Today, Blizzard Entertainment officially announced that Hearthstone esports will be returning in 2025, and that things will look a little different to celebrate the Year of the Raptor.
While Hearthstone’s premier broadcasts will still center around the two Masters Tour Championships and the World Championship, players can take a handful of new paths to participate in these events. To start, there will be three qualification periods: Spring (March/April), Summer (June/July), and Last Chance (September/October).
The top performers will earn their spot in the World Championships, while a Last Chance bracket will also occur to help give the losers another opportunity.
Anyone who plays Hearthstone Ranked will also have an opportunity to qualify. The objective is simple: get a top 100 finish during any Qualifying Period month, and you’ll earn Competitive Points.
Those Competitive Points totals will determine invitations to tournament events, as outlined below:
Other chances can be found via Open Qualifier Events, Masters Tour Playoffs, Masters Tour Championships, and Last Chance Qualifier. The first of these events will take place March 21-23.
When all is said and done, The World Championship will consist of 16 top players throughout the year:
- The Top 4 players from each Masters Tour Championship (8 players)
- The Top 4 players from the Chinese-region competitive esports system (4 players)
- The Top 3 Competitive Points earners globally, across all Qualification Periods combined (3 players)
- The winner of the Last Chance Qualifier tournament (1 player)
There will be a total prize pool of $500,000 and the title of Hearthstone World Champion. Hearthstone is currently available on PC as a free-to-play title available via Blizzard.