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iQOO Soul Leave Chennai as Champions of BGIS 2026 as 6,00,000 Viewers Witness India’s Biggest Ever Mobile Esports Final

Aritra Patra
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0
iQOO Soul Leave Chennai as Champions of BGIS 2026 as 6,00,000 Viewers Witness India’s Biggest Ever Mobile Esports Final

In the end, it came down to the last points of the last match – and more than 600,000 people watched it happen live. iQOO Soul left the Chennai Trade Centre tonight as the BGIS 2026 Champions, but not before Genesis Esports pushed them to the absolute limit in one of the most breathtaking title finishes in Indian esports history. The margin was razor-thin. The crowd was on its feet. And when the final numbers were confirmed, Soul had done what they had done across every stage of this tournament – found a way to win.

HunterZ from Genesis Esports was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the BGIS 2026 Grand Finals, earning ₹3 lakhs for his exceptional performance throughout the tournament. LEGIT from iQOO Soul was awarded the Grand Finals MVP, taking home ₹1.5 lakhs for his standout gameplay in the Grand Finals. Additional honours included Best IGL awarded to NakuL (₹2 lakhs), Emerging Star going to Detrox (₹1 lakh), and Best Clutch secured by Termi (₹1 lakh). The Fan Favourite Team award was presented to iQOO Soul, who received ₹1 lakh.

Team Soul emerged as the champions of the BGIS 2026 Grand Finals, taking home ₹1 crore in prize money. Genesis Esports finished as the 1st Runner-up with ₹50 lakhs, while Orangutan secured the 2nd Runner-up position with ₹35 lakhs. Following them in the standings, Victores Sumus secured fourth place while Godlike Esports rounded out the top five.

Congratulations to iQOO Soul – they were the best team in India across every stage of this competition, and they proved it again today when it mattered most. But if I’m being honest, today everyone won. The players who competed on that stage, the fans who filled the Chennai Trade Centre, the 6,00,000+ people who were watching live on Day 3, the community that unlocked INR 2 Crore of its own prize pool – this was theirs as much as it was Soul’s. BGIS 2026 has shown us what Indian mobile esports looks like when everything comes together. We’re incredibly proud of what this community has built, and we’re already thinking about what comes next.

Karan Pathak, Associate Director – Esports, Krafton India

How Soul Won It

The story of BGIS 2026 will be told in two halves. The first was Soul’s dominance – methodical, relentless, suffocating. The second was Genesis’s refusal to accept it.

Soul had topped the Semifinals with 172 points, 116 eliminations, and three Chicken Dinners – arriving in Chennai as the team everyone else had to beat. They lived up to that billing across Days 1 and 2, ending Day 2 in first place with 117 points and two Chicken Dinners, winning the final match of the day with 19 points in a moment that felt like a champion planting a flag.

But Genesis was not done. Just three points separated the two sides going into Day 3 – a gap so thin that a single Chicken Dinner, a single clutch elimination, could have rewritten the result entirely. What followed across Day 3’s six matches was the kind of tournament chess that fans will be talking about for years: two teams playing not just for points, but playing against each other – every rotation, every zone, every engagement carrying championship weight.

Soul held. Genesis pushed until the very last circle. When the final standings were confirmed, the margin between champion and runner-up was the smallest it has ever been in a BGIS Grand Final – a fitting end to a tournament that deserved exactly this kind of finish.

The Numbers That Rewrote History

BGIS 2026 broke its own viewership record on back-to-back days. Day 2 had already set an all-time high with a peak of 550,000+ concurrent viewers on the KRAFTON India Esports YouTube channel. Then came Day 3 – the championship day – and the audience surged again, peaking at over 600,000 concurrent viewers as Soul and Genesis played out their extraordinary finale. India was not just watching. India was holding its breath. The fan favourite Team GodLike fought hard and finished in 5th position. 

The INR 4 Crore prize pool – the largest in BGIS history – told its own story about where this community stands. It comprised an INR 2 Crore base pool and an additional INR 2 Crore unlocked entirely by BGMI players through the in-game Discovery Island initiative, where every Classic Mode match contributed toward a shared server-wide tracker. Every milestone was cleared before the first match in Chennai was played.

The live broadcast was available in Hindi, English, and multiple regional languages, making BGIS 2026 the most accessible – and most watched – edition in the tournament’s history.

Final Day 3 Rankings

PrizeWinning Team/PlayerPrize Amount(in Rupees)
ChampionsiQOO Soul1,00,00,000
1st Runner UpGenesis Esports50,00,000
2nd Runner UpOrangutan35,00,000
MVPHunterZ3,00,000
Finals MVPLEGIT1,50,000
Best IGLNakul2,00,000
Emerging StarDetrox1,00,000
Best ClutchTermi1,00,000
Fan Favourite TeamiQOO Soul1,00,000

For highlights and full results, follow KRAFTON India’s official YouTube channel.

Vitality Wins BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
Vitality Wins BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026

Vitality has secured their 3rd Premier Counter-Strike 2 trophy of 2026, beating Natus Vincere in the Grand Finals of the BLAST Open Rotterdam. Delivering a statement victory in Rotterdam, NAVI was dismantled to its very core as a heavily dominant performance for Vitality concluded a 3-0 Grand Finals, asserting its place as the best team in the world.

Coming into the series with high expectations, NAVI failed to reflect its sharp performance in their Grand Finals showing, as Vitality proved to be still a level above the rest of the Counter-Strike scene.

As It Happened

The series kicked off on Inferno, where Vitality started strong with crisp executions that suffocated the NAVI defense and controlled the pace of the map in the process. Closing a dominant 13-7 win, NAVI were left struggling to find openings as Vitality read every hand they played, leading to a dominant start from the EU squad.

Following a convincing first map from Vitality, NAVI failed to respond, leading to another blowout. The individuals from Vitality stepped up big time, even though NAVI looked sharper with their calls. 13-10 close in the second map showed a better performance from NAVI, but it was far from what was needed to take down Vitality.

Without giving NAVI a chance, Vitality put the nail in the coffin on Dust2. Soaring with confidence, Vitality played a brand of in-your-face Counter-Strike that kept NAVI from finding its footing. Failing to adapt to such an aggressive style of play, Vitality wiped the floor with them as they secured the map and the trophy without dropping a single map.

Vitality’s position as the best team in the world was called into question at multiple points this year, but their dominant performance in the Grand Finals proves they are here to mark an era. As they continue to dominate in this fashion, leading up to the Major, we wouldn’t be surprised if they pick up their 3rd in a row.

Team SouL Emerges as the BGIS 2026 Winners

Hoax
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0
Team SouL Emerges as the BGIS 2026 Winners

iQOO SouL have been crowned the BGIS 2026 winners, clinching the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2026 championship after a commanding performance across all three days of the Grand Finals held at the Chennai Trade Centre from March 27 to 29, 2026.

What Is BGIS 2026?

Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2026 (BGIS 2026) marks the fifth edition of the flagship BGMI tournament that KRAFTON India and Tesseract Esports organize. This year’s edition was the biggest yet, featuring a prize pool of Rs. 4 Crore, the largest in the tournament’s history, with 16 of India’s top BGMI teams battling across 18 matches on Erangel, Miramar, and Rondo maps.

The Grand Finals format was straightforward but ruthless. The team that accumulates the highest cumulative points across all 18 matches wins the championship, making consistency and kill count equally critical in every single game.

Team SouL’s Journey To Becoming BGIS 2026 Winners

Team SouL entered the Grand Finals as the number one seed from the Semifinals, and they backed it up from the very first match. After Day 1, iQOO SouL topped the standings with 66 points from six matches, including one Chicken Dinner and a massive 48 combined eliminations, edging out GodLike Esports who sat just three points behind with 63 points.

Day 2 saw SouL further cement their dominance. They extended their lead to 117 points with two Chicken Dinners and 80 eliminations after 12 matches, keeping them a slim but meaningful three points ahead of Genesis Esports who had 114 points. GodLike Esports ranked third with 96 points heading into the final day.

By Day 3 on March 29, SouL had built too strong a foundation for their rivals to overcome, and iQOO SouL were confirmed as the BGIS 2026 Grand Finals Champions, taking home the Rs. 1 Crore first-place prize.

The Players Who Made It Happen

The Nakul-led squad proved why they set the gold standard for Indian competitive BGMI. Nakul, the team’s IGL, earned the top IGL rating of the tournament with a stellar survival average and consistent WWCD calls. His ability to balance aggressive positioning with smart rotations was a key factor in SouL’s run from top of the Semifinals table all the way to the championship.

Goblin was the standout fragger of the Grand Finals, racking up 25 kills in just the first two days and earning the Day 1 MVP award with 18 finishes in six matches. Legit was equally destructive with 23 kills across the same stretch, and Joker entered the finals as the tournament’s overall MVP leader with 58 finishes and close to 14,000 damage across the full event.

The Competition They Beat

SouL’s path to the title was never unchallenged. Genesis Esports pushed them right to the end, sitting just three points back after Day 2 with 114 points, despite not winning a single Chicken Dinner in the first 12 matches. Their aggression translated into 88 eliminations, making them a constant threat.

GodLike Esports, SouL’s arch-rivals, also made their presence felt. They finished Day 1 in second place with two Chicken Dinners and 63 points, fuelling what has become one of Indian esports’ most intense team rivalries. Vasista Esports, Victores Sumus, and Revenant XSpark also performed well but could not close the gap to the top three. For more on how other Indian BGMI teams stack up, check out TalkEsport’s BGIS 2026 Grand Finals Points Table.

Prize Pool Breakdown

PlacementTeamPrize
1stiQOO SouLRs. 1,00,00,000
2ndGenesis EsportsRs. 50,00,000
3rdGodLike EsportsRs. 35,00,000
4thVasista EsportsRs. 25,00,000
5thVictores SumusRs. 20,50,000
6thOrangutanRs. 16,00,000

What This Win Means for SouL

This championship reinforces iQOO SouL’s position as the most consistent and accomplished team in Indian BGMI. Going into the Grand Finals as the top Semifinals seed, they did not just meet expectations. They exceeded them by leading the scoreboard at the end of every single day of competition. For a team that has been consistently among India’s best across multiple seasons, winning BGIS 2026 adds another landmark title to their legacy.

NAVI to Face Vitality in BLAST Open Rotterdam Grand Finals

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
NAVI to Face Vitality in BLAST Open Rotterdam Grand Finals

Natus Vincere has taken down PARIVISION in the CIS derby to reach the Grand Finals of BLAST Open Rotterdam with a 2-1 scoreline. A tight victory in the first map, followed by defeat in the second, only to drop a dominant performance in the final map, saw the newly rejuvenated NAVI pull ahead.

VETO

  • PARIVISION removed Nuke
  • Natus Vincere removed Overpass
  • PARIVISION picked Dust2
  • Natus Vincere picked Inferno
  • PARIVISION removed Ancient
  • Natus Vincere removed Anubis
  • Mirage was left over

Map 1: Dust2; Pick: PARIVISION; Winner: NAVI

Starting their map pick with a pistol win, PARIVISION conceded the first full-buy round to let NAVI hit the board. As PARIVISION managed to win rounds in between, NAVI edged out with a 7-5 lead before switching sides. Winning the second pistol levelled the scoreline for PARIVISION, but NAVI soon took charge of the game on their offense, and just as PARIVISION were about to push the game to OT, NAVI won the final round to win the map with a 13-11 scoreline. Wonderful’s flashy AWPing in the open lanes of Dust2 helped NAVI edge out PARIVISION to secure the first map.

Map 2: Inferno; Pick: NAVI; Winner: PARIVISION

Losing the pistol, NAVI managed to convert their force-buy on the defense as they managed to go 5-2 up before PARIVISION started roping in rounds. Winning 5 rounds in a row, PARIVISION secured a 7-5 lead before switching sides. NAVI’s pistol win levelled the scoreline, but the PARIVISION defense won 5 rounds in a row to close out the map in dominant fashion. Jame topping the charts with 19 kills saw PARIVISION survive for another map in Rotterdam.

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

Coming into NAVI’s stronghold, PARIVISON failed to get going as they only managed to win 1 round with NAVI pulling off a near-perfect defense to switch sides with an 11-1 scoreline, which made their qualification a matter of time. PARIVISION’s futile effort to make a comeback started with the pistol win, but NAVI hit a series point with their first full buy round on T side. PARIVISON continued to win 4 more rounds before NAVI secured the single round they needed to go through. A 23 kill masterclass from makazze sealed the fate of PARIVISION in the final map of the series.

PARIVISION is a team that is on the rise, and with top talents under the banner, it is only a matter of time before this team can close out like this on the big stage. Experience and tactical depth are holding them back, and these two things will take time. With the Major coming up, they have time to iron out the wrinkles, and if they do, Vitality’s era might come to an end.

Vitality Sets Foot in BLAST Open Rotterdam Grand Finals

Sarjyo Mukherjee
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0
Vitality Sets Foot in BLAST Open Rotterdam Grand Finals

Team Vitality has successfully qualified for the Grand Finals of BLAST Open Rotterdam by defeating Aurora with an effortless 2-0 win. A 13-5 scoreline in back-to-back maps saw Aurora failing to even put up a contest against Vitality as the number 1-ranked team in the world finds itself on the verge of another tournament victory.

VETO

  • Aurora removed Overpass
  • Vitality removed Anubis
  • Aurora picked Inferno
  • Vitality picked Nuke
  • Aurora removed Dust2
  • Vitality removed Ancient
  • Mirage was left over

Map 1: Inferno; Pick: Aurora; Winner: Vitality

A confident start for Vitality on the defence saw them bully Aurora for 5 rounds before the Turks could see a point on the board. Trading out yielded no more than 2 to Aurora in the first half as Vitality remained dominant till the end, resulting in a 10-2 scoreline. Managing to convert the force after losing the pistol, Vitality managed to drop 3 rounds before getting back on the board. With not much left to do, ZyWoo and co. pulled in the two back-to-back rounds to bring the game to a close as we headed to map 2 with a 13-5 win in favour of Team Vitality. FlameZ with a hot hand proved instrumental in winning the map for Vitality as others enjoyed an easy day in the office.

Map 2: Nuke; Pick: Vitality; Winner: Vitality

Yet another 5-0 start for Vitality on Nuke saw them continue their domination as Aurora struggled to keep up. Winning 3 rounds on the defence, Aurora almost handed over another map to Vitality with ZyWoo having a field day on the offence with his AWP. Trading rounds to kick off the second half, Vitality managed to find their footing with the 3rd round of their defense as they remained flawless for the rest of the half, leading to a quick conclusion of Aurora’s semi-finals. 18 kills from ZyWoo saw Vitality secure another 13-5 win as he heads to the Grand Finals in Rotterdam.

Even though Vitality was expected to go through, fans believed Aurora would put up a better fight. Goes without saying that when Vitality’s gears are clicking, it is very hard to stop them, and as the Turkish side’s run here comes to an end, they will be heading back to the drawing board with several impressive wins to their name.

Azerbaijan Esports Federation Raises Concerns After ENC Partner Selection, as EF Appoints 100+ Nations

Deepak Ojha
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0
Azerbaijan Esports Federation Raises Concerns After ENC Partner Selection, as EF Appoints 100+ Nations

The Azerbaijan Esports Federation has raised concerns following its exclusion from the National Team Partner (NTP) and National Team Manager (NTM) selections for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, after the Esports Foundation announced partnerships across more than 100 countries.

In an official statement, the federation confirmed that it was not selected in the recent process, calling the outcome “disappointing” despite its existing relationships with major publishers including Electronic Arts, Tencent Games, and MOONTON Games.

However, it is worth noting that on the International Esports Federation’s website, the mention of Azerbaijan Esports Federation returns a 404.

Federation Flags Transparency Concerns

The Azerbaijan Esports Federation, which is officially recognized by the country’s Ministry of Youth and Sport, stated that it had undertaken structured efforts to build both international and grassroots esports development within the region.

However, it noted that no formal communication had been received at the institutional level regarding the entity selected to represent Azerbaijan. According to the statement, this includes a lack of clarity even through government channels.

The federation also highlighted that it was not given an opportunity to present its case through direct engagement during the selection process, raising broader concerns around transparency and institutional alignment in decisions related to national representation.

ENC Expands Global Footprint

The development comes shortly after the Esports Foundation confirmed National Team Partner appointments across more than 100 nations for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026, set to take place in Riyadh.

The tournament is expected to feature a prize pool of $45 million across titles under the broader Esports World Cup ecosystem, positioning it as one of the largest investments in competitive gaming to date.

In India, NODWIN Gaming was named the official National Team Partner, tasked with leading team formation and national representation for the event.

Uncertainty Around Azerbaijan Representation

At the time of writing, the Esports Foundation has not publicly clarified the selected partner or representative body for Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijan Esports Federation stated that it will continue engaging with stakeholders to ensure that national representation reflects the interests of its players and broader community.

Further updates are expected as additional details emerge regarding the selection process and Azerbaijan’s representation at the Esports Nations Cup 2026.

Regional Game Prices Expected to Shift After Valve’s New Steam Pricing Update

Sonu Banerjee
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0
Regional Game Prices Expected to Shift After Valve’s New Steam Pricing Update

Earlier today, Valve introduced an update to the pricing conversion tools on Steam, adding two new conversion methods that might impact the regional price tags on games throughout the globe.

Additionally, the pricing conversion data on Steam has also been updated to “better reflect current market conditions around the world.” According to Steam’s official blog post,  these improvements have been made to help game devs on the platform price their titles in 35 currencies and 4 region groups worldwide.

Steam Adds New Pricing Conversion Tools for Game Devs

Following the update, Steam features three different conversion methods for devs to pick from when publishing games on the platform:

  • Exchange Rate Conversion – This method uses simple currency exchange.
  • Purchasing Power Conversion – This method takes into account public data about the average purchasing power of customers in the region. 
  • Multi-variable Conversion – This method uses multiple data sources for each currency, including factors like local purchasing power, expected cost of comparable entertainment goods, and exchange rates.

“These conversion methods are intended to help developers make informed decisions about pricing and to choose the option that best fits their goals,” Steam said in a statement. “Some developers may choose to use a mix of methods for their games or manually set prices for one or more currencies.”

Readers can check out Steam’s regional pricing page to check out how each of these pricing methods converts to all supported currencies for each major USD price point.

Will This Impact Video Game Prices?

Valve has also reassured gamers and game devs that the company won’t be altering the price tags on any games on Steam. Publishers will still set their own prices on the platform, and game prices won’t change unless they manually submit and publish new prices.

Steam also clarified that publishers are under no obligation to follow any of the suggested pricing conversion options if they choose otherwise.

“Your prices are between you and your customers,” Steam stated. “Whether you follow or diverge from any of the provided conversion options doesn’t impact any of our store visibility systems.”

While the new tools aim to make regional pricing more reflective of local markets, the final decision still rests entirely with publishers. This means game prices across different regions could soon see noticeable changes depending on how publishers choose to use these tools.

Needless to say, with the recent surge in PC hardware prices and the ever-increasing price points on AAA titles, gamers will be keeping their fingers crossed for these new changes to help make modern titles more affordable across different regions.

BGIS 2026 Grand Finals Day 2: Overall Standings and Recap

Hoax
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0
BGIS 2026 Grand Finals Day 2: Overall Standings and Recap

Day 2 of the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS 2026) Grand Finals delivered six more action-packed matches at the Chennai Trade Centre on March 28. With 12 of the 18 total matches now behind us, the leaderboard is starting to take real shape, and Team Soul is sitting at the very top heading into the final day.

BGIS 2026 Grand Finals Day 2 Overall Points Table

After two days of competition, here is how the 16 teams stand going into Day 3 of the BGIS 2026 Grand Finals:

RankTeamPlacement PointsFinish PointsTotal Points
1Team Soul3780117
2Genesis Esports2688114
3GodLike Esports286896
4Vasista Esports305989
5Victores Sumus315485
6Orangutan275885
7Revenant XSpark156378
8Wyld Fangs344377
9Learn From Past244064
10Myth Official214364
11Reckoning Esports223961
12K9 Esports233760
13Meta Ninza193756
14Nebula Esports213051
15Team Tamilas123648
16Welt Esports142741

BGIS 2026 Grand Finals Day 2 Matchwise Recap

Here is the matchwise recap of BGIS 2026 Grand Finals Day 2:

Match 7 Recap: Rondo

Day 2 opened on the Rondo map, and it was Orangutan who set the tone immediately by securing their first Chicken Dinner of the Grand Finals with 26 points. Victores Sumus played a solid round to pocket 16 points, while Myth and Vasista Esports collected 14 and 13 points, respectively. Revenant XSpark and Welt each grabbed 11 points in a round that saw multiple teams close the gap.

Match 8 Recap: Erangel

The second game of the day shifted to Erangel, where Wyld Fangs reclaimed some lost ground with a 14-point Chicken Dinner victory. However, it was Genesis Esports that made the biggest noise, playing highly aggressively to rack up 20 points without even winning the match. LEFP also turned heads with a 14-point haul, and Team Tamilas chipped in with 9 points.

Match 9 Recap: Erangel

Meta Ninza stepped up in Match 9 on Erangel, coming away with a well-earned 21-point victory. Team GodLike had one of their stronger games of Day 2, adding 18 points and climbing back into contention. Team Soul continued their consistent run with 15 points, while Genesis contributed another 10 to keep themselves neck-and-neck with Soul at the top of the table.

Match 10 Recap: Erangel

K9 Esports had been quiet throughout the tournament, but Match 10 was their moment. They claimed their first Chicken Dinner of the Grand Finals with 24 points and gave their fanbase something to cheer about. Revenant XSpark followed up with a strong 21-point game, while LEFP and Reckoning each added 7 points to continue building their totals.

Match 11 Recap: Miramar

Match 11 on Miramar produced arguably the most surprising result of the day, as Nebula emerged victorious with 21 points and secured their first Chicken Dinner of the Grand Finals. Vasista Esports and Myth were solid in support, earning 14 and 13 points respectively. Orangutan added 10 useful points to their tally, while Genesis collected 9 more points, continuing their impressive run of consistent finishes.

Match 12 Recap: Miramar

Day 2 closed the way Team Soul would have scripted it. They won Match 12 on Miramar with 19 points, sealing their second Chicken Dinner of the tournament and their grip on first place. LEFP had a productive final game of the day with 16 points. Orangutan and Genesis both added 11 and 10 points respectively, while Vasista Esports managed 9 to stay within striking distance of the top three.

What to Expect on Day 3

Team Soul leads with 117 points and two Chicken Dinners, but Genesis Esports is just 3 points behind in second place, making this one of the tightest title races BGIS has seen in recent memory. GodLike, despite a slightly off Day 2, still sits third with 96 points and two Chicken Dinners, meaning they are very much in the mix for the trophy. With six matches remaining on Day 3, teams ranked 4th through 8th, including Vasista, Victores Sumus, Orangutan, Revenant XSpark, and Wyld Fangs, all have enough points to realistically challenge for the top spots. The Grand Finals conclude on March 29 at the Chennai Trade Centre, and fans should brace for an explosive finish.

FACEIT CS2 Players to Undergo Rank Recalibration in Season 8

Sonu Banerjee
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0
FACEIT CS2 Players to Undergo Rank Recalibration in Season 8

All FACEIT players will have their ranks recalibrated starting with Season 8, the platform has confirmed.

Through an announcement video on March 26, FACEIT confirmed the launch of Season 8 on April 22, 2026. With the start of the new FACEIT season, all players on the platform will need to complete 10 placement matches to receive their new rank.

FACEIT Season 8 Recalibration Explained

Don’t worry, the rank recalibration coming in the upcoming FACEIT Season 8 isn’t a hard reset. It’s more of a soft reset aimed at fine-tuning player ratings, meaning regular players who are actively playing the game likely won’t see major changes, while those who have been inactive for a while may notice more significant adjustments corresponding to their current skill level.

“The goal is to keep the highest levels competitive and make your Elo reflect how you play today, not how you played months ago,” FACEIT said in its official blog post on the topic.

Your new FACEIT Elo will be determined once you finish your 10 placement matches, and until then, your Elo will remain temporarily hidden. If you’ve been inactive on the platform for a while, you might see a drop in your FACEIT ranking based on how you perform in your recalibration matches.

According to FACEIT, the recalibration was necessary to address uneven matchmaking that was largely driven by inactive players returning after extended breaks and the wide skill disparity between players within the uncapped level 10.

“This soft reset combats the inflation that can naturally happen at this level and ensures that level 10 stays highly competitive,” the statement reads.

For the same reason, players shouldn’t be surprised if the first few recalibration matches feature a noticeable skill disparity between teams, as this would be a direct result of the system effectively re-sorting the ladder for all players in real time.

Until the new season launches, CS2 players looking to secure a higher FACEIT rank at the start of Season 8 may want to keep grinding on the platform, as recent Elo and activity will directly influence their starting point.

Sony Raises PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal Prices Starting April 2

Aritra Patra
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0
Sony Raises PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal Prices Starting April 2

Sony is raising the prices of the PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player across all major markets. The new prices go into effect on April 2, 2026. This is the second price increase in under a year, following a $50 hike in August 2025.

New PS5 Prices in the US, UK, Europe, and Japan

Here are the updated prices as confirmed by PlayStation:

United States

  • PS5: $649.99 (up from $549.99)
  • PS5 Digital Edition: $599.99 (up from $499.99)
  • PS5 Pro: $899.99 (up from $749.99)
  • PlayStation Portal: $249.99 (up from $199.99)

United Kingdom

  • PS5: £569.99
  • PS5 Digital Edition: £519.99
  • PS5 Pro: £789.99
  • PlayStation Portal: £219.99

Europe

  • PS5: €649.99
  • PS5 Digital Edition: €599.99
  • PS5 Pro: €899.99
  • PlayStation Portal: €249.99

Japan

  • PS5: ¥97,980
  • PS5 Digital Edition: ¥89,980
  • PS5 Pro: ¥137,980
  • PlayStation Portal: ¥39,980

Why Is Sony Raising PS5 Prices Again?

Sony cited “continued pressures in the global economic landscape” as the reason, saying the price change was “a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide.”

The company did not name specific causes, but multiple factors are at play. Sony is now contending with an unprecedented surge in memory prices. Memory is a key component of the PS5, and prices have jumped significantly as memory makers direct their stock to meet heavy demand from AI data centers while supply stays tight.

Other contributing factors include US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and global markets taking a hit from the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.

Piers Harding-Rolls, research director of games at Ampere Analysis, told CNBC that price rises were inevitable due to the increase in memory prices.

This Is the Second Hike in Less Than a Year

The last price hike raised prices by $50. The latest increase is steeper, at $100 for most products.

At launch, the PS5 cost $499.99/£449.99/€499.99, and the Digital Edition $399.99/£359.99/€399.99. This kind of repeated price hiking is unprecedented within game hardware. In every other console generation, the cost went down over time. For PS5, it has gone the other way.

The PS5 Pro, which launched at $699, now costs $899. That is a $200 total increase from its release price in roughly a year.

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