College Rivals Season 3 Kicks Off Across Over 70 Indian Colleges

Auditoriums packed with cheering students, massive screens displaying fast-paced digital competitions, and prize pools that rival traditional sports tournaments. This is the new face of college competition in India.

College Rivals Season 3, which began Sunday in the Delhi metropolitan area, has attracted participants from more than 70 colleges across 20 cities, making it one of India's largest inter-college gaming competitions. With INR 30 Lakh (~$36,000) in prize money at stake, the tournament features popular competitive games including Valorant, a tactical shooter that has gained a massive global following, and Battlegrounds Mobile India, the country's most popular mobile battle royale game.

But this year's competition signals a broader shift in how competitive gaming is understood in India. For the first time, chess has been added as an official category, reflecting the growing recognition that esports encompasses both lightning-fast reflexes and strategic thinking. The timing is significant: India has become a chess superpower in recent years, with young grandmasters like Gukesh D and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu gaining international acclaim.

The tournament has also expanded its reach this year, extending into eastern India for the first time and introducing team-based competition in Battlegrounds Mobile India. Four-person squads from individual colleges can now compete together, adding a new layer of strategy and cooperation to the traditionally solo-focused game.

Popular Indian content creators Siddhant "Shreeman Legend" Joshi, Mahek "Mizo" Syed, Yash "LoLzZz Gaming" Thacker, and Abhishek "ZGOD" Choudhary are making content on the event. The creators have helped spread the word about the event on social media, inspiring more sign-ups and boosting viewership.

"We're thrilled to see the incredible energy from students in just the first few days," said Sumedha Mahajan, head of marketing, operations and client growth at Ampverse DMI, the tournament's organizer. "This season is about scale, innovation, and giving India's next wave of gaming talent the platform to shine."

The opening weekend drew packed venues and significant online engagement as students competed in qualifying rounds. All main event matches will be livestreamed on the official College Rivals YouTube channel, ensuring fans across the country can follow the action.

The tournament reflects India's emergence as a major esports market, where competitive gaming has evolved from a niche hobby to a legitimate career path. College-level competitions like this one have become important stepping stones for students looking to enter professional gaming, creating pathways that increasingly mirror traditional athletic recruitment.