Esports is growing steadily in popularity across Pakistan, especially in urban centres like Karachi. While the following for esports leagues is nowhere near as fervent as those that follow cricket, younger generations are increasingly drawn away from traditional sports and Pakistan is positioning itself well to reap the benefits.
As is the case with much of the world, Pakistan has seen strong but steady growth in its esports scene over the last decade and a half. This growth is being driven by the success of particularly talented Pakistani players, well-organised and well-funded official tournaments and a growing acceptance of esports as a legitimate spectator activity amongst many.
Organisations and communities set the scene
Although players are the ones who take the limelight, it is undeniably thanks to organisations like Next Generation Esports (NGES) that the esports scene in Pakistan is as healthy as it is. Organisers like NGES provide players with opportunities to compete in structured tournaments, secure sponsorships, and help elevate events to a more professional and widely recognised level.
With gaming communities and organisations like NGES leading the charge, esports in Pakistan has developed a strong grassroots foundation that continues to grow naturally. These communities not only support upcoming talent but also foster a sense of legitimacy around the competitive scene. On a global level, many esports tournaments are regulated or overseen by independent third-party groups, which helps ensure fair play, transparency, and trust—key elements that keep both fans and players engaged.
Prominent Pakistani esports players
Much like in more traditional sports, it is the players who really electrify esports fandoms. For Pakistani esports fans, it doesn’t get much better than Sumail Hassan, known as ‘SumaiL’. This 26-year-old from Karachi has earned over $4 million playing Dota 2 professionally. In 2015 he helped to bring the esports team Evil Geniuses to victory in The International, Dota 2’s most prestigious worldwide tournament, which is impressive for a 16-year-old, still one of the youngest players to have won The International.
For fans of other genres, Pakistan has other esports heroes. Arslan Siddique, known as ‘Ash’, has earned himself five Evolution Championship Series (EVO) trophies. Arslan plays fighting games like Tekken and has been praised most of all for his strategic gameplay, which has clearly worked for him multiple times. Arslan is representative of Pakistan’s potentially bright future in esports, particularly in the fighting game genre.
Thrilling tournaments
Without tournaments to play in, players would never have the chance to become inspirational stars in esports. For Pakistani players looking to make it big in esports, after achieving victory in smaller regional tournaments, international competition awaits. In great news for Pakistani esports fans, Pakistani teams seem to do fairly well on the international stage. Recently a team made up of Pakistan’s best Tekken players, including Arslan Siddique, fought their way to victory over their South Korean rivals.Â
Victories in tournaments like this bring eyes to Pakistani esports in a great way, with Pakistani esports players able to claim that they are very much the foremost Tekken players in the world. Without local tournaments and organisations helping to promote grass-roots esports across Pakistan, tournament victories like this might be less easy to come by, and the talented players who participated might never have played on the world stage.
A fruitful future
So with global star players and worldwide tournament victories, the future looks pretty fruitful for Pakistani esports. Just like traditional sports, however, a tournament win only means that the next challenge is that much closer, and a star is only bright until a brighter star overtakes it. Thankfully those are both good things for fans of esports in Pakistan because the country has developed a reputation for supporting esports and more tournaments and opportunities for new stars to rise is only more entertainment for fans.
In terms of new tournaments, as well as countless local leagues and grass-roots competitions, Pakistan is regularly host to some larger worldwide events. The next nearest of these is the Free Fire World Series (FFWS), with one of the competitive local qualifier leagues being hosted in Pakistan before the best teams proceed to the second event the Esports World Cup: Free Fire in Riyadh in mid-July.
With so much attention coming Pakistan’s way on the global esports scene, it should be no surprise that international organisations are beginning to invest in Pakistan’s esports ecosystem and are supporting the rise of new talent and tournaments. In impressive news, a recent study placed Lahore as the fifth-best city in the world for esports, citing its overall gaming culture and amount of tournament wins and prize money collected as important factors.
A wider shift in digital entertainment
The rise of esports in Pakistan is part of a broader transformation in how younger generations engage with entertainment. While traditional sports like cricket continue to have widespread appeal, many now spend their time online—competing, watching, and creating content across various digital platforms.
From livestreaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, to mobile gaming surges driven by titles like PUBG Mobile and Free Fire, Pakistan’s digital landscape is expanding rapidly. Content creation, game streaming, and even virtual reality experiences are becoming increasingly common ways for people to stay entertained, connected, and competitive.
Alongside these trends, there has also been growing interest in online casinos in Pakistan, despite their legal grey area. In the absence of domestic regulation, users often look to platforms regulated by reputable organisations like the MGA(Malta Gaming Authority) for a sense of legitimacy and consumer protection. Much like in esports, where players and fans value fairness and structure, trust remains a key factor in shaping how digital platforms are adopted.
Conclusion
As a growing ecosystem, the esports scene in Pakistan is impressive and healthy. With plenty of stand-out players and stars to give younger fans and competitors something to reach for and an impressive array of tournament victories across different genres on the world stage, Pakistan already has a history of esports victory behind its still-nascent esports scene. With global interest in Pakistani esports growing, it seems likely that the esports scene in Pakistan will continue to grow healthily at a similar rate as esports becomes a force worldwide.
