Skip to main content

PlayStation Tournaments enter beta testing phase on PS5

Sony has announced that PS5 players in select countries will be able to participate in a public beta for PlayStation Tournaments.

PlayStation Tournaments launched in 2016 on the PS4, and allow players to compete against each other and even win various prizes in competitions and challenges. Sony said in an official blog post that the “all-new on-console tournament experience” will be rolling out on the PS5 in select countries in the coming weeks. Sony said that PlayStation Tournaments will come with new features and improvements that will make participating in competitions easier for newcomers and players who previously competed on the PS4. Here’s what those new features will look like once you get access to PlayStation Tournaments.

  • Easily discoverable tournaments: Players can sign up for tournaments from the PS5 Control Center and Game Hub. Just press the PlayStation button to launch the Control Center when an eligible game is open.
  • Seamless on-console signup: As the name suggests, you can register for the tournament straight from the PS5.
  • Shorter tournament times: Traditionally, tournaments dragged on longer and brackets increased as more players signed up for them. Now Sony is updating PlayStation Tournaments with a bracket capping system that will ensure that a tournament runs at a set time limit and creates multiple brackets should the bracket size exceed that limit.
  • Higher tournament frequency: Tournaments will be offered more often to give people with different schedules an opportunity to compete at a time that works best for them.
  • All-new UI: PlayStation Tournaments on PS5 will feature a new UI that’s programmed to allow players to see tournament information from the action card in the Control Center even while playing a game.
  • Real-time match results and automatic reporting: Match results are instantly shown and automatically recorded as you progress through the bracket. This information can be accessed at any time.
  • Prizes: Each tournament will offer prizes, while some of them will have unique rewards just for participating. All players have a shot at winning prizes regardless of their skill level.
Recommended Videos

The public beta for the new and improved PlayStation Tournaments comes more than a month after Sony acquired Repeat.gg, an esports site that hosts leaderboard tournaments and tracks player performance. The company’s acquisition of the esports platform and beta testing of PlayStation Tournaments for launch on the PS5 may encourage more people to consider participating in competitive gameplay.

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends. She blends fair coverage of games industry topics that…
The best split-screen PS5 games
It Takes Two

Some of the best PS1 games, or other games from that era, let you play with one or more friends in split-screen. This form of multiplayer has gotten less and less common as the generations have gone on but it isn't fully abandoned yet. Most of the best PS5 games are single-player experiences or feature cross-platform online multiplayer, with only a handful still allowing you to hand a second controller to a friend and play together on the same console. These are mainly co-op games, but there are a few options for competitive gaming here as well. If you want to relive the old days of spending hours on end gaming with a friend or family member on a single screen, we'll give you the best options currently available on PS5.

After checking out this list, you can also look at the list of upcoming PS5 games to see if more split-screen games are on the way.

Read more
PlayStation Portal tips: 5 settings to adjust right away
PlayStation Portal bundle home screen while turned on.

So, you've got a brand-new PlayStation Portal and are looking forward to the hours and hours of fun you'll have using its Remote Play functionality to play your PlayStation 5 games. Well, yeah, you should be excited — it's pretty rad, after all. But when you first dive in, you may want to take a look at some of the device's settings to be sure things are set up exactly how you like them. Here are five settings we recommend adjusting on your PlayStation Portal.
Decide your preferred vibration intensity
Controller vibration can be a cool feature, but not everyone likes to feel it super strongly (or at all). Luckily, you can adjust the intensity of the vibration to meet your personal preferences.

Doing this requires you to go to Settings > Controller > Vibration Intensity. You can choose between Strong, Medium, or Weak — or you can just turn vibration off altogether.
Select the intensity of the trigger effect
Similarly to vibration, the trigger effects from the PS5's DualSense controller are available on the PlayStation Portal's triggers. This can add immersion in some games, but it can also be frustrating if you're not the type of person who wants that extra layer of realism to your gaming.

Read more
PlayStation Plus adds God of War Ragnarok and more to its lineup
Kratos fighting a boss in God of War Ragnarok.

PlayStation Plus has added even more titles into its lineup, including several older PlayStation 2 games that are steeped in nostalgia. The heaviest hitter in the bunch is God of War: Ragnarök, which Extra and Premium subscribers can claim for no extra charge thing month.

PS Plus is a PlayStation subscription service that gives subscribers access to games every month. This month brings a respectable lineup of both modern and classic titles. Grand Theft Auto V is a chance to experience one of the most profitable gaming franchises of all time if you haven't played it yet, while Orcs Must Die 3 blends shooters and tower defense into one irresistible combination. Here's the full list.

Read more