It brought over 12000 players in 2014, and the number grew to 17000 next year. Now, GameStart Asia 2016 hits it’s third edition, and it’s set to bring back everything you love from gaming conventions in a span of 3 days, from October 7th to 9th.

This year, the focus in on eSports, and Singapore will hold the Southeast Asia Major (SEAM) 2016 (sponsored by Sony).

If you are a challenger, that means you got a chance to qualify on regional and international tournaments. Win the Street Fighter V Capcom Pro Tour, and you got your invite to Capcom Cup in San Fransisco; victory on the Gulity Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- matches gets you an invite to Japans’s ARC REVOLUTION CUP.

The list just goes on with BlazBlue: Central Fiction, Tekken 7, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and the long awaited for King of Fighters XIV all having seats waiting for you. SEAM will either reward winners with cash, hardware, games, or a ticket for the gold overseas.

That is, after facing off competitive legends such as Street Fighter king Daigo “The Beast” Umehara (if you don’t know his name, you probably know some of his legacy), and rising prodigy Ho Kun Xian, Singapore’s new Street Fighter superstar.

Not all special guests are out to get the crown, though; you’ll get to meet Mark “Markman” Julio (MadCatz former Community and Sponsorship Manager), and Cross Counter TV commentators Gootecks and Mike.

Overwatch players won’t be left behind! Following the Overwatch Championship Series in Singapore, many local professional teams will face off for cash and gaming gear. FIFA also plays it’s cards with the GameStart Championship Cup, supported by Xbox Singapore.

You’ll get to play demos for anticipated upcoming games (this is your chance to see Gears of Wars 4 and Final Fantasy XV before everyone else), along console and hardware showcases.

Big names like PlayStation, Bandai Namco and FunPlus will share stage with the local industry, and indie developers also get their own competition – Namco Bandai and DMM games are looking for fresh ideas to publish in Asia or globally, and you, the visitor, can help your favorite indie game with your vote!

Even if you get bored of gaming, GameStart still has plenty of varied events to choose from, featuring:

• The Quest, a convention-wide RPG game where anyone can win high-end prizes (rather than mouses, think gaming chairs), sponsored by Armageddon.
• The GameStart Cosplay Runway, with renowned cosplayers Miu and Okageo serving as judges.
• The Doujin Market, Singapore’s biggest Japanese culture an art expo, full of indie talent.
• A Game Development panel with Demond Wong (The Gentelbros), Faizan Abid (Daylight Studios), Gabriel Tay (Ubisoft Singapore) and Joe McGinn (Digipen Singapore), where you’ll get to do the questions for devs that have worked in the likes of Activision, Ubisoft, Disney and more.
• A live music performance, with Malasyan guitarist Az Samad, who has performed in the “Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy” orchestral concerts.

Also, if you have old laptops, consoles, games and even smartphones you can live without, remember to bring them in – you’ll be able to trade them for newer stuff.

The first 300 visitors each day get a “Random Loot” bag, whose contents could be anything from T-Shirts to gaming peripherals to “special merchandise” from the sponsors. You better sleep early this Thursday!

GameStart 2016 will be held at the Suntec Convention Centre (Hall 405 and 406, Singapore), and the tickets go, SGD12 for one day, SGD30 for the full 3 day convention, and SGD70 for a VIP Pass, an upgraded 3-day pass with priority on queues and more benefits you’ll find out in the convention.

Get yours at GameStart’s page, where you can also find nearby hotels with special discounts for GameStart visitors. Getting them personally is also an option, just go to the Ticketing Counter outside Suntec Convention Centre starting October 6th. As usual, cosplayers are free to the convention.

Is all this a bit too much? You bet! GamerStart is organized by gaming and industry vets. It’s for players, by players, and it seems they thought of everything.

The only question is, are you ready for it all?