The best pro gaming to watch this weekend

ESL One Trophy

Photo credit: ESL/Robert Paul

There’s lots to watch this weekend. From Dota 2 in the Philippines to championship Heroes of the Storm in Leicester, you could easily fill the next two days with pro gaming. LoL’s latest round of seasonal files kick off in Asia early on Saturday, while there’s top-tier CS:GO happening around the world and the Street Fighter scene is coming together for a genuinely international contest on Sunday. Enjoy!

Dota 2: ESL One Manila 2016

This $250,000 Dota 2 tournament kicked off today with a surprising upset as Empire took down Team Secret 2-0 in the group stage. Group play will continue tomorrow, culminating in single-elimination playoffs on Sunday. In both cases play begins at 04:00 BST, which is 20:00 PDT the night before for those of you in America. ESL have set up a great livestream/info site, which you can find right here.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: Esports Championship Series and ESL Pro League Season 3

No millions to be won this weekend, but there's still some top-quality CS:GO to watch. On Saturday, tune into the Esports Championship Series from 15:00 BST/07:00 PDT for Virtus.pro vs. mousesports followed by Fnatic vs. mousesports at 18:00 BST/10:00 PDT. Find full details for those matches here.

The third season of the North American ESL Pro League is also running this weekend, with play beginning at 23:00 BST/15:00 PDT on Saturday and Sunday. This will be a showcase of the best of American CS:GO, including MLG underdog champions Luminosity. Here's the livestream.

League of Legends: LCK and LPL Spring Playoffs 2016

With the NA and EU playoffs behind us, it's time for China and Korea. Both matches will be played on Saturday, with Royal Never Give Up and Edward Gaming battling for the Chinese title at 08:00 BST/00:00 PDT. Then, at 09:00 BST/01:00 PDT Rox Tigers will take on SK Telecom T1 to determine the Korean winner—expect world-class play from that region. As ever, check LoLesports for further team and schedule information as well as the livestream.

Smite: Spring Split

Smite's ongoing competitive season continues in both Europe and North America. Play runs for three or four hours on both Saturday and Sunday from 18:00 BST/10:00 PDT onwards. It'll be mid-table play for the most part, although Saturday's games give you a chance to check out Panthera, the reigning world champions who are currently on a 11-1 tear through the European circuit. Here's the stream.

Heroes of the Storm: European Summer Regional

$100,000 on the line for Europe's best Heroes of the Storm teams as the pro scene heats up at ESL's Leicester studio. Group stage play began today and continues on Saturday from 09:30 BST/01:30 PDT and continuing throughout the day. The playoffs begin on Sunday at 10:30 BST/02:30 PDT and you can find the livestream right here.

Street Fighter V: Red Bull Kumite

Andi Hamilton gushed about this event already in his column, Fightin' Talk. It's a 16-person invitation-only tournament featuring some of the best players in the world—and two very lucky (and very talented) amateurs who'll join them through the 256-player elimination tournament being played on Saturday. You'll want to join in for the main event, however, which begins at 13:15 BST/05:15 PDT on Sunday. Find the livestream here.

Pcgp Logo Red Small

PC Gamer Pro is dedicated to esports and competitive gaming. Check back every day for exciting, fun and informative articles about League of Legends, Dota 2, Hearthstone, CS:GO and more. GL HF!

Chris Thursten

Joining in 2011, Chris made his start with PC Gamer turning beautiful trees into magazines, first as a writer and later as deputy editor. Once PCG's reluctant MMO champion , his discovery of Dota 2 in 2012 led him to much darker, stranger places. In 2015, Chris became the editor of PC Gamer Pro, overseeing our online coverage of competitive gaming and esports. He left in 2017, and can be now found making games and recording the Crate & Crowbar podcast.