The best recent events and tournaments at Localhost
by Brian Bencomo
Nerd Street’s owned and operated gaming venues, known as Localhosts, are not only places where you can stop by to play your favorite games on high-quality gaming PCs and consoles. Localhosts also are the site of LAN tournaments, gaming community gatherings, private events, youth camps, brand activations and more. Every month, we’ll be spotlighting some of the best events that have happened at Localhost in Philadelphia, Rowan and Denver. Here’s a look back at some of the fun things that happened at Localhost over the past month.
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Localhost Philadelphia
December was a busy month for Localhost Philly with four big events packing the venue at 401 N. Broad St to close out 2024.
Nerd Street’s Cheeseadelphia 2024 circuit concluded with the Cheeseadelphia Grand Finals LAN tournament at Localhost Philly last month. Joseph "Future" Stanish came out on top of the 16-player field. The tournament began with five rounds of Swiss competition followed by an eight-player single elimination bracket. Future, who had qualified for the tournament after previously winning the Cheeseadelphia Spring LAN, won the best-of-seven grand final 4-1.
In mid-December, Localhost was the site of The Premier Circuit’s Destro Takeover LAN where 43 Call of Duty teams competed across two days for a championship. The tournament was a showcase for some of the best Tier 2 and Tier 3 Call of Duty teams in the country. After the dust settled on the 4v4 Call of Duty Black Ops 6 competition, Stallions x SWM claimed the top spot as champions, with Enncourage taking home the MVP honors. This was The Premier Circuit’s first LAN tournament at Localhost Philly, but not their first at Localhost. The organization had previously held a tournament at Localhost Denver earlier in 2024.
Localhost Philly’s fighting game community night “See Me Offline” restarted in December, which was a great leadup for the final Go For Broke monthly of the year. December’s Go For Broke included competitions in Mortal Kombat 1, Under Night Sys:Celes, Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 and again featuring the Broad Street Blur Mario Kart 8 LAN. Over 130 attendees packed the venue for one last celebration of the region's FGC competitors.
The final venue rental of the year saw the return of the Tristate All-Purpose Series (TAPS) to Localhost Philly with TAPS 7 featuring both Rivals of Aether 1 and 2. Fifty-one players made the trip to Philly with Rivals of Aether GOAT CakeAssault taking first for Rivals 2 singles, and Penguin winning Rivals 1. The tristate community is abuzz with Rivals of Aether 2 joining the lineup for Philly's “That Local Jawn” weekly in 2025!
Localhost Rowan
Rowan has quickly become a home for Fragadelphia. The grassroots Counter-Strike circuit hosted their fourth Frag Jersey LAN tournament at Localhost Rowan last month. Frag Jersey featured nine teams vying for a $1,000 prize pool, and the winners were a team called Big Bois.
Photo credit: Fragadelphia
Rowan’s FGC and Smash weeklies saw good turnouts despite the holidays with dozens of competitors coming out to play Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
A unique event also took place at Rowan in December with Localhost joining the Glassboro community to celebrate the annual Boro in Lights festival. The Glassboro community gathered for a holiday celebration, and Localhost opened its doors for a night of free play featuring Fortnite OG, a game mode that brings back classic maps and gameplay from the early days of the popular Battle Royale game.
Photo credit: Nerd Street
Localhost Denver
December was a month of champions at Localhost Denver as both the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) and Denver Public Schools hosted their esports championship finals at Localhost. CHSAA’s esports finals were in League of Legends, Rocket League and, for the first time, Splatoon. Mountain Vista were the inaugural Splatoon state champs, while Cherokee Trail won in League of Legends and Denver East took home their first esports championship in Rocket League.
On the heels of Denver East’s victory, Denver Public Schools hosted their Winter Esports Finals in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart. These finals had a guest of honor too, as Colorado Governor Jared Polis, a gamer himself, was in attendance for the event. Denver North High School came out atop the competition to win its second straight district championship.
Lead photo credit: Nerd Street