It’s rAge week (no, not the one with out-of-control Matrics), as South Africa’s largest and most iconic gaming and technology show, the annual Really Awesome Gaming Expo, takes place this weekend, 5 to 7 December, in Johannesburg.

Before we get to the exciting stuff, some important information first.

rAge 20205 show times are 9am to 6pm daily, and ticket prices range from R220 for a day pass to R460 to cover an individual’s entry for the whole weekend. Family passes are also available at R620, and these cover 2 adults and 2 children for a single day. While these prices are available now through Howler, expect tickets bought on show days to jump a further R20.  

Now for the hype. You can learn about everything waiting for you at 2025’s Planet rAge here. Below are our cherry-picked top five highlights from a stuffed offering that, as usual, includes staples like various walk-in gaming contests, giveaways, and exclusive show deals. Among the 180 exhibitors will be 60 artists and crafters in Artist Alley, ensuring some unique geeky gifts this Christmas, while also helping you to support small local businesses.

1 – The curiosity value of a new venue

Post Pandemic, rAge has moved around quite a bit since making its return – largely due to its long-standing home of The Dome being sold and retired as an event venue (boo!). In 2025, following stints at Gallagher and the JHB Expo Centre, rAge has a new location yet again: Fourways Mall.

You’ll find the expo on the Rooftop (Level 8) of the Mall. rAge has bragging rights as one of the first major events to take place in the 50,000m² covered space. While there will be catering options available on the rAge floor, attendees can also now hit up the Mall’s Food Court, and enjoy parking at a flat rate of R10 per day.

2 – Get your esport fix

rAge has always provided a stage for South African esports, and in addition to the public challenges, the weekend is packed with competitions covering all the major genres and featuring hefty prize pools.

South Africa’s four top Call of Duty teams have been invited to a Black Ops 7 face-off, with the finals on Sunday. The Varsity Esports Finals will see university teams from across the country compete for R90,000 in prizes while playing EA Sports FC25, Rocket League, and Valorant. The big bucks Mamelodi Sundowns Championship returns with EA Sports FC 26 and a jaw-dropping R200,000 prize pool. Mastercard and Nedbank have also stepped up to the plate with a League of Legends Summoner Tournament that puts R100,000 on the table. And, as usual, future esports stars from 32 schools will get their shot via RGB Gaming Schools and Student Tournaments featuring Minecraft, Rocket League, The Finals, and Overwatch 2.

3 – Play South African games with Home_Coded

It may not be the most well known of rAge attractions, but the Home_Coded zone is a long established core show experiences and deserves a lot more love as it offers attendees the unique chance to get hands on with games (both digital and tabletop) made in South Africa – like Metavoidal in recent years.

This year’s offering includes crypto investment boardgame ToTheMoon!, which has a mobile app component; and chaotic multiplayer platformer Mighty Peckers by Slakkedis Studios. In this party game, chickens with explosive eggs battle it out in wild arenas. Finally, there’s the beta release of OMEN, a dark-fantasy horror-action game by Sigma Studios, where you battle across a cursed island with the challenge of adaptive enemies.

Also included in the Home_Coded space is the Jam Arcade @ rAge 2025, hosted by Women in Games Ambassador Ronica Singh. Here you can meet the developers and play the demos of games born out of the Women Game Jam (WGJ) and Game Jam+ (GJ+) South Africa.

4 – Six different cosplay competitions

rAge remains one of the great stages for South African cosplay, especially in terms of giving newcomers the confidence to show off their stuff. Run by GES, as always, in 2025 there are a grand total of six contests for cosplayers of all ages and experiences to participate in.

  • Granddaddy event The GES rAge Annual Cosplay Competition, which is a serious celebration of craftsmanship, is still on the schedule, but this year it’s joined by several other challenges.  
  • A Padawan Cosplay Competition for the kids.
  • The Lip Sync Cosplay Competition, judged only on performance.
  • The Masquerade Cosplay Parade, where all are welcome, and covers even store-bought costumes.
  • The Cosplay Photography Competition to spotlight the work of the nation’s best cosplay photographers at three different experience levels.
  • On-Site Photography Cosplay Challenge, another one for the photog’s, where the camera gurus work under pressure, shooting for 10 minutes, followed by delivering an entry to a 2-hour editing deadline.

5 – So much to do beyond gaming

rAge is traditionally associated with gaming and tech, but the 2025 expo is going FAAAAR beyond that. Sure you can get hands on with things like Battlefield 6 (and win prizes), plus try out the ROG Xbox Ally handheld device.

But there are also mini escape rooms, a bouldering wall, the re-emergence of the Disney+ Alien: Earth activation – which replicates a crashed spaceship – Lightsaber-Building Workshops and the chance to help build the 9,023-piece LEGO Star Wars Death Star (priced at R20,000) under the guidance of the South African LEGO User Group (zaLUG). Finally, there’s the dedicated Anime After Hours stage, a celebration of Asian pop culture featuring quizzes, karaoke, J-pop/K-pop, panels, and fan art – all organised by a highly mobilized segment of the local fan community.