Over 1 million PUBG MOBILE players team up to stage biggest esports tournament ever

If you've ever doubted that mobile gaming could bring the world together, PUBG MOBILE fans just dropped a response.

Within six months, the global mobile game smashed two separate Guinness World Records titles - the largest mobile team-based esports tournament with the competitive fire of more than 1.2 million esports veterans and aspiring pros and the most pairs performing a choreographed handshake (multiple venues) with 196 pairs of fans from four countries who performed the handshake moves in perfect unison.

Together, they tell the story of what PUBG MOBILE has become - a global language transcending borders, time zones, and the gap between casual and competitive play.

On 25 January, as part of FRIEND FEST - PUBG MOBILE's global celebration of community running from 23 January to 16 February - 196 pairs of fans gathered simultaneously across four countries to perform a choreographed handshake. At exactly the same moment, players in Jakarta, Istanbul, Cairo, and Islamabad moved through the steps, and achieved the record of most pairs performing a choreographed handshake (multiple venues) in a historic moment.

Representatives of the venues themselves said something about the reach of the game. In Jakarta, participants gathered at Lapangan Banteng Park, a historic civic green space in the heart of the Indonesian capital. In Istanbul, the setting was Fişekhane, a restored 19th-century Ottoman-era complex turned cultural hub. Cairo's contingent assembled at the Guzeria Youth Center, while Islamabad's players met at Fatima Jinnah Park (F-9 Park), one of the largest public parks in Pakistan.

These were not convention centres or esports arenas. They were community spaces - the kind of places where everyday life happens. That was the point. PUBG MOBILE was making a statement: its community lives in the world, not just on servers. The handshake record was not about gaming skill but was about what amazing achievement could happen when the game fans finally meet in person and demonstrate what could be achieved with their shared language.

The 2026 PUBG MOBILE Global Open (PMGO) Season 1 Main Event held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 2–7 June, has officially been verified by Guinness World Records as the largest mobile team-based esports tournament.

A staggering figure of 1,224,169 players from more than 200 countries and regions signed up through the Road to PMGO qualification system for this season - a number roughly equivalent to the entire population of Estonia deciding to compete in the same mobile gaming tournament. Then the top teams advanced through national championships and regional finals. Of more than 1.2 million who registered, 32 teams earned their place at the main event in Jakarta.

The grand finals were held from 6–7 June with 16 teams competing across 12 matches for a $500,000 prize pool. In the end, 4thrives Esports completed one of the most remarkable underdogs run in PUBG MOBILE esports history.

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Two Guinness World Records titles achieved in six months. This is not only a record achieving mobile-based esports tournament but also a milestone to give all game fans and over 1.2 million players a shot at the same dream which will remind everyone why they logged on in the first place. It also proved that mobile esport is no longer a sideshow or a steppingstone to "real" esports, and it is only getting bigger.

Were you part of either of these record attempts? Get your official Record Participant Certificate from our store!