The first edition of the MTN Shift Gaming Experience 2026 took place at Rosebank Mall at the weekend. Now in its fourth year, the series rolls out across eight shopping centres nationwide from April through to August, building to national finals at Canal Walk, Cape Town, in August with a total prize pool of R350,000 on the line.
The competition centres on two titles: EA FC 26, the flagship football simulation, and Beat Saber, the adrenaline-fuelled VR rhythm game. Each mall stop hosts an online qualifier followed by a three-day in-centre event, giving players multiple entry routes into the competition regardless of where they are in the country.
Shift has grown into something that genuinely reflects the diversity of South Africas gaming community, said Christie Stanbridge, brand and campaigns marketing manager at Hyprop.
