Thank you for joining us this Spring '26 Season at PlayVS! Coach Notes is a weekly newsletter regarding important updates on PlayVS game information, rule additions, and resources.
If you have any questions throughout your season as a new or experienced coach, please email us at support@playvs.com.
February 9th, 2026 | Regular Season Arrives!
What’s New
First Week of Your Best Season Yet
Ahead of your first match, we encourage you to review the rules & match instructions with your players, as some rules may have been updated.
If you need help on match day, contact PlayVS Support using the support icon, or contact your fellow coaches in Discord.
Players may be added or removed from rosters until the Roster Lock on Monday, March 30th, at 11:59 PM League Time.
A Note on Grace Periods
Teams must state their presence in the match lobby chat within 15 minutes of the scheduled match start time.
Note: This can be done by either a Team Captain OR a Coach. If a Team Captain sends the message, the coach must still be available to be reached in the event of a match dispute or behavior report.
If more time is needed, a team member may state that the full 30-minute grace period is needed to participate in the match.
Teams that do not send any messages in lobby chat within 15 minutes are subject to forfeit at their opponent’s discretion.
View the Public Pages for Any League
We’ve compiled a complete list of active Scholastic leagues this Winter & Spring season.
Visit the Public Links to PlayVS Scholastic Leagues (Winter/Spring '26) help article to find shareable links for parents and admins to view team schedules, key league information, or even check out the competition in other states and regions.
Beyond the Competition
Enhance Your Players’ Experience with Extron
Join us on Tuesday, February 10th at 1:30 PM Pacific Time as our partners explore how transform their esports space into a flexible, technology-rich learning lab!
Don’t wait - Register for tomorrow’s webinar now!
Enter to Win a PlayStation 5!
High schools have until Tuesday, February 24th, to automatically enter a giveaway for one of two Playstation® 5 Slim consoles.
To be eligible, have your students (ages 16+) register for our new, free recruitment platform today!
Reminders
Check out League Changes Before Your First Match
Returning coaches that may have missed out on Preseason should review our Summary of Changes help article before competition to ensure they are set up for success this Spring.
For example: New in-game content (such as characters and stages) is now immediately eligible for use in standard-run leagues, even if it's a playoff match!
January 26th, 2026 | Competition Begins!
Starting with the Spring 2026 season, Vanta schools will compete on the PlayVS Platform. To assist with the transition, our team has put an article together to answer your top questions.
If you have any questions that are not covered in this article, then feel free to reach out to info2026@playvs.com!
What’s New
Introducing: Recreational Queue
Recreational leagues will now utilize a unique Recreational Queue system to ensure teams are paired up as quickly as possible on match day.
Recreational leagues are noted as “(Recreational)” at the end of your league’s display name.
Additionally, this new system avoids penalizing teams that are unable to join the queue for any reason.
Game Account Connection Updates
To best serve our player community, all users will now have the ability to update their game account connections as needed throughout the season - no support tickets necessary!
Marvel Rivals & Pokémon UNITE game account restrictions have been updated so that players with longer in-game IDs can connect without issue.
Game accounts are no longer required to be connected for Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe & Super Smash Bros.™ Ultimate leagues.
Just as we mentioned in our previous issue, we encourage you to view the full list of changes in the Scholastic Summary of Changes and Additions (Spring 2026) help article.
Preseason Starts Today
Enrolled teams following the standard PlayVS schedule will have the opportunity to join our preseason queue starting this week.
View the full schedule (or your league’s alternate schedule) in our Schedules collection here.
Note: Preseason queues are global and will generate scrimmages for teams in the queue at match time, regardless of their enrolled league. Don’t be surprised if you encounter a team from another league or state!
Beyond the Competition
Don’t Just Educate - Engage Your Students!
Gaming Concepts helps schools teach digital skills to students through gaming - Request a free Course Catalog today!
Download BAND - all-in-one communication app!
BAND is partnering with PlayVS! BAND offers tools like group chat, shared calendars, file storage, and live streaming—all built with privacy and ease-of-use in mind. Integrating BAND into your esports program this Spring is a powerful way to streamline communications, coordinate with your teams, and build community with both players and parents.
BAND is a free-to-use communication service that can be accessed on mobile devices by searching “BAND” in your phone’s app store, or by using this link. You can also access BAND on your desktop on the official website.
Learn more about how BAND can be utilized by your esports program this season HERE.
Reminders
Join Your Fellow Coaches in the PlayVS Discord!
Our Discord server is available to all coaches as a free resource to connect with other coaches on our platform. More information can be found in our Discord Guide.
Spring Enrollment Closes Soon - Don’t Miss Out!
Registration closes for the majority of PlayVS leagues on Friday, 2/6/2026, 11:59 PM league time.
Check your Competitions page for a full schedule breakdown per available league.
Follow our Enrollment Steps article to sign up.
Download our comprehensive Esports Roadmap for a start-to-finish guide to your esports season.
January 20th, 2026 | Happy New Year!
What’s New
Spring Rulebook Updates
Our competition and game title rulebooks have been updated for the Spring ‘26 season.
We’ll highlight the major changes in future issues of this newsletter, but you can get ahead of the game by viewing the full list of changes in the Scholastic Summary of Changes and Additions (Spring 2026) help article.
View the Spring Schedule
All Spring ‘26 schedules are published and can be found in the Schedules collection of our Help Center.
Alternate schedules have been posted for AIA, CIF, ESSEF, GHSA, MPA, MSAA, MHSEL, NSESA, NMAA, PSEL, and TexSEF.
Spring Enrollment Closes Soon - Don’t Miss Out!
Registration closes for the majority of PlayVS leagues at Friday, 2/6/2026, 11:59 PM league time.
Check your Competitions page for a full schedule breakdown per available league.
Follow our Enrollment Steps article to sign up.
Beyond the Competition
Your Student Could Shoutcast An Official PlayVS Championship!
Turn passion into real-world skills: the Gamecasting & Media Production Portfolio Project is here!
Students who complete and submit their portfolio by March 31st will have a chance to join our broadcast team for the PlayVS Finals in April.
Request the course sample, or schedule a call today!
Level-Up & Game in College!
We're creating a direct pipeline to help high school players connect with college opportunities - for all skills!
It's free, easy, and potentially life-changing. Encourage your students (ages 16+) to activate here.
Reminders
Join Your Fellow Coaches in the PlayVS Discord!
Our Discord server is available to all coaches as a free resource to connect with other coaches on our platform. More information can be found in our Discord Guide.
Jumpstart Your Esports Program
Download our comprehensive Esports Roadmap for a start-to-finish guide to your esports season.