Gauteng's home of play
Build the most connected competitive gaming community in the province — a place where local talent can be seen, coached and signed.
Our story
Built by gamers,
for Johannesburg.
Next Level Gaming & Esports Arena opened in Sandton in 2023 with one goal: give local players a proper place to compete, train and hang out.
The story
A home arena for the city's scene.
Jason Naidoo founded Next Level Gaming in 2023 after years of watching Johannesburg's players travel across the city for a stable setup. Talent was everywhere. Reliable hardware, low-ping fibre and a room that could actually run a bracket were not.
The arena was built to close that gap. A single venue with esports-grade PCs, current-gen consoles, VR, racing rigs and a stage for tournament nights — open to first-timers and ranked grinders alike.
Today the team hosts casual sessions, school clinics, club scrims and corporate events under one roof, with staff on the floor to configure gear, run brackets and keep the night moving.
“We wanted a place where a first-timer and a tournament player can sit in the same room and both get a fair shot. That is still the brief.”
What drives us
Vision, mission and the work in between.
The arena is a business, but it is also a commitment to the community that shows up every week.
Access is the whole point
Give every player access to the hardware, connectivity, coaching and stage they need to improve — without gatekeeping the fun.
What we are building
- Run top-tier tournaments across the major titles.
- Support schools with structured coaching clinics.
- Host corporate team-building built around play.
The road so far
From one room to a weekly calendar.
-
2023
The doors open
Next Level Gaming launches in Sandton with a handful of stations, a fibre line and an open-door policy for local players.
-
2024
Coaching and clinics
School clinics and coached team sessions join the calendar, with structured practice for Johannesburg's amateur squads.
-
Today
A full arena
PC, console, VR and sim racing under one roof, plus private booths, party bookings and weekly cups.
Come see it
Walk the floor before you book.
Pop in for a tour, test a rig and meet the team. Walk-ins are welcome seven days a week.