GameVerse 2025 truly is the “festival of gamers”
In the final days of May 2025, gamers from all over the country had the chance to “give their all” at GameVerse 2025, an event considered the largest festival in the Vietnamese gaming industry this year. Held over two days, May 26 and 27, at SECC (Ho Chi Minh City), the event transformed an exhibition space of tens of thousands of square meters into a vibrant “virtual universe,” where every gamer and attendee could find something they love.
Right from the early morning of the opening day, a long line of people flocking to the event, tickets in hand and eyes shining bright, was seen. Some came alone, others in groups, or as individuals participating in the cosplay festival at GameVerse, while there were also first-timers. This year’s GameVerse was not only a place to showcase new technology or games, but truly a festival to play, to meet, and to “live in the game” in the literal sense.
With the theme “Connecting Verses,” the event expanded in every way: larger in scale, richer in content, and of course, the audience could be considered “the largest in many seasons of GameVerse to date.” The Game Expo area was a paradise for explorers – from indie Vietnamese games to international products like Roblox, Riot, or Apple Vision Pro. This can be said to be a rare opportunity for gamers, especially young ones, to experience gaming with VR – a rather expensive device often beyond the financial reach of younger gamers.
Notably, on the evening of May 26, also the main program of the event – the awards ceremony for individuals/teams… who have contributed to the Vietnamese gaming community. This year continued to be a “bountiful year” for VNGGames and VTC as these two publishers dominated nearly all of the most important categories, such as Best Game Publisher (VNGGames, VTC), Most Loved Esports Community (VALORANT – VNGGames), and Esports Tournament of the Year awarded to VTC.
Additionally, player Himass was honored as the Best Esports Athlete. Meanwhile, Arena of Valor was recognized as the Best Esports Game, and The Expendables, with a successful year, was also named the Best Esports Team.
Furthermore, two new names emerged, proving that purely Vietnamese games are still very much loved, namely iKame Global with the game Wood Screw Puzzle and GihOt Studio with Legend of Travelers (SROM).
However, a noteworthy point is that this year saw the complete absence of a familiar name, League of Legends. According to many opinions, the merger of VCS into APAC and the absence of teams like GAM Esports, MVKE… in the VCS tournament also had some impact.
GameVerse is gradually becoming an indispensable event in the Vietnamese gaming community
Unlike some other events in the Vietnamese gaming scene, GameVerse is free to enter, and each year, the organizers strive to expand the scale to attract more attendees. This is commendable as community events for all gamers, not focusing on specific groups, are becoming increasingly rare.
GameVerse 2025 is large and grand but more importantly, it reflects the profound interest of the community in games – where what was once seen as “useless” is now receiving the attention it rightfully deserves.