The event in Astana runs July 29 to August 9, 2026, and blends esports with physical competition across eight disciplines, featuring a total prize pool of $4.75 million and more than 800 athletes from over 50 countries in a phygital tournament format.

Major sponsors include Halyk Charitable Fund, Bank CenterCredit, Alatau City Bank, Kazzinc, Solidcore Resources, Freedom Holding, and Yandex Go as general sponsors, with Beeline Kazakhstan, Lancaster Group, BI Group, Air Astana, and Kazakhtelecom among official sponsors.

Games of the Future 2026 in Astana will be supported by a 15-sponsor lineup led by Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, branding the event as Powered by Samruk Kazyna.

The event is organized by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Phygital International, and the World Phygital Community, aiming to elevate Astana’s international profile amid rapid urban development and existing international sports events.

There is strong government-level backing for the 2026 edition, highlighting the involvement of a sovereign wealth fund in esports and phygital events and signaling robust institutional support for Astana as an international event hub.

Esports titles include Dota 2 and PUBG: Battlegrounds with $1 million prize pools, while phygital formats like Phygital Fighting and Phygital Shooter add prize money, along with demonstrations in phygital football and basketball.

The sponsorship structure features one title sponsor, seven general sponsors, and seven official sponsors, spanning banking, mining, tech, and services sectors.

In the phygital format, athletes first compete in a video game version of a sport and then in a real-world event, with combined scores determining the winner, illustrating the fusion of esports and traditional athletics.