Roulette Rivals events are hosted in several different formats. The following page describes the RRWC format, the World Championship of Roulette Rivals, the most prestigious event of the year.
¶ Overview
The Roulette Rivals World Championship (often shortened to RRWC) is a two-stage competition consisting of a Group Stage followed by a Knockout Stage. The tournament has a signup limit of 64 players, with the first 64 signups guaranteed a place. All players who sign up within the first 48 hours after the tournament announcement are also guaranteed a place, even if this results in more than 64 players. Any remaining players are placed on a waiting list and may replace players who drop out during the first 10 days of the Group Stage.
Before the Group Stage, players are seeded according to the Roulette Rankings and divided into seeding pots of eight players. Eight groups are then formed, with players from each pot assigned across the groups. In the Group Stage, each player faces every other player in their group in a round-robin system. Unlike in other Roulette Rivals formats, all four maps are played in every match, as map wins rather than match wins determine the standings. The ranking of players in each group is determined as follows:
- Points obtained in all group matches;
- Points obtained in matches between the players in question (head-to-head);
- Match wins in all group matches;
- Decider match (First-to-6).
Depending on the number of signups, either the top three or the top four players from each group advance to the Knockout Stage:
- With 51 or fewer signups, the top three players from each group advance, resulting in a 24-player bracket.
- With 52 or more signups, the top four players from each group advance, resulting in a 32-player bracket.
The players are then arranged into a semi-seeded Double Elimination bracket, with separate seeding pots for players finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and, if applicable, 4th in their group. Players from the same group are placed in different quarters of the bracket, while the 1st- and 2nd-place finishers from each group are placed in opposite halves. After each round in the Winners Bracket (WB), winners advance to the next round. Losers are not eliminated, but instead drop down into the Losers Bracket (LB). After each round in the Losers Bracket, winners continue, while losers are eliminated from the tournament.
The Grand Final is played between the winners of the final match in each bracket (the WB Final and the LB Final). The player coming from the Winners Bracket typically receives a small advantage during the scheduling and drafting process. The winner of the Grand Final, the longest and most prestigious match of the tournament, is crowned Roulette Rivals World Champion. The RRWC also features a higher prize pool compared to Roulette Rivals tournaments, and the winner receives a physical trophy.
¶ Matches and Scheduling
Matches in the Group Stage are Play-all-4, meaning all four maps are played regardless of the result.
- Both players pick two maps each, with no bans or random maps.
- A player can pick a map in multiple matches throughout the Group Stage, but must pick two different maps within the same match.
In the Knockout Stage, matches in WB Rounds 1-3 and LB Rounds 1-5 are First-to-8, meaning the match ends once one player reaches 8 points.
- Both players ban two maps each, then pick two maps each.
- Upon scheduling, four additional random maps are drawn, but remain hidden until played.
- Once a player picks or bans a map, that player cannot pick or ban it again until reaching WB Round 4 or LB Round 6.
All Knockout Stage matches from WB Round 4 and LB Round 6 onward, except the Grand Final, are First-to-10, meaning the match ends once one player reaches 10 points.
- Both players ban two maps each, then pick two maps each.
- Upon scheduling, six additional random maps are drawn, but remain hidden until played.
- Once a player picks or bans a map, that player cannot pick or ban it again until the Grand Final.
The Grand Final is First-to-12, meaning the match ends once the champion reaches 12 points.
- The final draft follows a fixed order designed to give Player A, the player advancing from the Winners Bracket, a slight advantage.
- The Grand Final features a map pool reset, removing previous restrictions. However, each map can only be selected by one player.
¶ Deadlines and Inactivity
Roulette Rivals tournaments using the RRWC format typically last 7.5 weeks. The main tournament deadlines for RRWC 2026 are as follows, while detailed round deadlines are shared in the #info channel on Discord:
- Signups open: Monday, 12 October 2026, 12:00 CEST
- Signups close: Thursday, 22 October 2026, 18:00 CEST
- Start of Group Stage: Friday, 23 October 2026, 12:00 CEST
- Knockout Stage draw: Sunday, 15 November 2026, 22:00 CET
- Grand Final: Sunday, 13 December 2026
The Group Stage lasts 3.5 weeks and only features one hard deadline at the end, with several soft deadlines before it. Players must complete all of their matches by the end of the Group Stage and are asked to schedule and play their matches evenly throughout. Players who fail to stay on schedule, are inactive and unresponsive, or repeatedly no-show can be removed from the tournament and replaced by the next person on the waiting list during the first 10 days of the Group Stage.
The Knockout Stage lasts 4 weeks and uses several soft deadlines to ensure the bracket progresses smoothly. In general, players are expected to play one match every three to five days. Soft deadlines do not have to be met exactly. However, admins may step in if matches fall significantly behind schedule due to lack of availability or repeated no-shows. Players are asked not to fall more than two days behind schedule, and if they do play late, they should aim to catch up as quickly as possible, for example, by prescheduling with potential next-round opponents. If a match delays the bracket too much, admins may issue a forfeit to the player deemed at fault.