Attention PlayStation Nation: we’re back with the biggest gaming tournament of the year – the $1 Million EA Sports Challenge Series powered by Virgin Gaming! Last year, we blew the doors off of the sports gaming scene and now we’re giving you another chance to take home huge cash prizes for playing FIFA 13, Madden NFL 13 and NHL 13.

To get a taste of what last year’s experience was like, check out this video recap from the 2012 tournament finals in New York. Last year in NYC, we made legends out of Adam Winster (FIFA 12 Challenge Champion), Tyler Glen (Madden NFL 12 Challenge Champion) and John Grasso (NHL 12 Challenge Champion). These gamers took home life-changing prizes and will be defending their titles in 2013. Bring your best game and you could be crowned this year’s champ.

So How Does it Work?

This year’s tournament structure has been simplified, so even if you’ve never played in a video game tournament before it won’t take you long to get into the action. In fact, it only takes six wins to secure your spot at the live tournament finals taking place in Las Vegas!

1. Online Qualifiers (October 9Tth 2012 – January 1st 2013)
First, with your purchase of FIFA 13, Madden NFL 13 and/or NHL 13 at GameStop, you will receive free entry into the tournament. Next, sign up for an account at VirginGaming.com. Once you have an account and log in, you’ll find a place to put in your code for the game specific challenge that you are interested in. Then you find a match on VirginGaming.com and challenge your opponent in the EA Sports Arena on your PS3. These qualifiers run 24/7 and you only have to win four matches in a row to secure your spot in the semi-finals. But hurry—there are a limited number of seats to be won in the semis.

2. Online Semi-Finals (January 7th and 8th, 2013)
The first 1,024 players to qualify (512 for NHL 13) will compete in scheduled, bracketed tournament play for a spot in the finals. It only takes TWO wins at this stage to move on.

3. Live Finals in Las Vegas (February 9th, 2013)
The top 256 players from the semi-finals (128 for NHL 13) will meet in Las Vegas to compete for cash and enjoy a day of gaming, music and entertainment in this legendary party town.

What You Can Win

Make it to the live tournament finals and you’ll compete for cash prizes up to $140,000. Everyone at the finals will walk away a winner, with a guaranteed minimum cash prize of $500. Here’s a complete rundown of what’s up for grabs:

$400,000 FIFA 13 CHALLENGE $400,000 MADDEN NFL 13 CHALLENGE $200,000 NHL® 13 CHALLENGE GRAND PRIZE $140,000 GRAND PRIZE $140,000 GRAND PRIZE $70,000 2ND PLACE $40,000 2ND PLACE $40,000 2ND PLACE $20,000 3RD-4TH $8,000 3RD-4TH $8,000 3RD-4TH $5,000 5TH-8TH $3,300 5TH-8TH $3,300 5TH-8TH $2,000 9TH-16TH $1,750 9TH-16TH $1,750 9TH-16TH $1,700 17TH-32ND $1,250 17TH-32ND $1,250 17TH-32ND $1,250 33RD-64TH $1,000 33RD-64TH $1,000 33RD-64TH $750 65TH-128TH $750 65TH-128TH $750 65TH-128TH $500 129TH-256TH $500 129TH-256TH $500 129TH-256TH $50 257TH-512TH $50 257TH-512TH $50

If you want to learn more, head over to ChallengeSeries.com for full rules and details, plus the latest tournament news, special strategy content to help you improve your game and more.

Ready for a piece of the big prize pool? Then grab your controller, fire up your PS3, and compete to join us in Vegas for the sports gaming party of the year.