PlayStation Tournaments brings competitive gaming to PS5 — and you can try it now

News
By published

PlayStation Tournaments is the PS5’s latest killer feature

an image of PlayStation Tournaments
(Image credit: Sony)
  • PlayStation Tournaments is designed to make competitive gaming easier on PS5, and it's rolling out now.
  • Improvements from PS4 include simplified sign ups, more easily discoverable tournaments. and real-time match updates via notifications.
  • First three official tournaments confirmed for FIFA 23, NBA 2K23 and Guilty Gear.

Sony is hoping to facilitate competitive gaming on the PS5 with the console’s new PlayStation Tournaments feature. 

PlayStation Tournaments is housed on-console, meaning you can participate without needing to download a separate client or visit a third-party website. A similar feature was released for the PS4 in 2016, but ahead of its launch on the latest generation of PlayStation hardware, some improvements have been made. These include a simplified sign-up process, more easily discoverable tournaments, and real-time match updates via console notifications. The PlayStation Tournaments UI has also been refreshed. 

Sony has also launched a new Discord community hub where the most active participants will be able to connect. There’s a blanket ban on trash-talking, so you’ve been warned.

To mark the feature’s release, Sony has confirmed official tournaments for a trio of games: FIFA 23, NBA 2K23 and Guilty Gear. Plus, a new Win-A-Thon promotion has been launched on both PS5 and PS4 which runs through December. This competition gives PlayStation gamers the chance to win prizes such as the DualSense Edge controller by increasing their rank on a leaderboard. Rank is increased by participating in specific tournaments.    

While PlayStation Tournaments is hosted directly on the PS5 console, Sony has also launched a new Discord community hub. Here the most active participants will be able to connect and engage in good-natured rivalries — there’s a blanket ban on trash-talking, so you’ve been warned. The server will also host interviews with major figures in the Esports community, as well as offer access to special content. Sony hasn’t confirmed what this content will be as of yet. 

How to access PlayStation Tournaments on PS5 

The PS5 UI showcasing the PlayStation Tournament feature for FIFA 23

(Image credit: Sony)

Accessing PlayStation Tournaments on your PS5 takes just seconds. 

First, you need to select a participating game from your PS5 home screen, for example, FIFA 23 or NBA 2K23. 

Next press the down-directional button on your controller’s D-pad. You should now see a list of upcoming tournaments for that specific game. Just click register on any tournaments you want to enter. 

You’ll get a notification when the tournament is about to start. That’s all it takes to enter a PlayStation Tournament and start competing against the world.

The feature is still in its infancy, so as of right now the number of participating games is a little small. But the core functionality of entering a tournament is impressively streamlined. 

Now we just need more games involved — we’d love to see tournament support for popular online games such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Rocket League. And the good news is that Sony has already hinted that additional games will be incorporated into PlayStation Tournaments in the future. 

TOPICS
Rory Mellon
Rory Mellon
Senior Entertainment Editor (UK)

Rory is a Senior Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.