"Fight For The Crown"

Challengers 2025

Polaris Challengers 2025 is where ambition meets competition in the most intense Critical Ops tournament of the year. Challengers is a robust three stage tournament lasting 3 months.

Each stage has a unique and handcrafted format to promote competition. Stage 1 starts with a open-qualifier for Eurasia and the Americas in which the Top 8 placing teams qualify to the Group Stage. The second stage has two regional groups battle it out, the strongest 3 teams from each group advance to the final stage.

Finally, the 6 best teams of the tournament so far fight it out in a unforgiving single-elimination Playoffs. Signup and find out what it takes to challenge the greatest teams for a shot at the crown!

Registration & Eligibility

Follow this comprehensive video guide to learn how to signup for Challengers 2025. The tutorial covers everything from Discord bot registration to creating your team and managing your lineup.

Step-by-Step Instructions

ALL PLAYERS:

  • Register with @PolarisGG Bot using /register in ⁠bot-use
  • You may also invite the bot to a server and register there
  • Accept your Team Invite once your captain has invited you by using /profile

CAPTAINS:

  • Register first, then use /create_team
  • Ensure you are creating a team in the correct region for your team and its players
  • Invite players to your team by using /invite_player @user, @user, etc

SIGN-UP:

  • As a team captain, signup for the tournament by using /apply
  • Ensure all players have joined your team first with /myteam
  • Note: The owner of the team on the @PolarisGG bot will be added to the captain role upon Check In

Quick Summary: Join Polaris Discord → Register with bot → Captains create team → Invite players → Apply for tournament → Ready to compete!

Challengers 2025 follows a unique three-stage format designed to test teams at every level:

Open Registration

All Teams Accepted
All teams that sign-up will be accepted for qualifiers

Regional Structure

Americas & Eurasia
Americas (North & South America) and Eurasia (Europe & Asia) brackets

Format & Seeding

Single Elimination
8 teams seeded by past performance, all others randomized in bracket

Match Type

Best of 3 (BO3)
All matches are Best of 3 series throughout qualifiers

Advancement

Top 8 Per Region
Top 8 teams from each region advance to Stage 2. Total of 16 teams qualify

Regional Groups

Two Groups of 8
Americas and Eurasia groups, each with 8 qualified teams

Format

Double Elimination
Teams get a second chance through the lower bracket in each group

Match Type

Best of 3 (BO3)
All matches are Best of 3 series throughout Group Stage

Group Winners

Direct to Semifinals
1st place from each group advances directly to Semifinals

Runners-Up

Quarterfinals (High Seeds)
2nd place from each group advances to Quarterfinals as High Seeds

Third Place

Quarterfinals (Low Seeds)
3rd place from each group advances to Quarterfinals as Low Seeds

Cross-Regional

Global Competition
Best teams from both regions compete for the championship

Match Type

Best of 3 (BO3)
All matches are Best of 3 series except Grand Finals

Format

Single Elimination
No second chances - every match is do or die

Grand Finals

Best of 5 (BO5)
Ultimate championship match to crown the Challengers 2025 Champions
Date Stage
STAGE 1 - QUALIFIERS
26 Sept - 10 Oct Registration Period
10 Oct Stage 1 Single Elimination Brackets Release
11 Oct Round 1 - Round of 32 (EU) / Round of 32 (AM)
12 Oct Round 2 - Round of 16 (EU) / Round of 16 (AM)
STAGE 2 - GROUP STAGE
15 Oct Stage 2 Groups & Double Elimination Brackets Release
15-18 Oct Round 1 - Upper Bracket Round 1
19 Oct Lower Bracket Round 1
25 Oct Upper Bracket Round 2
26 Oct Lower Bracket Round 2
1 Nov Lower Bracket Finals (Group A & B)
2 Nov Upper Bracket Finals (Group A & B)
STAGE 3 - PLAYOFFS
7 Nov Playoffs Single Elimination Brackets Release
8 Nov Quarterfinals (BO3) - 7:00PM CET / 1:00PM EST
9 Nov Semi-Finals (BO3) - 7:00PM CET / 1:00PM EST
15-16 Nov Third Place Match (BO3)
15 Nov Grand Finals (BO5) - 6:30PM CET / 12:30PM EST

Additional Info: Round-by-round times and match details will be posted on Discord.

Disclaimer: The schedule may be altered depending on team availability and other ongoing tournaments.

1.1. Every player must have at least 1000 kills (ranked + custom). A player with less than 1000 kills may not play under any circumstances.

1.2. Players and/or teams in the following 'Blacklists' may not play an Event hosted by Polaris

  • PolarisGG Blacklist

1.3. Players must be on up-to-date OS (Operating System) Versions:

  • iPad OS: 18.7 or later
  • iPhone OS: 18.7 or later
  • Android OS: at least Android 13 or later

1.4. Polaris Challengers 2025 is hosted on Discord and brackets are made on Challonge.

  • Each team participating in this event must actively check Discord and the subsequent bracket on Challonge. Brackets and all other crucial information can be found in the Captain news channels.

1.5. Additional Rules, round times, schedule changes, or any other stipulations will be announced in the captain news channels and/or official tournament discord channels.

1.6. Teams MUST sign-up for the proper region their team is from..

  • I.e. A North American team must sign-up for the Americas portion of he event.
  • A player's ping must average below 150 ms.
  • Exceptions may be made if substantial concerns are brought up to Polaris Staff

1.7. Nade Stacking is allowed.

1.8. Polaris Staff members & streamers are allowed to participate in any Events, however they are not allowed to stream nor involve themselves with the match.

1.9. Polaris Staff are permitted to request a player to record and submit their recording if they are suspected of cheating in any way.

1.10. Match-fixing in any way is prohibited.

1.11. A player cannot be a part of more than one lineup.

  • A player cannot be added to a teams roster if they have already been in a team who has previously lost in the event.

1.12. FORFEITING DURING ANY ROUND - A forfeit is agreeing to play a game or scheduling a game, and NOT showing up/playing it.

  • FORFEITING OR OTHERWISE NOT PLAYING FOR NO APPARENT OR VALID REASON WILL RESULT IN A POSSIBLE TEAM BLACKLIST FROM FUTURE CRITICAL OPS OFFICIAL TOURNAMENTS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

1.13. Monetary prizing must be claimed by the winning team(s) captain(s), as designated on the teams profile (or an agreed upon team member/benefactor via a signed document) within 12 months of the tournament's conclusion.

  • Failure to complete this document within the timeframe may result in removal of prizing from the team.
  • Captains (or the designated team member/benefactor) claiming the prizing are fully responsible for distributing it to their team. We are not responsible for the prizing distribution after it has been sent.

2.1. A team must consist of a minimum of 5 players and maximum of 7 players. If a team has less than 5 or greater than 7 players they cannot participate in Polaris Events.

2.2. Every player must have at least 1000 kills. Refer to 1.1. in General Rules.

2.3. Every participant must be registered in the PolarisGG discord bot in the Polaris discord server. Use /register in #bot-use using YOUR correct In Game Name (IGN) and In Game ID (ID).

2.4. A team must be created by using /create_team in #bot-use, the team must choose the crrect region in which the majority of its players reside in.

  • Only one captain can be delegated at a time. The captain has full responsibility for the team. If a captain wishes to give ownership of the team to another they can use /view_team > "Manage Team" > "Transfer Ownership"
  • A logo must be included for all teams who reach the qualifying round of Stage 1

2.5. Teams cannot have more than one Captain. The captain is fully responsible for the team. A participant cannot be a captain for more than one team at a time.

2.6. Each Players Account/Team must meet the following requirements:

  • IGN & Account ID are provided correctly
  • Not banned or restricted by Critical Force
  • The IGN is deemed as appropriate
  • The team tag is deemed as appropriate
  • The Player(s) are not present on any Blacklist (Polaris)

2.7. Lineup Changes throughout Polaris Challengers 2025

  • The team's lineup can be changed at ANY TIME before registration ends. They may use /apply to change their lineup
  • There will be an available total of 2 LINEUP CHANGES throughout the duration of Polaris Challengers 2025, they can be used at any point during the tournament, use /myteam to change your lineup.
  • A lineup change is the addition of 1 player at a time. Players may be removed at any time.

2.8. The use of operative accounts is forbidden.

3.1. Each team must join the room within 15 minutes from when the room information (code & password) was sent to them.

  • Failure to have at least 3 players in the room after 15 minutes will result in disqualification. If a team has 3 or 4 players in the room more time can be allocated for them to join, this decision is up to Polaris Staff.
  • If both teams fail to show up in time, they will both be disqualified.
  • Forfeiting or showing up late/not having enough players, during a streamed match, may result in the team ending up on the Polaris Blacklist.

3.2. Games may start as a 4v5. Although, games cannot start as a 4v4.

3.3. If required, all players must complete the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) before joining the game.

  • OR, record a device settings recording and/or the full game by request from staff members.
  • More information on what teams can request to their opponent can be found in Match Rules (4.4).
  • All players are only required to record the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) if requested (by their opponent/staff) for Qualifiers and Group Stage.
  • All players are required to record the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) for Playoffs.

3.4. Using 3rd party softwares/hardwares which may interfere with the game including but not limited to VPN's, emulators, mechanical devices, 'cross-hair apps', etc are forbidden. Exceptions or punishments are decided by Polaris Staff.

3.5. A player is allowed to substitute mid-game although anti-cheat measures must be completed (if required) as the rules state, this player must also be on the team's current tournament lineup.

3.6. NO Mutual Agreements can be made on:

  • Playing without Recording when Recording is required
  • Skipping any step from the Anti-Cheat Measures (5.)
  • Allowing a blacklisted player to play for a team
  • Usage of 3rd party software/hardware

3.7. We ask that teams refrain from using 'ALL CHAT' once the game has started. Warnings may be given. If the problem persists the team may be at risk of disqualification.

3.8. Teams are prohibited to use special commands during a match, they will be disqualified with no exceptions. Timeouts are allowed, but they should be used sparingly.

3.9. If the game is live, no player can move to spectate nor join the opposing team's side. In the result of this, the map will be considered void and the game does not have to continue. No exceptions will be made.

3.10. If present, room permissions (special commands), must be given to a Polaris Staff member or streamer/caster.

3.11. Teams cannot protest during a game, unless clear and evident cheating has occurred, and thus the match becomes immediately void. Players must contact a Polaris Staff Member if this, or any other major issues happen, during a game.

3.12. All players should stay till the game ends, and leave only after the final score board. Punishments may result from leaving before the final scoreboard.

Before Match

4.1. Players must ensure that they have at least 3GB of free storage on their devices, per map.

4.2. The team Captain must ensure that the lineup playing is correct and that all players are present on the team's tournament lineup in the PolarisGG bot.

4.3. Map-bans (banning of maps in succession until 1 map is left, which will be played in a BO1 OR banning & picking of maps in succession until 2 maps are picked and 1 is left as the decider in a BO3) must be completed on Discord and in the matches' dedicated Match-Up channel, using the PolarisGG Bot.

4.4. Captains must record the Anti-Cheat Measures (5.) for all Stages which require Anti-Cheat

  • Teams can request a maximum of 3 players from the opposing lineup to Upload their recordings during Qualifiers and Group Stage (Exceptions may be made for more players to upload if reason for suspicion is brought up to PolarisGG staff members). Refer to Anti-Cheat Measures (5.) & Game Rules (3.3.)

4.5. In Polaris Challengers 2025, each stage and round times are designated in our schedule. Teams must be available throughout these times and play their required matches within these times. Failure to do so will result in Disqualification.

4.6. Team Captains, as noted in the team's lineup, are responsible completely for their team. If they do not respond to map-banning, requests by Staff, or fail to make sure their team abides by this ruleset, the team may be disqualified.

During Match

Refer to Game Rules (3).

Disconnections during a LIVE match

  • If any player disconnects during a match, given they have completed the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) BEFORE THE GAME STARTS, and they are NOT actively recording their screen, then the player must record the rest of the entire game, AND:
    • Before or after they reconnect, or after the game has concluded, Open their Device Settings > "General" > About Device.
  • e.x. Player X recorded the Anti-Cheat Measures before the game began, including a device/settings recording. They disconnect in game during round 7 (they are not currently recording their screen), now they MUST begin a screen recording and record the rest of the game. Player X must also go to Settings > About Device, after the game has concluded, or if they want to, do this step during the game, or before they re-connect.
  • Player X does not have to complete any of these steps if they DID NOT complete Anti-Cheat-Measures (5) before the game.

After Match

4.7. The Captain must immediately send the final scoreboard screenshot to their specified match-up channel.

4.8. If any foul play or corruption is suspected, a team may protest. This must be done directly after the match has concluded.

  • Teams have 10 minutes to protest in the submit-info channel, or through a staff member. Protesting after this time limit will not change the result of that match.

4.9. If required, participants have to upload their recordings to YouTube and send the link to the specified Polaris Staff member or the specified discord channel.

All Players must have a minimum of 3GB (gigabytes) free (per map) to record.

QUALIFIERS & GROUP STAGE:

Players only have to upload on request of the opposing Team/Staff Team.

Refer to Match Rules (4.4). PLAYOFFS:

All players will be required to record the Anti-Cheat Measures throughout all rounds. Only requested players must upload their Anti-Cheat recordings.

Recordings must be kept until a Polaris Staff Member confirms the match.

Each Player will have a maximum of 45 minutes to upload their recordings for a given map. If 3 maps are played the player will have a total of 1h and 35m to upload all of their recordings (45m x 3 maps). More time may be allocated at Polaris Staff discretion.

THE RECORDING MUST INCLUDE:

  • All Anti-Cheat Measures (5.1-5.3) completed properly for your device
  • 3 rounds of the game
  • No tampering or editing of the video in any way
  • The video must be uploaded with at least 720p quality
  • The Recording(s) must be separated, one recording for the Anti-Cheat Measures (5) and one for the in-game recording. Two recordings total.
  • Anti-Cheat/Device/Settings Recordings cannot be sped up.
  • In-Game Recordings may be sped up by a maximum of 4x (4 times speed).

The Inability to include any of the above steps may result in the disqualification of the team from the match or tournament. Refer to (1.) Introduction.

CREDITS: MOBILE ESPORTS and "aias"

Players must be on iPadOS 18.7.1 or above in order to play.

The Recording begins before you enter the room. Please complete the following steps:

  1. Begin your recording and close all apps in the multi tab, including Critical Ops, and all other apps.
  2. Go to the clock app, stopwatch, and press start.
  3. Go to Settings > General > About and show your device information, scroll through.
  4. Go back to General > iPad Storage scroll until you find Critical Ops and click on it.
  5. Go to the Battery Tab, scroll through the last 24 hours tab, and tap an app to show the time spent on it (show activity), and then press the last 10 days tab, and scroll through again, showing activity.
  6. Go to Screen Time, scroll through the last week tab, tap on show more if it's present, find Critical Ops and press on it, and then press the day tab and scroll through again, then find Critical Ops and press on it again.
  7. Go to the Privacy tab, scroll all the way down and tap on developer mode. If it is turned on, turn it off.
  8. Go back to the Clock App again, show the stopwatch time.
  9. Go to the App Store, search up Critical Ops, open up your stopwatch via multi task, then open Critical Ops. Do not swipe off the clock app for the rest of the recording.
  10. Go to the in-game Store, and attempt to buy credits. Do not actually buy them.
  11. Join the room and move to spectate (if you are a substitute, join your side), showing your stopwatch the entire time.
  12. End your Settings recording and immediately start your gameplay recording.
  13. Showcase your stopwatch, pause the time, and end it. You may now swipe off of the clock app.

Continue to record the first 3 rounds. You may end it after 3 rounds have been played, unless otherwise indicated.

📹 iPadOS Recording Example

Players must be on iOS 18.7 or above in order to play

The Recording begins before you enter the room. Please complete the following steps:

  1. Begin your recording and close all apps in the multi tab, including Critical Ops, and all other apps.
  2. Go to the clock app, stopwatch and press start.
  3. Go to Settings > General > About and show your device information, scrolling through.
  4. Go back to General > iPad Storage scroll until you find Critical Ops and click on it.
  5. Go to the Battery tab, scroll through the last 24 hours tab, and tap an app to show the time spent on it, and then press the last 10 days tab, and scroll through again.
  6. Go to Screen Time, scroll through the last week tab, tap on show more if it's present, find Critical Ops and press on it, and then press the day tab and scroll through again, then find Critical Ops and press on it again.
  7. Go to the Privacy tab, scroll all the way down and tap on developer mode. If it is turned on, turn it off.
  8. Go back to the Clock App again, show the stopwatch time.
  9. Go to the App Store, search up Critical Ops, and open it.
  10. Go to the in-game Store, and attempt to buy credits. Do not actually buy them.
  11. Join the room and move to spectate (if you are a substitute join your side).
  12. Swipe to open your Control Center, click the timer icon, go to stopwatch.
  13. Now go back to Critical Ops via the multi tab. Wait to connect, you may now end your Settings recording. Immediately start a gameplay recording.
  14. Swipe to open your Control Center, click the timer icon, go to stopwatch again, and end it.
  15. Go back into Critical Ops via the multi tab.

Continue to record the first 3 rounds. You may end it after 3 rounds have been played, unless otherwise indicated.

📹 iPhoneOS Recording Example

NOTE: In order to complete this recording, you must install and setup "Smart Multi Floating Clock, Timer & Stopwatch" BEFORE starting your recording.

  • Android Players must be on Android 13 or above to play
  1. Go to Settings > "My Device"/"About Device"
  2. Show this section for at least 2 seconds, then tap on "all specifications" and show this for at least 4 seconds, and then tap on "status"/"status information" and also show this for at least 4 seconds.
  3. Download "InstaPay Egypt" from the Play Store.
  4. Open this via the Play Store and run the app for at least 7 seconds. It is normal for the app to endlessly load.
  5. Download "Halifax Mobile Banking" from the Play Store.
  6. Open the app via the Play Store and run the app for at least 7 seconds.
  7. Download "Package Manager" from the Play Store.
  8. Open the app via the Play Store, accept the user agreement, and then search: "oasis", "bay", and finally "critical". You should see a Critical Ops file, tap on this, then tap "Full Details" and scroll through the entirety of the General/"App Info" Section shown. If your stopwatch is obstructing the information, please move it.
  9. Go to the Play Store, search "Critical Ops" and open the game. Join the room and move to spectate (if you are a substitute join your side). Then end your stopwatch. To end your stopwatch, long press the stopwatch and press "OK" at the prompt. You may now end your settings recording.
  10. Start another recording immediately (your game-play recording). Continue to record the first 3 rounds. You may end it after 3 rounds have been played, unless otherwise indicated.

📹 Android Recording Example

Prizing is per player except the cash prize

PLAYOFFS PRIZING

🏆 Champions

$500 USD
2500 Credits
25 Event Cases (7 players)

🥈 Runners Up

$300 USD
2000 Credits
20 Event Cases (7 players)

🥉 3rd Place

$200 USD
1800 Credits
18 Event Cases (7 players)

4th Place

2000 Credits
20 Event Cases (7 players)

5th – 6th Place

1200 Credits
12 Event Cases (7 players)

Most Valuable Player

Polaris Emblem

STAGE 2 PRIZING

4th – 8th Place

1000 Credits
10 Event Cases (7 players)