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.

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.

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.

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