Zwift Games [March 2025]

Racing
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We are excited to bring Zwift Games back for its second year! Zwift Games is a race series that gives everyone a shot at glory! It’s the biggest community racing event in Zwift history, with five stages of epic challenges, friendly competition, and awesome new unlocks.

On Saturdays, Zwift’s best elite-level riders will also take on the same courses in an unforgettable stage race.

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Registration for Zwift Games opens on February 24, 2025, @ 16:00 UTC and closes on March 30, 202,5 @ 03:00 UTC. Zwift Games starts on March 3, 2025, @ 12:10 UTC and ends on March 31, 2025, @ 03:00 UTC. To convert to your local timezone, click here.

You will need to be on game version 1.83+ for Zwift Games. Make sure you are on the latest game build. Click here to learn more.

Click here to learn more about each stage and route featured in Zwift Games.

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Steering and braking will be disabled for Zwift Games 2025, but you can still use your Play controllers to enable in-game actions like triggering PowerUps and changing camera angles. Equipment will be neutralized for all Zwift Games events, meaning that all bike frames and wheels will behave the same. This will level the playing field for every racer regardless of Zwift level.

All elite races will be streamed live on Zwift’s Channels. The YouTube broadcasts are already live, so stick them in your schedule here:

Sprint Weekend - Stages 1 & 2 & Sprint Championship March 8, 5 pm UTC; https://www.youtube.com/live/RmBq58YFBZU

Climb Weekend Staged 3 & 4 & Climb Championship March 15, 5 pm UTC: https://www.youtube.com/live/AZZK0NvWafo

Epic Weekend - Stage 5 and Overall Finale, March 22, 5 pm UTC:

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Zwift Games 2025 will offer a number of amazing new unlocks, never before seen on Zwift. Unlocks will be awarded according to the number of stages you have completed:

  • 1 Stage: Oakley Velo Kato Sunglasses
  • 2 Stages: Nimbl Cycling Shoes
  • 3 Stages: Oakley Velo Mach Helmet
  • 5 Stages: Zwift Games 2025 Kit

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We are also excited to bring you a new challenge. The Route Chaser: Zwift Games Challenge is a non-competitive way to explore the newest 2025 Zwift Games routes. Complete all five featured routes by April 7, 2025, to earn 1,000 XP. You can find the challenge on the home screen in-game. To register, simply click on the challenge tile to activate registration for the challenge.

Looking for more information about Zwift Games? Check out the main page or the FAQ.

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Stage 5, “ZG25 Queen,” is far too long for many in at least pens D and E at ~45Km and ~895m of climbing.

It’s not much than an hour for those able to average ~4W/Kg, but for those of who will average under 2W/Kg, we’re talking in excess of two hours…

Ridiculous!

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That’s what you wrote in another thread already, it’s your opinion.
It is not ridiculous, it is just (as the name says) epic. If you don’t want, don’t ride it.

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There was a sensible split between pens last year, A and B did Alpe Du Zwift, while those of use in pens C and D did Mountain Mash for stage 5.

For stage 3, it was Zwift Games 2024 Epic vs Three Little Sisters.

Once again, it’s lazy/poor planning.

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1h57 at 162w (2.2 wkg) as a solo Z2 ride yesterday. Would’ve likely been a smidge quicker in an event with a bit of draft.

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I’m more than happy with stage 5 but I do love climbing and I’m D cat so will take 2 hours might be quicker depends how I feel on the day lol

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It’s the only stage that gives you an entire week to complete it. If you don’t want to do it then don’t. If you do, then surely you can find two hours at one point in your week.

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Two hours is :sunglasses: and I’m not fast

Not everything needs to be designed for those who want a 30 minute race. This is like an occasional exception for people who enjoy riding.

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Can you give any more info the the GC filters?

Is it going to be possible to filter by club, friends or time zone would be ideal as unless you ride prime time emea the GC Is somewhat meaningless.

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There is only prime time 10am Westside time/ 6pmUK that only time Zone on zwift.

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So i’m assuming it’s this and a zwift power league page.

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A queen stage is supposed to be hard.

Be glad it’s not a Haute Route style queen stage with 140km and 4500m+ elevation. Slower riders get through those and they are out in the elements, on a real bike, riding up and down huge mountains.

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your link is not working. are you meaning this?

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I’m getting the redirected link in both posts.
Straight to the membership page. Is this a sign?

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odd get to it from the FAQ then Zwift Games FAQ

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I can see what it’s meant to be, but it’s changing the symbols to %something.
Maybe if I break the link it’ll be obvious for anyone who wants to see it

https://www .zwift.com/uk/zwift-games/races

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Scheduling also seems to not ideally accommodate weekend time slots for every stage for those who mostly zwift on weekends. They could have easily split each stage so that one ends on late Saturday and the next starts early Sunday.

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Yes, but the results options are slightly different if you click on a specific stage

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I used to do frequent outdoor rides of 2500+ feet climbing, chasing my times up hills at max effort, getting the odd top 10 overall.

That all changed when I developed long covid ~2.5 years ago, since then I’ve done literally two handfuls of rides over 90mins while usually being in my easiest gear on inclines.

Late joining a TOZ ride up Ven Top a few weeks ago left me absolutely drained, it took ~1hr45mins to climb the final ~2500 feet and then descend to the start pen while barely turning the pedals.

My previous long ride was ~3hrs15mins on an ebike around the hills near Longleat last September, something like ~40 miles and ~3500 feet.

Even before long covid, turbo rides over 90mins were very rare for me, usually limited by saddle discomfort.

The point is, ZwiftHQ have put a huge obstacle in the way of weaker Zwifters from simply not offering them a challenging but achievable route for stage 5.

Last year, a max effort up Mountain Mash in ~22mins was a challenge in pen D, it was effectively an FTP test combined with a race.

What ZwiftHQ (JamesB) wants pen E to do is the equivalent of telling pens A and B to race ZG25 Queen over 2-3 laps.

Races need to be of a distance and elevation for different pens, that looks at the expected duration ballpark for those in each pen.

There’s no good reason why lower pens aren’t being offered either a reduced length of ZG25 Queen, or another complete route, that would take ~80mins max… Just as most in A and B will finish the whole of ZG25 Queen.

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I am out of town for the Games so am doing the stages ahead of time. I plan to do the Queen stage this weekend. I shattered my knee cartilage a year ago and knee replacement in August. Getting closer to where I was before my “vicious” 900-watt sprint popped my knee. I set no records going uphill and it will take me 2.5 hours…but I am back under a 100 kgs so maybe I will surprise myself.