The Gaming Capitals of The World

BestCasinoSites.net have researched the gaming capitals of the world based on numerous categories, including:

We were then able to give each capital city an overall gaming score out of 10—meaning these cities are amongst the best places for gamers to visit, or even settle down in for the long-haul.

So, stay tuned as we reveal which cities reign as the gaming capitals of the world, and can call themselves home to the world’s best gamers!

Defining a Gaming Capital

A gamer’s paradise is more than just big-name esports stars; it’s a city where the internet is lightning-fast, living costs are affordable, and the gaming community is vibrant. Imagine blazing speeds, smooth connections, and a thriving scene filled with esports tournaments, bustling gaming cafes, and a welcoming atmosphere for gamers. Access to the latest hardware and games is crucial, ensuring cutting-edge technology is readily available to stay ahead of the curve.

Criteria for defining a “Gaming Capital”

1. Number of Esports Players

Professional Esports Scene: The presence of a significant number of top-ranked esports players and teams based in the cit

Esports Academies and Training Facilities: Availability of institutions or facilities dedicated to training and nurturing esports talent.

2. Gaming Events

Frequency and Scale of Events: The number and scale of major gaming events hosted in the city, such as tournaments, expos, and conventions.

Global Impact: The extent to which these events attract international participants and audiences, contributing to the city’s global gaming reputation.

Variety of Events: The range of gaming-related events, from competitive esports tournaments to community-driven LAN parties and cosplay conventions.

3. Infrastructure

Gaming Venues: The availability of dedicated gaming venues such as esports arenas, gaming cafes, and arcades.

Tech Infrastructure: High-quality facilities that support gaming activities, including reliable power supplies, cooling systems, and high-tech gaming equipment.

Transportation and Accessibility: The ease with which players, fans, and participants can travel to and around the city to attend gaming events or visit gaming hubs.

4. Internet Quality

Average Internet Speeds: The average download and upload speeds available in the city, crucial for both competitive gaming and general gaming activities.

Cost of Internet: The affordability of high-speed internet, making it accessible to a broader population of gamers.

Reliability and Stability: The consistency and reliability of the internet connection, minimizing lag and downtime during online gaming sessions.

5. Overall Gaming Culture

Community Engagement: The presence of a vibrant gaming community that actively participates in gaming events, online forums, and social media.

Influence on Lifestyle: How gaming influences the local lifestyle, including the popularity of gaming among different age groups and the integration of gaming into everyday life.

Media and Content Creation: The city’s contribution to gaming content creation, including streamers, YouTubers, gaming blogs, and local gaming media outlets.

Supportive Local Government: Initiatives and support from local authorities to promote and develop the gaming industry, such as grants, policies, or infrastructure development.

By evaluating these criteria, a city’s status as a “Gaming Capital” can be assessed, highlighting its significance in the global gaming landscape.

The Best Cities for Esports Gamers

When thinking about the best places for gamers to visit or live in, we can’t ignore the real pros who make up the top 500 of Esports players.

Number of Esports Players in the Top 500

One way to find the best places for gamers to visit is to look at how many make it to the big leagues.

Coming out on top for the number of E-sport gamers in the top 500, is Seoul, which has a brilliant score of 9.6 thanks to its 33 top 500 players. No surprises there!

Seoul is followed by Tokyo which has 21 players, Copenhagen (19), Paris (18) and Ottawa and London which both have 14 top players.

Highest Average Esports Earnings

We can’t discuss Esports players without mentioning the money E-sports players earn —which can reach into the millions!

For average Esports player earnings, in first place we have Tokyo, with its players average earnings amounting to $197,396. Japanese player Fan Yang topped the charts for Japan, with his highest win amounting to a massive $714,275!

Next up we have Oslo, which boasts average Esports earnings of $181,844. Nice work! Its average was definitely increased by super-gamer Ming Ming, who topped Norway’s charts with a win of $464,345.

In third place we have Vienna with an average earnings amount of $164,900, and its star player earning an absolutely eye-watering $3,686,940!

In fourth and fifth place we have London (average earnings of $148,233) and Copenhagen (average earnings of $147,548), with their top earners making $329,766 and $769,883.

Highest Total Esports Earnings

Working out average scores and earnings is all well and good, but teamwork is what makes the dream work. That’s why we’ve calculated the overall total earnings for each country.

In first place, we have a perfect Washington DC with its earnings amounting to a staggering $197,031,178!

Next up is Seoul with overall earnings of $115,410,674. Seoul is followed by Copenhagen where gamers have earned $45,894,610 overall. In fourth and fifth place we have Stockholm and Paris, which achieve fantastic earnings amounting to $44,237,940 and $39,899,723.

The 15 Most Gamer-Friendly Cities

Top 5 Gaming Capitals

1. Seoul

South Korean gamers are known to dominate the world of Esports, boasting seemingly invincible Esports teams such as T1, DAMWON Gaming and Dragon X. So, it’ll come as no surprise that Seoul in North Korea comes out on top as the video game capital of the world, and home to many of the world’s best gamers who win those top E-sports awards.

With an overall score of 8.7 out of 10, South Korean gamers certainly are a force to be reckoned with!

2. Paris

We’re hopping on the plane to France to get to capital number two, where we’ll be arriving in picturesque Paris.

Serving up an overall score of 7.8, if you’re planning a trip to the City of Love and are looking to get a little gaming done while you’re there—you’re in luck!

3. Stockholm

Just sneaking into the top three, we have Stockholm, the cultural capital of Sweden.

As well as being the birthplace of one of the best pop groups that’s ever existed, Sweden can now also boast that Stockholm comes in third for the gaming capitals of the world too—surely its proudest achievement to date!

With a fab overall score of 7.2, look no further if you want to visit the stomping ground of some of the world’s best gamers.

4. Tokyo

We’re landing in the futuristic metropolis of Tokyo next, which comes in fourth place with an overall score of 6.9.

Despite its low latency, for which it scores a pretty mediocre 4.2, Tokyo did do particularly well in the overall Esports earnings category, where it came out on top, achieving an astonishing 9.6!

5. Washington DC

Just scraping into the top five is Washington DC, the US capital, with a score of 6.6.

Despite Washington’s pretty dire latency score of only two out of 10, this capital city certainly makes up for it in other categories. Washington achieves great scores for average download speed (9.2) and money earned by Esports players, for which it achieves full marks!

Gaming Capitals in Spots 6 to 15

As well boasting the likes of the “magical” Tivoli Gardens and the world famous Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen can add its gaming score of 6.5 to its roster of achievements, meaning it comes in sixth place. This is 0.5 points above Norway’s capital, Oslo, which comes in at number seven with a score of 6.

In eighth place we have Zurich, which comes in at just a smidge below Oslo, scoring 5.9 overall. For download speed and latency speed, Zurich achieves a perfect score of 10 for both categories! Hey, Switzerland, can we have the contact details for your internet provider please?

Similarly, Madrid, which comes in ninth place, also does very well for its upload and download speeds, scoring 9.6 and 8.8, which contribute to a pretty solid overall score of 5.6. However, Madrid lets itself down a little in the cost of running a PC category, for which it has a very poor score of 1.7.

At number 10, we finally step away from Europe and Scandinavia, where we reach Ottawa in Canada with a score of five. From the dizzying heights of a 9.2 for running a PC, to the crushing lows of zero (!) for latency, Ottawa’s gaming scores are a little hit and miss.

London calling! Just missing out on a place in the top 10, London achieves a pretty middling overall score of 4.8, as do Ankara—the capital of Turkey—and Reykjavik!

In 14th place we have Vienna, which scores 4.4. Vienna’s best category was Esports earnings, for which it scored an impressive 8.8. It didn’t do so well for upload or download speed though, achieving a measly 1.7. Yikes.

And finally, just making it onto our list of gaming capitals is Jerusalem, with a score of 4.3. With pretty mediocre scores across the board, Jerusalem somewhat redeems itself by taking second place for its low cost of internet, scoring a 9.2.

Cities with the Best Internet for Gaming

A city can’t be one of the best places for gamers to visit without it having some impressive internet. So, without further ado, find out the cities within our top 25 which have received the highest scores for the internet cost, download and upload speed, and latency (as well as the overall cost of running a gaming PC).

Cost of Internet

Coming out on top for low internet costs is home to heaps of the world’s best gamers, Seoul, with 60+ mbps of internet costing just over $20 (about £16.56). Bargain! This is more than $6 less than Jerusalem which comes in second place. In third, fourth and fifth place is Rome ($28.68 for 60+ mbps), Paris ($31.20) and Athens ($32.61).

Average Download Speed

Waiting for hours on end for your game to load is the bane of any gamer’s life, which is why a fast download speed is super important. So, you’re in luck if you’re gaming in Reykjavik which takes first place with a superb 232 mbps. This is followed by Washington DC (212.2 mbps) Madrid (211.7 mbps) Paris (206.6 mbps) and Seoul (199.5 mbps).

Average Upload Speed

For some gamers, uploading is just as important as downloading. Taking the crown in the highest average upload speed category is Reykjavik yet again, with a super speedy 211 mbps. In second place we have Madrid with 192 mbps, followed by Zurich (189.4 mbps), Paris (153 mbps) and Seoul (147.3 mbps).

Average Latency

It’s all about speedy networks for this category! With the highest scores for latency (computer network speed, for all of you who aren’t computer whizzes) in milliseconds going to Reykjavik (6.8 ms), Luxembourg (7.3 ms), Seoul (7.9 ms), Paris (8.5 ms) and Stockholm (8.6 ms).

Monthly Cost of Running a Gaming PC

What’s the use of investing in a super swanky gaming PC if you can’t afford to run it? Taking into account things like electricity costs and internet prices, we’ve managed to rate our capital cities on how cheaply you can run a gaming computer per month there.

In first place, we have our star of the show, Seoul, with its monthly cost of running a gaming PC amounting to just $14.60—just over £12. In second place it’s Ottawa, with a cost of $16.64, followed by Reykjavik ($20.15), Oslo ($20.44) and Jerusalem ($22.92).

Given that these amazing gaming cities span the globe from end to end, if you’re looking to make bank or rub shoulders with some of the world’s best gamers, you’ll need to visit countries throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Better start on that passport application!

Conclusion

Our top rank for “Gaming capital in the world” goes to Seoul: known for its dominant esports teams and high overall gaming score. Paris, Stockholm, Tokyo, and Washington DC also rank highly, each excelling in different aspects such as esports earnings or internet speed.

The gaming industry is increasingly shaping urban landscapes by driving the development of specialized infrastructure such as esports arenas, gaming cafes, and tech hubs, which cater to the growing community of gamers and professionals. This transformation is not only enhancing the cultural vibrancy of cities but also attracting significant economic investment and tourism, further integrating gaming into the social fabric of urban life. As cities continue to embrace this trend, they are likely to see a surge in tech innovation, job creation, and global recognition, positioning themselves as key players in the future of the digital economy.

Embark on a journey to explore these vibrant gaming capitals, where the pulse of the industry beats strongest. Whether you’re a tourist eager to experience the cultural epicenter of gaming, a gamer looking to connect with like-minded enthusiasts, or an industry professional seeking new opportunities, these cities offer a dynamic blend of innovation and excitement. Stay ahead of the curve by immersing yourself in the latest trends and developments that are shaping the future of gaming worldwide.

Methodology

BestCasinoSites.net sought to discover which capital cities of the world were best for gamers. First-world capital cities were chosen for this research.