Red Bull is bringing an epic ‘Street Fighter V’ tournament to Boston

Championships are pretty common here in Titletown, but now it’s time for esports athletes to shine in Boston.

After bringing their popular flugtag event to the Hub last year, Red Bull is heading back to the city with an epic “Street Fighter V” video game tournament. That’s right, hundreds of the nation’s top gamers will converge in Boston for Red Bull Battle Grounds 2017, which goes down Nov. 18-19.

More than 500 competitors will get the chance to go head-to-head as Ryu, Chun-Li and the rest of the “Street Fighter” crew at a pretty nifty venue called The Castle at Park Plaza. This 14,642-square foot space in the Back Bay is actually considered a National Historic Landmark and was originally built in 1741 by the Massachusetts-based military organization the First Corps of Cadets.

Red Bull Battle Grounds 2017 will be a significant event for the gamers involved, as they vie for a spot in Sunday’s grand finals. Champions from Red Bull’s monthly, regional Proving Grounds tournaments will get the chance to compete against a slew of other players in Saturday’s 512-player, open bracket qualifier.

The winner of day one will then go on to face the top seven competitors from the Capcom Pro Tour Regional Leaderboards during an 8-player tournament to decide who takes home the North America “Street Fighter V” crown. The champ will also earn a spot in the Capcom Pro Tour’s final and biggest event of the year, Capcom Cup 2017.

Local gamers who want to test their skills can register online for $10, while spectators can attend for free.

In addition to the big tournament, the event will also have “Street Fighter II,” “Street Fighter 3rd Strike” and “Ultra Street Fighter 4” tournaments going on that fans can participate in to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary this year. And don’t worry about missing any of the action if you can’t make it, as the entire event will be streamed live on Twitch.

If that’s not enough action for you, then make sure to check out the virtual reality experience that will be on display throughout the weekend. Fans will get to full immerse themselves into the game at the “Street Fighter II” VR bonus stage.

And should you feel like partying before the fun starts on Saturday, head over to Balance Patch on Friday night for a special kick off party. Boston’s first video game cafe is a hosting a Battle Grounds celebration, complete with food, drinks, as well as the unveiling of a new “Street Fighter” mural by local artist Merk Those.

Check out a trailer for Red Bull Battle Grounds 2017 below.