Arcade competition is a major part of gaming culture, and Wahlap’s 16th annual Wahlap E-Sports Championship is bringing that competitive energy to venues across China. The 2025 event, known as WEC 2025, is now progressing through its regional qualifiers.
This is a sponsored post by Wahlap.
WEC 2025 reaches its regional qualifiers
Wahlap says the championship has involved 650,000 players since it began in 2008. That total may continue to rise as the tournament expands and more players enter the current competition.
Qualifiers have already taken place in Beijing and Wuhan. Guangzhou is next, followed by Shanghai, while the final qualifier is scheduled for 23 August in a city in the West Region.
The WEC 2025 finals are set for 2–5 October at the World Trade Center in Guangzhou.
Which arcade games are being played?
The WEC has previously featured a wide range of arcade titles, including the King of Fighters, Sangokushi Taisen, Wangan Midnight, Speed Driver and Hero of Robots series. Other past entries include Danz Base, Dance Core, the Top Star series and Groove Coaster.
The 2025 qualifiers centre on six games:
- Maimai DX
- Taiko no Tatsujin
- Chunithm
- Asphalt Moto Blitz DX
- Kingdoms Fantasy
- Initial D: The Arcade
This selection covers rhythm, driving and other arcade formats, creating a broad test of competitive ability rather than focusing on one style of game.
Wahlap’s images and additional details provide more information about the event.
How WEC compares with Western arcade tournaments
There are fewer direct equivalents in Western arcades. The Big Buck Hunter Championships, organised by Play Mechanix, and the MLeS World Championships from Alan-1 are among the closest comparisons. Big Buck Hunter is the competitive focus of its event, even when other Raw Thrills games are present for players to enjoy.
The Big Buck Hunter competition is becoming BuckFest this year, although that event remains centred on a single title.
Official arcade tournaments in Japan
Japan has a stronger tradition of publisher-backed arcade tournaments. Sega, Bandai Namco and Konami regularly run dedicated competitions for their own games. Taito has also staged Toushinsai tournaments, which brought together games from multiple companies. Those events appear to have stopped after the 2021 edition.
With Taiko no Tatsujin and Maimai DX beginning to reach arcades in the United States, a similar competition could eventually appeal to players there. For now, WEC 2025 remains a notable example of a multi-game arcade esports championship.
For more arcade news, visit the RETROCADE Arcade Blog. Players and operators can also explore racing arcades, arcade parts and the Arcade Machine Buying Guide.
Would you like to see more multi-game arcade tournaments established in Australia and other Western markets?
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