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Only one can win the Omegathon at PAX West 2025 (but there's plenty of room for a Chicken Jockey or two in this year's Minecraft tournament)

Every PAX, there's an Omegathon, and this year's PAX West is no different - but who will win in the four-day-long tournament of Minecraft modes?

Features by Graeme McMillan, Editor

Published on Fri Aug 29 2025

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There are many things that make PAX shows stand apart from other conventions, but perhaps none of them have the chaotic, joyful energy of the Omegathon. PAX West 2025 has the latest installment of this Highlander-esque gaming tournament — in the sense of only one can survive, not in the sense of swords and bad accent work, I hasten to add — and we’re already prepared for what is going to be an ongoing, blocky highlight of the entire weekend. For those not at the Seattle Convention Center across the next four days, we’ll be keeping you updated with events as they happen… but first, we want to make sure you know what to expect.

In the beginning... The history of the Omegathon

The Omegathon has been a mainstay at PAX since the show began back in 2004, when 20 attendees got together to fight for supremacy in a bunch of games including Halo, Dance Dance Revolution, and PONG. (Yes, PONG.) The format of the show has evolved as the event has continued, with everything from the choice of games, the number of contestants (Sorry, Omeganauts), and the very structure of the whole thing being up for grabs as the next PAX nears. The TTRPG-focused PAX Unplugged, for example, has an Omegathon that’s entirely analog, while last year’s PAX West had a multi-round tournament through video game history that ended in a head-to-head match filled with twists, turns, and an audience on the edge of our seats about who was going to come out on top.

How are contestants selected for this whole thing? That’s part of the fun — attendees who pre-register for the event have to declare if they’re interested in signing up. Omeganauts are then randomly selected from that group, but that selection isn’t necessarily going to stick: in order to ensure they make it into the tournament, they’ve got to answer the phone when called to be told of their fate. If they miss the call… well, they’ve missed their chance, and a replacement will be called up.

What can we say? The Omegathon isn’t for the faint of heart who don’t like to pick up calls from unfamiliar (or worse, unlisted) numbers. If you’re going to stand up on stage and play in front of thousands of people, you’ve got to be okay with talking to strangers.

As if conquering cinema wasn't enough, Minecraft conquers PAX West 2025's Omegathon

At PAX West 2025, the Omegathon has a certain theme that might be noticeable to people who have looked at the schedule. See if you can spot it:

Omegathon Round 1: Minecraft. (Friday, August 29, 1pm)
Omegathon Round 2: Minecraft! (Saturday, August 30, 11:30am)
Omegathon Round 3: Minecraft? (Saturday, August 30, 2:30pm)
Omegathon Round 4: Minecraft… (Sunday, August 31, 11am)
Omegathon Round 5: Minecraft :) (Monday, September 1, 10:30am)
Omegathon FINAL ROUND: getClass() (Monday, September 1, 5:30pm)

If you think you know what to expect in that final round, please be aware that the description goes like this: “2 Omeganaut Finalists enter, 1 Omegachamp leaves. But for the first time this competition, we wonder: What game will they play? A secret only to be revealed to those who attend.”

Personally, I’m hoping it’s Minecraft, but I wouldn’t trust anyone to second-guess the Omegabosses.

Meet 2025's PAX West Omeganauts

So who is taking part in this year’s Omegathon? I’m glad you asked. Meet the 2025 PAX West Omeganauts:

MajoraMan (Taylor, British Columbia, Canada)
DriveInABox (Monique, Mansfield OH)
TisAMystery (Jonathon, Nevada)
Jirafu (Wendy, Seattle WA)
hermitdruid (Brandon, Edmonton, Alberta)
AshlyTheBagle (San Diego CA)
SamWiseCarlos (Carlos, Seattle WA)
katrin (Katarina, Seattle WA)
Fish (Los Angeles CA)
CynicStrats (Teegan, Bozeman MT)
joshthor (Josh, Spokane WA)
Gantrock (Iris, Bremerton WA)
SoleIron (Jason, Cornelius OR)
ZeWaka (Kai, Maui JI)
Sharks (Kyle, Hillsboro OR)
Superfedtv (Thomas, Covington WA)
wolfemancs (Craig, Redmond WA)
Naylord (Geoffrey, Vancouver BC)
Cricketgg7 (Greg, Miami FL)
Prof. Pine (Patrick, Shoreline WA)

Who will win? We'll find out in a few days. The Omegathon begins August 29 at 1pm Pacific, and we’re going to keep you updated as to its progress throughout the entire weekend. The battle for Minecraft supremacy — and a place in PAX history — demands no less.

PAX West 2025 runs August 29 through September 1 at the Seattle Convention Center.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

And be sure to check Popverse regularly for the latest gaming news.

About Omegathon

Dates

Jan 01 - Jan 01

Visit the event page

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Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.