Each sanctioned HCS tournament will award points in addition to cash prizes. Depending on the type of event, size, and prize pool, tournaments will be grouped into different tiers, and offer a corresponding amount of points. Teams are awarded HCS Points depending on their placing at each of these events. Invitation to the Season 1 Finals will be determined by the official HCS standings, which are based on HCS Points accumulated during Season 1. This graphic illustrates the different tiers, and breaks down point distribution based on team placing.

Online tournaments (also known as “cups”) will be the most frequent opportunity to earn HCS Points, as they occur weekly. These tournaments are free to enter, and you can compete from the comfort of your own home.

LAN tournaments are tournaments held in a physical location rather than over Xbox Live. LAN tournaments are held by tournament organizers and range from Gold to Platinum to Diamond. Overall, LAN tournaments will award the majority of points each season.

Below is a breakdown of the different tournament tiers.

Online

For those who love to compete but can't make it to in-person LAN events, ESL has got you covered. Online cups are a great way to earn a sizeable sum of points in addition to the $1,000 prize pool each week. These tournaments will feature a single elimination, best-of-3 format. 550 HCS Points are awarded to the winning team.

Gold

Gold tournaments offer entry-level prizing and HCS points in the Halo Championship Series. These tournaments feature a minimum $5,000 prize pool. 1,500 HCS Points are awarded to the winning team.

Platinum

Platinum tournaments offer mid-range prizing and HCS points in the Halo Championship Series. These tournaments will feature a $10,000 minimum prize pool. 3,000 HCS Points are awarded to the winning team.

Diamond

Diamond tournament offer the highest prizing and HCS points in the Halo Championship Series. These tournaments will feature a $20,000 minimum prize pool. 4,000 HCS Points are awarded to the winning team.

Ready to start competing? You can learn more about ESL's Online Cups and register for the HCS here, or by clicking the below banner.

The full handbook for the Halo Championship Series can be found here.