From Nightclubs to Gaming Lounges, Can Miami Become the Next Esports Hub?

Pokémon cards covered tables inside ROK Esports in Palmetto Bay as players sat across from one another studying their next moves. Nearby, other gamers competed on computers while spectators watched matches and talked with friends.

Instead of a dance floor or nightclub, players spent their Saturday competing, watching and connecting over video games and trading cards.

For a city known for its beaches, clubs and nightlife, scenes like this show another type of entertainment growing in South Florida.

Gaming is already a major part of American entertainment. About 212.3 million Americans ages 5 to 90 play video games for at least one hour each week, according to the Entertainment Software Association's 2026 Essential Facts report. That represents 67% of Americans in that age group.

Gaming and esports, however, are not exactly the same. Gaming is the broader activity of playing video games, while esports refers to organized competitive gaming, often involving tournaments, teams and prizes.

Miami already has plenty of gamers. The larger question is whether the city has enough tournaments, venues and community support to become a destination for competitive gaming.

That question was on display Aug. 29 during a Pokémon World Championships Celebration event at ROK Esports.

Andres Cantillo, a Miami native and tournament organizer at ROK Esports, said 18 people competed in the Pokémon Trading Card Game tournament. Eight players competed in the video game tournament, while about 10 to 12 others came to watch or spend time at the venue.

“It's definitely been growing steadily in the card game, video game, all that stuff,” Cantillo said.

Although many video games can now be played online, Cantillo believes local tournaments are still important. “I definitely feel that in-person still matters despite the push of this online presence because it catches that human connection.”

That connection gives players something they cannot always get while playing from home. Instead of only communicating through games or online communities, players can compete and build friendships in person.

The competitive side can also lead to much larger stages.

The 2026 Pokémon World Championships were held Aug. 28-30 in San Francisco and offered more than $2 million in total prizes across its competitions. First place in each division of the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships carried a $50,000 prize.

Local tournaments do not offer prizes on that scale, but they give players opportunities to compete and develop their skills.

William Martinez, 28, a Miami native, has played Pokémon competitively for 14 years. He said Miami has a welcoming gaming community, but competitive video game players still need more opportunities.

“There needs to be more,” Martinez said when asked whether South Florida has enough tournaments.

Martinez said the Pokémon Trading Card Game has a larger local scene than the competitive Pokémon video game community.

He believes more promotion, tournaments and gaming spaces could help change that. “There's a market,” Martinez said. “It might be a niche market, but there's a market.”

One challenge for Miami is competition from another Florida city: Orlando.

Orlando already hosts Community Effort Orlando, or CEO, one of the world's major fighting game tournaments. CEO's 2026 event was held Aug. 14-16 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. Organizers said the event featured more than 30 tournaments and used more than 200,000 square feet of venue space. The event's website says more than 6,000 people from over 50 countries attended its 2025 event.

Carlos Artze, 28, a competitive Pokémon Trading Card Game player from Miami, said Orlando currently has an advantage.

“[With[ Orlando, they're overshadowing us because they have Disney World,” Artze said. “We have the beach...it's a tough competition.”

Still, Artze believes Miami already has much of the community needed to compete with other gaming destinations.

“I think that we already have a lot of the community for gaming,” Artze said. What Miami lacks, he said, are larger events that make people think about gaming when they think about the city.

“When you hear about, like, ‘Oh, a big thing is happening in Miami,’ you think big party thing,” Artze said. “You don't think of, ‘I'm going to Miami to compete in a gaming tournament.’”

Miami will soon have an opportunity to change that perception.

The Esports Awards are scheduled for Nov. 17 in Miami. The international awards ceremony recognizes players, creators, teams and others across competitive gaming. The organization announced Miami as the host city as the event returns to North America.

For Martinez, bringing an event like the Esports Awards to Miami could introduce more people to the city's gaming community.

“If they can bring that to Miami, that brings eyes to Miami as a city,” Martinez said.

But hosting one major esports event does not automatically make Miami an esports hub.

For Miami to reach that point, Cantillo said the local community needs consistency. Players have to support tournaments when organizers create them, while organizers need to listen to what players want.

“If both work together, they can blossom and grow,” Cantillo said.

Artze believes Miami is closer than people might think.

“I feel like we're basically right there,” Artze said. “All we're missing is just having bigger events here.”

For now, Miami's nightclubs and beaches remain some of the city's most recognizable forms of entertainment. But inside gaming lounges like ROK Esports, another community is trying to grow alongside them.

Whether Miami becomes the next major esports hub is still unclear. But local players are already showing what that future could look like — one tournament at a time.