
Removed
Partial label. Full name unknown
How the poster compares with earlier GTA 6 map leaks
This is not the first look at the GTA 6 map outside Rockstar’s official channels. A map said to come from an older development build surfaced online on August 18, 2026, together with leaked gameplay footage. Take-Two sent copyright takedown requests against copies of that footage. A 2015 build of the map also leaked in mid-September.
Some fans have noted that the Collector’s Edition map does not match the earlier leaked layout, which suggests Rockstar has changed parts of the map since those builds.
GTA 6 Collector’s Edition: price, contents and release date
Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State, Vice City Collection
Price
$399.99 / ยฃ349.99
Game included
No
Number of items
11
Where to buy
Rockstar Games Store only
Ships from
November 19, 2026
Order limit
One per person
The box includes a Macca the Gator figure, Oakley Frogskins sunglasses, a New Era 9FORTY snapback, a crossbody bag, a shot glass, a keychain, an enamel pin set, a sticker pack and the double-sided Leonida map poster. Rockstar says stock is limited.
Rockstar has not released a full official map. It has confirmed six regions of Leonida: Vice City, Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga National Park. Sanbars, Crude Islands and the partial “Dra” and “Beld” labels are not on that list yet.
Did Rockstar leak the GTA 6 map? Rockstar’s own store image for the $400 Collector’s Edition showed island names that had not been announced. Rockstar later removed the labels but kept the island outlines.
Which GTA 6 locations were on the Collector’s Edition map? Sanbars (or Sandbars) and Crude Islands were fully visible. Two partial labels starting with “Dra” and “Beld” were also spotted.
Does the GTA 6 Collector’s Edition include the game? No. The $400 set only contains merchandise. The game is sold separately.
PUBG Mobile Light is now called PUBG Mobile Flash. That has Indian players asking whether BGMI Lite will get the same change and become BGMI Flash. The short answer: KRAFTON India has not announced any plan to rename BGMI Lite. Here is what has been confirmed for both games, and how they differ.
PUBG Mobile Light renamed to PUBG Mobile Flash
PUBG Mobile announced the rename on its official X account on Sept. 24, 2026, and confirmed that the November 2026 launch has not changed. Players who already pre-registered keep their registration automatically. The company called it only a new name, so nobody has to sign up again.
As of Sept. 25, 2026, there is no official word on this. KRAFTON India has not said whether BGMI Lite will also be renamed.
A few facts explain why the global rename does not automatically carry over to India:
Point
Details
Who announced the rename
PUBG Mobile’s global accounts, not BGMI or KRAFTON India
Publisher of the global game
Level Infinite
Publisher of the India game
KRAFTON India
Were the names ever the same?
No. The global game was “LIGHT,” while the India game has always been “LITE”
Current India branding
KRAFTON India’s channels still use the BGMI Lite name
BGMI and PUBG Mobile run as separate products with separate approvals in India, so the Indian Lite version is not guaranteed to follow the global game’s schedule. The same applies to branding. Any name change for BGMI Lite would have to come from KRAFTON India directly.
If a rename does happen, the PUBG Mobile Flash case shows one way it can work: existing pre-registrations stay valid. KRAFTON India has not said how it would handle a similar change for BGMI Lite.
BGMI Lite: what KRAFTON India has confirmed
In an Aug. 19, 2026 release, KRAFTON India said BGMI Lite will launch later this year, with Android pre-registration on Google Play opening on Aug. 25 and an initial download of around 1GB. Existing BGMI players will not need to transfer their account to play it. iOS availability and pre-registration details will be shared later.
As of Sept. 25, KRAFTON has still not given an exact release date, and any specific date circulating online should be treated as speculation. Our guide to the BGMI Lite release date in India tracks the latest timeline.
Official promotional material lists a minimum of 1.5GB RAM and an Adreno 306 or higher GPU. The minimum Android version, supported processors and required free storage have not been shared yet.
PUBG Mobile Flash vs BGMI Lite
Detail
PUBG Mobile Flash
BGMI Lite
Former name
PUBG Mobile Light
None
Publisher
Level Infinite
KRAFTON India
Region
Global
India
Launch window
November 2026
By the end of 2026
Pre-registration
Android and iOS
Android only (iOS to be announced)
Initial download
Under 1GB on Android, under 2GB on iOS
Around 1GB
Account
Same account as PUBG Mobile
No account transfer needed
Cross-play with main game
Yes
Not confirmed
Minimum specs
Not announced
1.5GB RAM, Adreno 306 GPU (promotional material)
Timeline of the Light, Flash and Lite announcements
Date
Update
Aug. 16, 2026
PUBG Mobile LIGHT revealed at the PUBG Mobile World Cup 2026. KRAFTON India confirms BGMI Lite the same day
Aug. 19, 2026
KRAFTON India shares BGMI Lite pre-registration date and download size
Aug. 25, 2026
Pre-registration opens for both games
Sept. 24, 2026
PUBG Mobile Light renamed to PUBG Mobile Flash
November 2026
PUBG Mobile Flash launch window
By end of 2026
BGMI Lite launch window
Both lighter versions were announced on the final day of the PUBG Mobile World Cup 2026, when producer Rick Li revealed the global game and KRAFTON India posted “You Asked. We Listened. BGMI LITE Coming Soon.” Our PUBG Mobile LIGHT announcement coverage has the full details from that reveal.
Watch out for fake “BGMI Flash” downloads
No game called BGMI Flash exists, and KRAFTON India has not released any APK file for BGMI Lite. To pre-register safely, open the official BGMI Lite page on Google Play and check that the developer name shows KRAFTON, Inc. Treat any link or APK offering “BGMI Flash” as unofficial.
This is not the first lighter version tied to this game in India. Tencent’s PUBG Mobile Lite launched in July 2019 and was removed in India in September 2020 after the PUBG Mobile ban. Business Standard’s report on the BGMI Lite announcement covers KRAFTON India’s original statement.
FAQ
Is BGMI Lite being renamed to BGMI Flash? No official announcement has been made. KRAFTON India still uses the BGMI Lite name.
Why was PUBG Mobile Light renamed to PUBG Mobile Flash? PUBG Mobile has not given a reason. It only confirmed that the name is new and the game is the same.
Can Indian players download PUBG Mobile Flash? PUBG Mobile Flash is the global version. Players in India will get BGMI Lite from KRAFTON India.
Do I need to pre-register for BGMI Lite again? No. Pre-registrations on Google Play remain active, and KRAFTON India has announced no change to the process.
When will BGMI Lite release? KRAFTON India says it will launch by the end of 2026. No exact date has been announced.
Valorant Champions Shanghai runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 18, with 16 teams competing for a $2.25 million prize pool. This Valorant Shanghai schedule lists every group stage match, the playoff dates, start times in major time zones, results so far, and how to watch.
This is the first time China has hosted Champions, and the second international Valorant event in Shanghai. It is also the last Champions of the franchise era, as the VCT returns to an open qualifier format in 2027. Riot Games confirmed Shanghai as the host city on Aug. 1, 2025.
Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026 at a glance
Detail
Information
Dates
Sept. 24 to Oct. 18, 2026
Location
Shanghai, China
Group stage and early playoffs
Jing’an Sports Center (5,600 seats)
Finals weekend
Mercedes-Benz Arena, Pudong (18,000 seats)
Teams
16 (four from each VCT region)
Prize pool
$2,250,000
Game patch
13.05
Grand final
Sunday, Oct. 18 (best of five)
Valorant Shanghai schedule: match start times by time zone
Matches start at 5:00 PM China Standard Time each day, and the broadcast usually goes live about 30 minutes earlier with a pre-game desk segment. Each group stage day has two series. The second one is listed for 8:00 PM CST, but it can move depending on how long the first series runs.
Time zone
First match
Second match
China (CST)
5:00 PM
8:00 PM
Korea (KST)
6:00 PM
9:00 PM
India (IST)
2:30 PM
5:30 PM
Central Europe (CEST)
11:00 AM
2:00 PM
UK (BST)
10:00 AM
1:00 PM
US Eastern (ET)
5:00 AM
8:00 AM
US Pacific (PT)
2:00 AM
5:00 AM
All matches fall on the same calendar date in each of these time zones.
Group stage schedule (Sept. 24 to Oct. 4)
The 16 teams are split into four groups of four, with one team from each region (Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China) in every group so no two teams from the same region meet early.
Group
Americas
EMEA
Pacific
China
A
100 Thieves
FUT Esports
T1
JD Gaming
B
LOUD
Team Vitality
Global Esports
EDward Gaming
C
G2 Esports
Team Liquid
Paper Rex
TYLOO
D
NRG
Karmine Corp
Nongshim RedForce
Xi Lai Gaming
Each group plays a GSL double elimination bracket. All group matches are best of three. The two opening match winners meet in the winners’ match, and the winner of that series goes straight to the playoffs. The two opening match losers play an elimination match, and the loser goes home. The decider match then puts the loser of the winners’ match against the winner of the elimination match for the second playoff spot.
Every team that qualified got in through either a Stage 2 top two finish or Championship Points. You can read how all 16 teams qualified for Champions Shanghai for the full breakdown. LEVIATรN, the Masters London champions, did not qualify, becoming the first team in VCT history to win a Masters event and then miss Champions in the same season.
Full group stage match schedule
Date
Group
Match
Time (CST)
Thu, Sept. 24
C
Team Liquid vs. Paper Rex
5:00 PM
Thu, Sept. 24
C
TYLOO vs. G2 Esports
8:00 PM
Fri, Sept. 25
D
Nongshim RedForce vs. NRG
5:00 PM
Fri, Sept. 25
D
Karmine Corp vs. Xi Lai Gaming
8:00 PM
Sat, Sept. 26
B
Global Esports vs. Team Vitality
5:00 PM
Sat, Sept. 26
B
LOUD vs. EDward Gaming
8:00 PM
Sun, Sept. 27
A
100 Thieves vs. T1
5:00 PM
Sun, Sept. 27
A
JD Gaming vs. FUT Esports
8:00 PM
Mon, Sept. 28
No matches
Rest day
Tue, Sept. 29
C
Winners’ match
5:00 PM
Tue, Sept. 29
D
Winners’ match
8:00 PM
Wed, Sept. 30
A
Winners’ match
5:00 PM
Wed, Sept. 30
B
Winners’ match
8:00 PM
Thu, Oct. 1
C
Elimination match
5:00 PM
Thu, Oct. 1
D
Elimination match
8:00 PM
Fri, Oct. 2
A
Elimination match
5:00 PM
Fri, Oct. 2
B
Elimination match
8:00 PM
Sat, Oct. 3
C
Decider match
5:00 PM
Sat, Oct. 3
D
Decider match
8:00 PM
Sun, Oct. 4
A
Decider match
5:00 PM
Sun, Oct. 4
B
Decider match
8:00 PM
Group stage results so far
On opening day, Paper Rex beat Team Liquid 2-1 and G2 Esports beat TYLOO 2-0. That sends Paper Rex and G2 into the Group C winners’ match on Sept. 29, while Team Liquid and TYLOO meet in the Group C elimination match on Oct. 1.
Playoffs schedule (Oct. 7 to Oct. 18)
The eight teams that get out of groups move into a double elimination bracket. Every playoff match is best of three except the lower bracket final and the grand final, which are best of five. Playoff matchups are set in a draw show after the group stage ends on Oct. 4.
Date
Stage
Venue
Wed, Oct. 7
Playoffs Day 1
Jing’an Sports Center
Thu, Oct. 8
Playoffs Day 2
Jing’an Sports Center
Fri, Oct. 9
Playoffs Day 3
Jing’an Sports Center
Sat, Oct. 10
Playoffs Day 4
Jing’an Sports Center
Sun, Oct. 11
Playoffs Day 5
Jing’an Sports Center
Oct. 12 to Oct. 15
No matches
Break before finals weekend
Fri, Oct. 16
Playoffs Day 6
Mercedes-Benz Arena
Sat, Oct. 17
Lower bracket final (Bo5)
Mercedes-Benz Arena
Sun, Oct. 18
Grand final (Bo5)
Mercedes-Benz Arena
Playoffs Pick’Ems lock around 2:10 AM PT on Oct. 7, about 10 minutes after the first playoff game starts. Exact start times for finals weekend will be confirmed by Riot closer to the date.
Valorant Champions 2026 prize pool
Place
Prize (USD)
1st
$1,000,000
2nd
$400,000
3rd
$250,000
4th
$130,000
5th to 6th
$85,000 each
7th to 8th
$50,000 each
9th to 12th
$30,000 each
13th to 16th
$20,000 each
Patch and map pool
Champions Shanghai is played on Patch 13.05, so the 13.06 update that went live two days before the event is not used. That means the new Warden rifle and other 13.06 changes will not appear in any tournament match.
The map pool is Abyss, Ascent, Haven, Lotus, Split, Summit and Sunset. Abyss replaced Breeze in Patch 13.04, and Summit makes its Champions debut. Summit first arrived with the Season 2026 Act 4 update earlier this year.
How to watch Valorant Champions Shanghai
Every match streams on the official Valorant and VCT channels, with standard and vertical broadcasts and hundreds of official co-streamers. Official streams run on Twitch and YouTube. Link your Riot account before you watch to earn in-game drops such as titles and sprays.
If you plan to attend in person, tickets are tied to the buyer’s real-name ID and cannot be transferred, so buying from resellers is not advised.
Valorant Masters Shanghai 2024 schedule recap
Some searches for the Valorant Shanghai schedule refer to the earlier event. Masters Shanghai 2024 ran from May 23 to June 9, 2024, with 12 teams and a $1,000,000 prize pool. Gen.G beat Team Heretics 3-2 in the grand final to become the first Pacific team to win an international Valorant event. More details are on the Valorant Masters Shanghai 2024 page.
Valorant Shanghai schedule FAQ
When does Valorant Champions Shanghai start and end? The group stage started on Sept. 24, 2026. The grand final is on Sunday, Oct. 18.
What time do Champions Shanghai matches start? The first match each day starts at 5:00 PM CST. That is 2:30 PM IST, 11:00 AM CEST, 5:00 AM ET and 2:00 AM PT.
How many teams play at Champions 2026? Sixteen teams: four each from the Americas, EMEA, Pacific and China.
Where is the Valorant Champions 2026 grand final? Mercedes-Benz Arena in Pudong, Shanghai.
Who is the defending champion? NRG won Champions 2025 in Paris and entered Shanghai through Championship Points.
The first week of the BMSD 2026 Qualifiers has officially concluded, and the Promotion and Relegation system has already produced some surprising results. Team Soul and Nebula Esports have been relegated to Group B, while GodLike Esports and Orangutan managed to retain their places in Group A.
All 48 teams completed six matches each during Week 1. The results have now reshuffled Groups A, B and C ahead of Week 2, which begins on September 25.
Team Soul and Nebula Esports Relegated to Group B
Group A featured several of India’s biggest BGMI teams, but two recent champions struggled to remain inside the top eight.
Team Soul, the BGIS 2026 champion, finished outside the top eight and will now compete in Group B during Week 2. Soul missed the safe position by only one point.
Nebula Esports, which recently won BGMI Masters Series Season 5, was also relegated to Group B. Apex Gaming and Revenant XSpark were among the other teams that failed to retain their Group A positions.
On the other hand, GodLike Esports survived by the smallest possible margin. The BMPS 2026 champions secured eighth place, finishing one point ahead of Team Soul and keeping their Group A position.
Defending BMSD champions Orangutan also did enough to remain in the top group for Week 2.
Gladiator Esports finished Week 1 at the top of Group A with 58 points. Vasista Esports followed in second place with 54 points, while Team 8Bit secured third with 51 points.
The Group A standings became particularly important because only the top eight teams were able to retain their position in the highest group.
The difference between survival and relegation proved extremely small, with GodLike taking the eighth spot and Soul dropping to Group B by just one point.
Quantum Spark Finishes as Week 1 Overall Leader
While much of the attention was on Group A, Quantum Spark produced the highest points total across all three groups.
Quantum Spark topped Group C with 62 points, including 49 finish points. HyperCatz followed with 59 points, while Raspator finished third with 53.
In Group B, Welt Esports and BLEG both ended Week 1 with 60 points, while Rapid Chaos finished close behind with 56.
Here are the top three teams from each group after Week 1:
Group
Team
Points
A
Gladiator Esports
58
A
Vasista Esports
54
A
8Bit
51
B
Welt Esports
60
B
BLEG
60
B
Rapid Chaos
56
C
Quantum Spark
62
C
HyperCatz
59
C
Raspator
53
How BMSD 2026 Promotion and Relegation Works
The BMSD Qualifiers use a Promotion and Relegation format across three groups.
After Week 1, the top eight teams either move upward or retain their position, while the bottom eight move down or remain in the lower group. As a result, the groups will look different when Week 2 begins.
This system means a poor week does not immediately eliminate a team, but it can put them in a much more difficult position for the remaining Qualifiers.
For teams like Soul, Nebula, Apex Gaming and Revenant XSpark, Week 2 will now be about climbing back up the standings.
The competition features 48 invited BGMI teams fighting for a โน1 crore prize pool. The BMSD 2026 LAN Grand Finals are scheduled for October 16 to 18 in Hyderabad, while the top six teams will earn a pathway to BMIC 2026.
With recent champions already being pushed down the ladder, Week 1 has shown how quickly the Promotion and Relegation system can change the tournament. Week 2 will now be crucial for both the teams trying to stay at the top and those looking to climb back.
Nintendo has won its piracy lawsuit against James “Archbox” Williams. A Washington federal court has ordered the former r/SwitchPirates moderator to pay Nintendo $4.5 million in damages, and the default judgment includes a permanent injunction that bars him from distributing pirated games and circumvention tools, or encouraging others to use them.
The case never went to trial. Williams did not answer the lawsuit, so the court ruled for Nintendo by default.
Nintendo Archbox lawsuit: quick facts
Detail
Information
Defendant
James C. Williams, known online as “Archbox”
Plaintiff
Nintendo of America
Court
US District Court, Western District of Washington
Judge
Lauren King
Lawsuit filed
June 2024
Ruling type
Default judgment
Damages
$4.5 million ($150,000 x 30 games)
Other orders
Permanent injunction, shutdown of shops and linked accounts
What the court decided
Judge King granted Nintendo’s motion in full. She stressed that Williams was aware of the case, since he hired a lawyer to object to a Google subpoena, but he still failed to answer the complaint.
His Reddit posts were also used against him. In one post cited in the order, Williams called himself a pirate who would not pay Nintendo $50 for a game. The judge said posts like this showed the infringement was willful and found the award appropriate partly as punishment, writing that “Williams’ egregious infringement activities merit substantial punishment here.”
Under the US Copyright Act’s statutory damages rules, a rights holder does not have to prove exact losses. A copyright owner can ask for statutory damages of up to $30,000 per infringement, or up to $150,000 if the infringement is shown to be willful.
Damages type
Maximum per work
Standard statutory damages
$30,000
Willful infringement
$150,000
Nintendo’s claim
$150,000 x 30 games = $4.5 million
Nintendo asked for the statutory maximum for 30 games, including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The judge agreed, reasoning that lost sales for each game could easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, so the request was “not an unrealistic estimate”.
Nintendo did not request DMCA damages or attorneys’ fees, and the judge noted this worked in favor of granting the maximum infringement damages.
What Nintendo accused Archbox of doing
Nintendo filed the lawsuit in June 2024. It named three pirate shops, Jack-in-the-Shop, Turtle in the Shop and NekoDrive, which all shut down after a Nintendo cease and desist letter in March 2024. A fourth shop, LiberaShop, closed shortly after the complaint was filed.
The complaint also said Williams:
Helped people get and use circumvention software such as Signature Patches (Sigpatches) to run pirated games
Acted as a leading moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit, which grew to 190,000 members
Asked users for Nintendo eShop gift card “donations” so he could buy more Switch games to pirate
Was the main representative of Missing Dumps, a group that collected eShop gift cards to buy games not yet available in pirate shops
Some of the shops offered “Pro” tiers in exchange for eShop gift cards, giving access to games that were not publicly listed.
How Nintendo tracked him down
According to a Game File report, Nintendo found Williams after he sent a Switch console in for repair. He had posted that he lived near Phoenix, Arizona, and once his shipping address showed up in Nintendo’s customer service system, the company’s lawyers could locate him and serve legal papers.
What the permanent injunction covers
The injunction bans Williams from distributing any pirated Nintendo game, not only the 30 listed titles, along with any software that bypasses protections on Nintendo games and consoles. He must also disable his pirate shops and the accounts used to promote them, including his Reddit account and accounts on Instagram, X, TikTok, Discord and Telegram.
In practice, little remains online. The “archbox” Reddit account had already been deleted by its owner, and most of the shops shut down after the March 2024 cease and desist letter.
Will Nintendo actually get paid?
That is still unclear. TorrentFreak reports that recovering the $4.5 million will likely be hard, especially with an unresponsive defendant. Because Williams did not respond, the court accepted the complaint’s allegations as true, so none of the legal claims were tested.
How the Archbox case compares with other Nintendo piracy lawsuits
Nintendo has pursued several piracy cases in US courts over the past five years. The Archbox ruling sits in the middle of that range.
Case
Year
Outcome
Gary Bowser (Team Xecuter)
2021
$10 million consent judgment
RomUniverse (Matthew Storman)
2021
$2.1 million in damages
Yuzu emulator (Tropic Haze)
2024
$2.4 million settlement
Modded Hardware
2025
$2 million agreed judgment
James “Archbox” Williams
2026
$4.5 million default judgment
Bowser agreed to pay $10 million and halt his piracy activity to end Nintendo’s suit over Team Xecuter’s SX OS. RomUniverse’s owner was ordered to pay $35,000 for each of 49 Nintendo games plus trademark damages, a total of $2,115,000. Yuzu’s creator agreed to pay $2.4 million and shut down the emulator. The Modded Hardware lawsuit was filed on the same day as the Archbox case and ended when its operator agreed to a $2 million judgment.
Who is Archbox? Archbox is the online name of James C. Williams, an Arizona resident and former moderator of the r/SwitchPirates subreddit.
How much does Archbox owe Nintendo? $4.5 million, calculated as $150,000 for each of 30 Nintendo Switch games.
What is a default judgment? It is a ruling made when a defendant does not respond to a lawsuit. The court accepts the plaintiff’s claims as true and no trial takes place.
Which games were part of the case? The 30 titles include The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Did Archbox go to jail? No. This was a civil copyright case, so the outcome is financial damages and a court order, not a criminal sentence.
Instagram has added a way to blur people on Instagram Stories without leaving the app. The new Pixel effect uses a text prompt to hide someone’s face, so you can post a photo with a friend or partner in it without showing who they are.
What is Instagram’s Pixel effect?
The Pixel effect is an AI tool inside the Stories editor. Meta has launched new AI effects that allow you to pixelate things in your story posts. All you have to do is select the Pixel effect in Stories and then give it a prompt to blur what you want to hide.
Instagram showed how it works with its own sample post. In Instagram’s own example, they gave the prompt of making a man “extremely pixelated,” so you can’t see his face, but you can tell that somebody else is in the photo.
The feature was first reported on September 24, 2026, and has already been nicknamed a “soft launch” tool. A soft launch is when someone hints at a new relationship online, often by showing a hand or the back of a head, before they reveal the person.
How to blur people on Instagram Stories
The process takes a few taps:
Open Instagram and start a new Story.
Pick the photo you want to post.
Open the effects menu and select Pixel.
Type a prompt that says who or what to blur, for example “make the man on the left extremely pixelated.”
Check the result, then post the Story or change the prompt and try again.
The wording of the prompt decides how strong the blur is. If you want the person to be a little more recognizable, then you simply adjust the prompt so it doesn’t blur them as heavily as it could. Because the edit is generated by AI, it can take a few tries to get the exact result you want. Zoom in before posting to make sure no part of the face is still visible.
Pixel effect at a glance
Detail
What we know
Feature name
Pixel effect
Where to find it
Effects menu in Instagram Stories
How it works
You type a text prompt describing what to blur
Blur strength
Controlled by how you word the prompt
Cost
Meta’s Muse Image tools are free for everyday creation, but heavy users may need a Meta AI subscription
Paid option
Meta One Core costs $7.99 a month and lets users restyle more Stories on Instagram
Who can use it right now
Instagram has not listed a country-by-country rollout for the Pixel effect. It sits in the same Stories effects area that Meta has expanded several times this year. Instagram merged the “Effects” and “Restyle” sections in Stories into one section called “Effects.”
In July, Meta announced more than 30 new AI effects for Stories. Those effects, powered by Meta’s Muse Image model, started rolling out in the US before a wider release. If you do not see the Pixel option yet, update the app and check again over the coming weeks.
Instagram has added several AI tools for creators and influencers in 2026, and the Pixel effect is the newest one.
Why streamers and esports players may use it
Pro players, streamers and content creators often post from LAN events, bootcamps, meetups and trips. Those photos can include family members, friends or fans who never agreed to appear on a public account with thousands of followers.
Blurring bystanders also cuts down on doxxing risk. Doxxing is when someone collects and shares your personal information online, like your location, workplace, or phone number, without your permission. For streamers, this can happen when viewers piece together details from your live content. The privacy guidance for IRL streamers from Streamlabs also advises against showing street signs, addresses and number plates. The Pixel effect can be prompted to hide those too, though results should be checked each time.
Early reaction to the feature
Responses so far are split. Some users have already called it a “pretty cool” idea from Instagram, but a dating expert told the Post that they are “not a fan” and people should hold off until they’re ready to post the other person anyway. Other commenters on Instagram’s announcement post questioned why a prompt is needed for something a simple blur brush could do.
Privacy settings to check alongside the new effect
Meta’s AI photo tools have faced pushback this year. Meta pulled the @mention image feature after criticism in July. The feature let users generate images using public Instagram accounts, and it drew days of criticism over its opt-out policy, including from talent agencies.
That feature is gone, but the related setting is still worth checking. If you don’t want anyone to create with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta, you can turn it off by going to Instagram Settings > Sharing and Reuse. This setting is currently available on mobile only.
Can I blur someone’s face on Instagram Stories without another app? Yes. Select the Pixel effect in the Stories editor and type a prompt describing the person you want to blur.
Can I control how blurry the person looks? Yes. The wording of your prompt sets the strength. “Extremely pixelated” hides the face fully, while a lighter prompt leaves the person more recognizable.
Why can’t I see the Pixel effect? Meta’s newer AI effects have rolled out in stages, starting in the US. Update Instagram and check the Effects menu again later.
Does the Pixel effect work on Instagram feed posts? The feature has only been shown working in Stories so far.
