By Sagar V. Mankar 
The popular game Solo Leveling: ARISE is getting its first global esports competition. Game developer Netmarble has announced the “Solo Leveling: ARISE Championship 2025” with a prize pool of 20 million Korean won (about £11,010).
Players from around the world will compete online starting February 21, with the best performers earning a trip to South Korea. The championship will end with a live event at IVEX STUDIO in Gwangmyeon, South Korea on April 12, 2025.
To join the tournament, players must have earned at least 1,000 trophies in Battlefield of Time Season 7 mode. During the preliminary rounds, competitors will record their best times in the Time Attack challenge over a two-week period.
The top eight players from both the International and Asian League preliminaries will advance to the finals in South Korea. These final matches will be played on PC rather than mobile devices.
Fans can watch the finals on the game’s official YouTube channel and other platforms.
Solo Leveling: ARISE is an action role-playing game (RPG) based on the popular anime and manhwa (Korean comic) series. Released in May 2024, the game follows main character Sung Jinwoo’s journey to become the strongest monster hunter in the world.
The game has been tremendously successful since its launch. Before release, it collected over 12 million pre-registrations and by October 2024, it had been downloaded more than 50 million times worldwide.
According to Netmarble’s latest earnings call, Solo Leveling: ARISE now accounts for 6% of the company’s overall revenue. AppMagic estimates reveal the game has generated $138.9 million in gross revenue from mobile alone by November, with actual earnings likely higher when including alternative app stores.
The game’s popularity was immediately apparent upon release, as it topped app stores in over 70 countries. Players familiar with Genshin Impact will notice similarities in both graphics style and “gacha” collection mechanics.
The game can be played on both mobile devices and PC, letting players fight monsters and team up with other hunters to improve their rankings.
The tournament champion will receive half of the total prize money – 10 million Korean won (approximately £5,505) – and earn the title of first Global Champion in the game’s history.