THE North’s biggest gaming exhibition is back – with a chance to jet to Japan.

Play Expo is set to take place at EventCity in Trafford on October 8 and 9.

Red Bull has teamed up with PLAY Expo to host the northern qualifier for its Red Bull 5G tournament.

The challenge will see gamers battle it out on iconic gaming titles Hearthstone™, League of Legends™, Project Cars™, Rocket League™ or Street Fighter™ V. The winner will be flown to Japan later this year for an all-expenses paid trip.

Guests will also be treated to the largest Tomb Raider panel ever assembled in honour of the 20th anniversary of gaming's first lady of adventure.

Hosted by SkySports™ eSports commentator Matt Andrews, fans will be able to engage in a Q&A with the panel as well as hear untold stories from the development of the series, take part in photo shoots and meet the game designers.

The first addition to the line-up is UK developer Rebellion's Virtual Reality (VR) reboot of Battlezone. Visitors to PLAY Expo will be amongst the first in the world to sample the high intensity experience for themselves, competing again each other in state-of-the-art VR settings.

Some big names from the gaming world will be in attendance, including Ian Livingstone CBE, whose work spreads from the multi-million selling Fighting Fantasy gamebooks series to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Other highlights include Europe’s biggest retro gaming area, Indie developers, a huge Cosplay stage and masquerade and the biggest Minecraft Zone to date.

Andy Brown, director for Replay Events, said: “We're incredibly excited about PLAY Expo returning to Manchester, a hotbed of gaming talent and where the community has continued to thrive in recent years. We've already had huge interest in the event and are anticipating a full house over the two days."

Weekend tickets start at £20 whilst day tickets start at £12. To book tickets, visit playexpomanchester.com