Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Curse-filled docuseries is flashy and promotional.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Esports World Cup: Level Up
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
ESPORTS WORLD CUP: LEVEL UP is a reality series that follows elite esport gaming clubs from around the globe competing at the 2024 inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The series follows top gamers from 16 of the strongest clubs as they play through eight weeks of qualifiers, main tournaments, and MVP contests playing 22 different video games to win a lucrative share of an unprecedented $60 million cash prize. But each club has a top goal, which is to score enough points awarded across the tournaments to climb to the top of the EWC leaderboard, win the club championship, and walk away with the top cash prize, the title, and bragging rights. Throughout it all, some of the player's backgrounds are shared, as well as some of the behind-the-scenes conversations between team owners, directors, and players about what's going right and what's unexpectedly going wrong.
Is It Any Good?
The glossy series offers viewers an opportunity to see how esports clubs and their players navigate high-stakes esport competitions while promoting some of the professional gaming world's top players. Esports World Cup: Level Up is flashy and fun, but at times so fast paced that those unfamiliar with the gaming world may find it hard to follow. The docuseries, which was released just prior to the start of the 2025 championship, is also a major promotional vehicle for the EWC and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is investing heavily in esports and other high-profile, play-based events as a way to diversify its economy and improve its global image, which is marred by its international reputation for violating human rights.
The series' version of esports history is different Western accounts, and many of the gamers' personal narratives feel contrived thanks to obvious attempts at showcasing difficulties that can be offset by the massive prize money EWC offers (despite the fact that most of them have major sponsorship deals). Nonetheless, there's no doubt that many esport fans will find the tournament scenes entertaining, and will appreciate learning a little more about what it's like to be part of this professional world.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why athletes, gamers, artists, and others choose to compete or perform in countries that are known for violating human rights.
What does it take to become a professional esports gamer? How long have the gamers featured in Esports World Cup: Level Up been playing to get to where they are now?
TV Details
- Premiere date : June 6, 2025
- Cast : Mohammed bin Salman , Katie Bedford
- Network : Prime Video
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Competition , Family Stories , Sports
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2025
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