On July 31, 1980, Japanese company Nintendo introduced Game & Watch: Fire — one of the most famous handheld electronic games of its time. It became one of the symbols of the birth of handheld gaming and laid the foundation for the company's future success, which later culminated in the iconic Game Boy. In the […]

Saber Interactive has announced a new game titled Rideshare "Stimulator", developed by Unigine studio. The project will allow players to try their hand at being a driver for a ride-hailing service (similar to Uber or Lyft), but without the need to interact with real people. The game offers a realistic driving experience in a bustling […]

The TEKKEN 8 Last Chance Qualifier for the Esports World Cup 2026 is taking place in Paris from July 31 to August 2. More than 400 registered participants are fighting for the four final slots in the main stage of the $1 million tournament. The competition is split into several stages. Tournament schedule in Kyiv […]

FACEIT has officially introduced a new anti-cheat system: Human Input Detection. This represents a new level of security that uses artificial intelligence to analyze a player's in-game actions rather than searching for installed cheats on their computer. The technology is set to launch on August 5 alongside the start of FACEIT Season 9. Traditional anti-cheats […]

Two weeks before the start of the main Dota 2 tournament of the year, which will be held in Shanghai this year with 16 participating teams, Valve has released a global update. Esports activities, supporter clubs, and a massive "Summer Scrub" featuring balance updates and a historic rating reset are now available to players. Supporter […]

Following an impressive run at the Esports World Cup, Karmine Corp successfully kicked off the 2026 LEC Summer Split. During the opening weekend at the Adidas Arena in Paris, the "Blue Wall" secured three consecutive victories, capping off the weekend with a tense triumph over G2 Esports in a match already being called one of […]

Blizzard has released an update for Overwatch focused on testing 6v6 gameplay balance as part of the Quick Play Hacked event. The experimental mode will run from July 30 through August 2 and will apply to Open Queue throughout the weekend. The main general feature is a significant reduction in the global in-combat healing penalty—it […]

The Overwatch Champions Series Midseason Championship 2026 has kicked off at the Esports World Cup 2026. Over the course of five days, 16 teams will compete for the lion's share of the $1,000,000 prize pool. On the first day of the competition, Team Falcons confidently defeated Dallas Fuel with a score of 2:0. After the […]

Electronic Arts has officially announced the next season of Apex Legends, titled Marked (Season 30), set to launch on August 4. The update will bring a major overhaul to the legend Bloodhound, buffs for Loba and Rampart, updates to the World’s Edge map, as well as weapon and loot reworks. Ahead of the release, the […]

We have prepared a digest of the top news for July 30, 2026, for Players readers. The Perfect Storm in Seoul: How GSL July 2011 Forever Changed StarCraft II and Esports Standards In July 2011, professional esports was on the brink of major changes. The young yet tremendously ambitious StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was […]

Riot Games has released the new Neo Frontier 2.0 skin bundle in the VALORANT in-game store, bringing back the popular Wild West-themed line first introduced in 2023. The collection is now available to players across all regions. The main highlight of the bundle is a new melee weapon—a Lasso featuring a unique design and its […]

The Esports Foundation has published the list of players who received direct invites to the EA Sports FC tournament as part of the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026. The massive 128-participant esports event will take place from November 17 to 22 in Riyadh. Half of the slots have been distributed via direct invites to representatives […]

In July 2011, professional esports was on the brink of major changes. The young yet tremendously ambitious StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was rapidly becoming one of the world's premier competitive disciplines. At the heart of this explosive growth stood South Korea—a country that had long been considered the birthplace of professional StarCraft. It was […]