First “Esports Gym” opens in Japan with personal trainers for Valorant, LoL & more

The world’s first esports-focused “gym” has opened in Japan, offering competitive players of games like Valorant, League of Legends, Rainbow Six: Siege, and more to hone their skills and get some high-level practice.

Simply called Esports Gym, the new venture looks similar to your typical PC café but with partnerships with local teams that will give people the option of getting 1-on-1 coaching sessions.

This isn’t going to be a mega-structure that can house teams of different players. Instead, the collaboration between Tokyo Metro and Geshipi is going to focus on smaller-scale instruction for people to sign up.

Esports Gym is located near the heart of Japan’s bustling train system and with Tokyo Metro as a partner, they’re hoping it’ll be a great place for teams, players, and coaches to link up with the facility.

What’s inside Japan’s new Esports Gym? Details & prices

There are only 12 PCs set up in the shop for now, with the business putting more emphasis on small-scale teaching environments to focus on the players.

The gym has five different titles they’re currently focusing on: League of Legends, Valorant, Rainbow Six: Siege, Identity V, and Puyo Puyo. They’re looking to expand their offering, according to IGN Japan.

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A membership of 5,500 yen per month (about $50 USD) gets you up to three hours of use every day. The single-day, session-to-session program will set aspiring pros back 1,430 yen (about $13 USD). There’s also an option to get specific training for every title they offer for an additional 2750 yen ($25 USD).

Esports Gym will have members from organizations like Crest Gaming, Glory be esports, and JeSU to guide members. A direct path to becoming a pro can also be in the cards for players who pass a specific online course with Crest Gaming, which can lead to a tryout held every three months.

Japan has a rich history in many esports, mainly FGC titles, but this could be a good way to build up local talent in other games.

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If all goes well, Esport Gym expects to open its doors to the general public on May 19, to start building Japan’s next wave of great esports professionals.