DreamHack Shanghai makes history as China’s first festival of its kind

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) just announced DreamHack Shanghai 2025, making it China's first-ever DreamHack festival. This debut will coincide with Hero Esports' inaugural Asian Champions League 2025 event in Shanghai as well.

With a legacy of festivals across North America and Europe, DreamHack’s expansion to China brings players, competitors, and fans together to celebrate the best of gaming and esports.

This move, alongside already having an esports event like Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Chengdu, strengthens EFG's presence in China. The country itself is the world's second-largest gaming market in terms of revenue, according to Newzoo International B.V. Additionally, according to market research firm Niko Partners, China is estimated to have a gaming audience of 730 million fans by 2027.

"Alongside the Asian Champions League, we’re excited to take over Shanghai in a celebration of the region’s gaming community," Shahin Zarrabi, the vice president of festivals at EFG, said.

The Asian Champions League refers to the multi-game tournament series featuring titles such as CS2, Teamfight Tactics (TFT), Honor of Kings, Dota 2, Delta Force, and CrossFire.

Jonny "Xinyi" Wang, Asian Champions League CEO and the co-founder of Hero Esports, shared similar thoughts. To him, pairing the first-ever Asian Champions League with the inaugural DreamHack Shanghai takes the esports and gaming experience in Asia to a new level.

"With China as a global hub for gaming and home to hundreds of millions of passionate players, taking over Shanghai with both events creates an unmissable moment for the community," he said. "This is a celebration where fans of every genre can unite to celebrate their love for gaming — on the stage, on the show floor, and create lifelong memories together."

Both DreamHack Shanghai 2025 and Asian Champions League 2025 will happen between May 16 and May 18 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. Attendees will get to check out a slew of esports competitions, an artist alley, community playground, and more. The event will include hundreds of guest influencers as well.

In terms of tickets, they will be available soon. An official announcement encouraged interested folks to visit DreamHack's English website plus the festival's official pages on Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin.

That's all for now. Are you excited for both of these events? Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates!