UNSW Battlecode Qualifiers 2026

UNSW Battlecode Qualifiers 2026

The event livestream revealed the Round of 16 teams and followed their elimination matches. Battlecode games featured teams of “dragons” navigating maps, collecting pearls and other power spawns, using portals, and trying to outlast or eliminate their opponents. Each match was a best-of-seven on maps the teams had not seen before.

Format and stakes

• Of 280 eligible teams, 16 entered the streamed knockout bracket.
• The eight Round of 16 winners qualified directly for the grand finals. The eight losing teams entered a second-chance bracket, with two more qualifying.
• Ten teams in total advanced. The grand finals were announced for 17 October at UNSW.
• The top six places shared 18,500 in prizes, including 8,000 for first place. Organizers also said they had increased travel reimbursement limits for international finalists.

Match highlights and strategies

• Map variety mattered: Organizers prepared 13 maps with different sizes, layouts, portals, and power-spawn patterns. Some maps deliberately punished assumptions such as “the center always has the best rewards.”
• Explore rather than hard-code: Teams that found power areas efficiently often gained an early advantage. The hosts warned that central spawns and map layouts could change, especially for the finals.
• Long dragons had benefits and risks: Longer dragons could sprint farther and scout more of the board, but were also vulnerable to collisions and elimination. Teams needed to balance growing length with safe movement.
• Queen survival could decide games: A surviving queen could outweigh a numbers disadvantage, and several teams kept queens safe by surrounding them or positioning them in protected areas. But queens sometimes suffocated in their own dragons or wandered into danger.
• Navigation and coordination were crucial: Narrow corridors, mazes, and portals caused costly pathing mistakes. The hosts advised navigating carefully, merging efficiently, and avoiding blocking generators, which can prevent power spawns.

Many matches were close, and the hosts observed that going first did not appear to guarantee a win. They also noted that some lower-seeded teams performed strongly.

Qualifiers

The eight teams qualifying directly from the main bracket were R, Cutlery, We Have Quizzes, Test 4, Lop, Forgot to Mention, Chad GBT, and Sponge. SSS and TTT is All You Need qualified through the second-chance bracket.

The hosts also ran a final matchup between SSS and TTT is All You Need “for fun”; SSS won.

Teams and sources featured

• Round of 16 teams: R; Bread First Search; Cutlery; TTT is All You Need; We Have Quizzes; Settlers of Battlecode; SSS; Test 4; Lop (also rendered as “Love” or “Lar” in the captions); Sabotage D; Forgot to Mention; Y; Chad GBT (also rendered as “Chad GPT” in the captions); Kaizen; Hieroglyphics; Sponge.
• Event/source: UNSW CPMSoc.
• Map design credited during the livestream: Nean and Katherine.