After months of qualifiers and regional heats at eight Hyprop malls across South Africa, the MTN Shift Gaming Experience reached its conclusion at Canal Walk Shopping Centre, with South Africa’s best in EAFC 25™, Beat Saber, Call of Duty and more crowned.
In the EAFC National Final, Hamza Moosa (17) from Sandton, took the honours and prize money of R25 000.
Beat Saber fans saw a fast-paced, high-score battle won by Michael Prange (17) from Pretoria and Garsfontein High School, who won a Gaming PC valued at R50 000.
In the schools division, Ridhaa April (15) from Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, took the EAFC title.
In the Rocket League school tournament, Curro took top spot, followed by Edgemead High in second place.
Teturning champions Nixuh held onto their title in the Call of Duty Mobile finals. The dominant team of Magicz (Raees Ismail), Adnaan (Adnaan Bhamjee), Raz (Rahil Bux) and Enigma (Jameen Essa) walked away with a R30 000 cash prize.
“The atmosphere at this year’s finals was absolutely electric,” says Vanessa Herbst, marketing manager at Canal Walk Shopping Centre. “The level of skill on display was unreal, and the crowd brought their energy every day. The bar has been set very high for the 2026 edition.”