LEVEL UP – The Gaming Festival attracted on 28 and 29 June 11,000 enthusiastic visitors to the Salzburg Exhibition Center. Three stages, over 15,000 square meters of experience space, and a host of interactive formats made Salzburg a hotspot for the gaming community.
eSports on the big stage: Finals, emotions and strong teams
With its top-class line-up on the eSports Stage, LEVEL UP showed that international tournaments have also arrived in Austria.
The gripping Final of the DACH CS Masters, the largest German-speaking Counter-Strike tournament, triumphed Berlin International Gaming (BIG) about disservice.
LEVEL UP: Breakout As Austria's largest SSBU tournament, it once again impressively demonstrated its standing within the fighting game community. Tarik emerged victorious on the eSports stage from over 160 participants.
In the Valorant At the eSports School League (ESSL) tournament, almost 50 teams from across Austria battled for a place in the finals on the big stage. Team VALID prevailed against Team BUGIT in their stage debut and took home the victory.
Cosplay Stage celebrates its premiere – with contests, talks and lots of creativity
The Cosplay Contest has been one of the most popular events at LEVEL UP in previous years. This year, the diverse world of anime and cosplay had its own stage: With a diverse program of contests, panels, and quizzes, cosplay was in the spotlight like never before.
With boundless creativity, the cosplayers enchanted the audience, which gathered in large numbers around the stage during the contests. The program was rounded out with anime quizzes and exciting insights for interested visitors who wanted to delve deeper into the topic.
"We give the growing cosplay community the space it deserves – with a stage that showcases diversity, creativity, and exchange,” says project manager Lena Braito. “The fact that so many people participated with enthusiasm shows that the scene is alive – and growing.“
Community Stage: Free stage for everyone
The Raiffeisen Club Community Stage continued to focus on interaction in 2025 – becoming a hotspot for everyone who wanted to be part of the program. Whether in multiplayer specials like LudeCat or Mario Kart duels live on stage – the audience was not just there, but right in the middle of it. A real highlight: the challenges against streamers like Luigikid or Veni – live, direct and with plenty of euphoria and approachability.
Gaming Zone: Play, discover and connect
A lot of playing, trying out and experiencing took place away from the stage: The big Gaming Zone offered VR matches, sim racing stations, a climbing tower, and plenty of opportunities to explore new game worlds. uRage Free2Play Area Visitors could play current games and multiplayer hits on over 50 setups – easily and without registration.
The Nintendo Area became a crowd puller for many visitors: LEVEL UP was the first gaming event in Austria where the new Nintendo Switch 2 could be played – with Mario Kart World and a demo version of Donkey Kong Bananza, which will not be officially released until July 17th.
In the Indie Games Area, presented by FH Salzburg Over 40 German and Austrian indie projects showcased their games. Visitors could interact directly with the developers and find their future favorite games. Pac-Man, Tekken, Zelda – in the Retro Area Video game legends celebrated their revival. Plus: modern pinball machines and brand-new arcade machines – nostalgia meets high-tech.
With over 85 artists and dealers, the Artist Alley A permanent meeting place for art and fan culture. Numerous lovingly designed prints, fan merchandise, jewelry, buttons, and cosplay accessories invited visitors to browse and discover.
Ready to LEVEL UP? The gaming festival returns in 2026!
Following the overwhelming response and noticeable development this year, planning for the next edition is already underway. LEVEL UP remains – with strong partners, fresh ideas, and the clear goal of strengthening gaming, eSports, and cosplay in Austria.
"Events are always a platform for encounters. They're about bringing people together, fostering direct contact, and celebrating the joy of a shared topic.“, so Alexander Kribus, Managing Director of the Salzburg Exhibition Center. "LEVEL UP stands for exactly that – and we are very excited about what is to come."
