Southeast Asia’s premier gaming convention, GameStart Asia, is back for its third year and thousands of gamers from all over the world are expected to flock at the Suntec Convention Center in Singapore from October 7 to 10, 2016. 

GameStart 2016 promises to bring in a lot of new content this year bring gaming enthusiasts three days of gaming, including showcases and previews, international guests, cosplay, eSports tournaments, and more!

Here are some of the things we can expect from the gaming convention:

Game exhibits and celebrities 

Every year, visitors of GameStart can expect to be able to try on all kinds of games – retro, indie, Triple-A, and even card games. Demos of yet-to-be-released games will also highlight the gaming convention.

You may check out the full lineup of games here.

Microsoft will also be making its first appearance at GameStart 2016, showcasing upcoming Xbox One titles such as Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3 and Final Fantasy XV. 

Fans of Japanese game Touken Ranbu, will get to meet Yuta Hanazawa from DMM Games and watch a special music performance by Malaysian guitarist, Az Samad, who has performed with Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy.

GameStart 2016 is bringing in two renowned cosplayers, Miu from Vietnam and Okageo from the US, who will also be judging at the GameStart Cosplay Runway.

eSports showcase

eSports will be taking center stage in this year’s GameStart as Sony Interactive Entertainment returns as a major exhibitor at the event as the presenting sponsor of the largest console tournament in Asia, the Southeast Asia Major 2016. This is the first time the tournament will be hosted at GameStart. Sony is said to be focusing on supporting the growth of eSports in the region.

Celebrity Street Fighter players such as Daigo “The Beast” Umehara and Singaporean’s own SF prodigy, Ho Kun Xian are also expected to compete at the majors which is a qualifier for the official Capcom Cup 2016 with a $500,000 prize pool.

There will also be tournaments for Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, BlazBlue Central Fiction and the highly anticipated King of Fighters XIV. 

The Philippine’s own professional fighting game team, PlayBook Elite, will be competing at the majors.

GameStart’s annual FIFA tournament, the Gamestart Championship Cup, is also making a comeback.

Doujin Market and the Founders Base 

GameStart will also be putting the spotlight on indie game developers from Singapore and the region by putting up the ‘Founders Base’ where indie game developers and startups will be setting up booths to showcase their work to visitors. 

A number of indie studios from Taiwan will also be exhibiting at Founders Base under the Taipei Game Show umbrella. The GameStart Indie Awards will also let visitors vote for their favorite indie game at the convention and the winner will win a trip to exhibit at the Taipei Game Show next year.

Doujin is the largest amateur artist event in Singapore that focuses on Japanese content, and as a new collaboration for 2016, they will bring 24 amateur artists to GameStart, curated by Cosplay Partner and Doujin Market organiser, Neo Tokyo Project. 

Freebies, exclusive offers and trade-ins

The first 300 visitors everyday will receive a random loot bag which may contain t-shirts, gaming peripherals, Seagate storage devices, and more. 

There will also be fun challenges. For instance, visitors can be sent on quests around the venue. Completing quests will get you lucky dips which will increase your chances to win at the daily raffle draw for prizes, which include an awesome ergonomic gaming chair by Secret Lab and a gaming notebook from MSI. 

At the Gadget Solution booth, visitors may also trade in their old laptops, consoles, games, and mobile devices for vouchers which can be spent anywhere in the venue. 

Can’t go to the event? Rappler Gaming League will be in Singapore to cover GameStart Asia! Tune in to our Facebook page for updates! – Rappler.com