Paintball BigGame Mahlwinkel – The Event Conclusion 2025

At the end of May, the first Paintball Big Game Mahlwinkel took place in eastern Germany under new management. Alongside the Airsoft Heroes team and the Weekend Warrior Shop team from the far north, we at Paintball Sports were also involved in the planning and implementation of this year's event, working together to put on a Paintball Big Game event for you like nothing Germany has ever seen before. The ambitions were enormous, and the anticipation was high. Find out what the final outcome was, how the players experienced the event, and what to expect on-site in today's article.

Let's start with some hard facts and figures. The BigGame Mahlwinkel in its current configuration was the first event of its kind. New name, new event management, new generals, new procedures, etc. – in other words, it was the first attempt, and from the perspective of both organizers and visitors, it was a success right from the start. Around 550 event participants attended, which was certainly due in part to the unclear planning situation beforehand. BigGame players are used to being able to complete their annual planning for the following year in the fall. This time, however, things didn't become concrete until around Christmas, and so many players had already booked their annual vacation for other reasons, since it was unclear in advance whether the event would even take place. We were able to allay the players' fears and ultimately, despite all the adverse circumstances, attract a considerable number of participants for the kick-off event.

But let's start with what is arguably the most impressive part of the event: the large trade show on the market square. There, attendees were treated to by far the largest trade show ever (!) at a Paintball Big Game in Europe. A whopping 18 large tents filled with exhibitors and brands awaited interested visitors and customers. Every major name in the industry was represented: Planet Eclipse, Dye, Enola Gaye, HK Army, ProShar, First Strike, DLX Europe, Weekend Warrior Shop, Q-Arms, Momos Custom Markers, Push, and Tippmann. In addition, the other tents offered a rich and varied catering selection. This year's trade show truly left nothing to be desired.

We spoke with numerous players on site, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. For a first event, the BigGame Mahlwinkel was truly impressive, and many players and teams have already announced on-site that they will be back in 2026, usually with significantly larger numbers of participants. The new mission design was also very well received by the players. Starting this year, Thursday has been a kind of "light game day" with various smaller missions and a slightly reduced number of points. In other words, there's something at stake, but not everything. Nevertheless, participation is worthwhile for all players and teams, as they can already collect their first points for their team.

Friday and Saturday were the traditional main match days. Here, too, the schedule was slightly changed compared to previous events, and in our opinion, optimized. Team RED plays Mission Stream A, consisting of three larger main missions, on Friday, while Team BLUE plays Mission Stream B, which also includes three larger main missions. These missions each last 1.5 to 2 hours, and after each mission, the teams can regroup and regroup. There were also small side missions and special missions for the MagFed players' special platoons and other special units. On Saturday, everything is played from the other side. In other words, Team RED plays Mission Stream B, which Team BLUE had already completed the previous day, and vice versa. However, there are small, content-related differences in each case, so you never knew exactly what your opponent was planning next. This ensured a completely equal playing field, because over the two main match days, both teams completed exactly the same six missions with the corresponding additional tasks.

The main missions involved conquering and holding zones. This was achieved through so-called Domination Boxes, where players had to hold down the buzzer for their team until the box became their own, earning them points for their own faction. At the end, the holding times for the five Domination Boxes were added together, and the team with the longest total holding time received the most points. For the "hunter-gatherers" among the participants, there were so-called Mahlwinkel Coins to find. These were golden coins, approximately 30 cm in size, which also earned points. These were scattered throughout the area and had to be collected and brought back to their base. There, in turn, stood a large barrel with a slot in the lid, similar to a giant piggy bank. The collected coins were stored in this barrel before they had to be safely transported as a convoy out of the target area in the grand final mission towards the evening. This new way of playing the game received much praise and encouragement from players and teams. What was still noticeable, however, was that the playing field was considerably too large for the current number of participants. However, the generals and organizers have already promised improvements. They plan to tackle the problem next year from two angles: firstly, through additional respawn points on the field, which will ensure shorter walking distances for re-entering the game, and secondly, simply through a larger number of participants. Forecasts already predict well over 1,000 players for 2026, meaning the playing field would be significantly more frequented at its current size. The mission design, which has been significantly simplified compared to last year, also enjoyed great popularity.

When asked about this, Stephan, the general of the Red Reapers (Team RED), told us: "Well, we took the players' feedback and requests for simpler gameplay to heart and tailored the missions accordingly. Internally, we always said: We'll make it so simple that an 8-year-old girl can understand it, then everyone will have fun. That turned out to be true in the end. I think the players were really happy with the missions."

Of course, we also wanted to hear from his counterpart, so we grabbed Ken, the general of the Blue Brigade (Team BLUE), and asked him how he experienced this year's event and how satisfied he was with the performance of his players and teams.

Ken: "The Blue Brigade players really gave it their all this year and fought until the very end. I'm really proud of their performance. It was close, but ultimately, we deserved to win. Congratulations to the entire team. I'm already really looking forward to the next event." With that, Ken immediately took over the announcement of the winners. This year's event victory went to the Blue Brigade.

For many, however, it wasn't about winning or losing; it was simply about having a great time, action-packed missions, and lots of paintball fun. That's exactly what makes the sport so special and is the heart of BigGame Mahlwinkel. Experiencing a major event together as a community, meeting friends for four days, sharing a common hobby, and playing paintball together. For us, BigGame Mahlwinkel 2025 was one of the best events in a long time, and we're already looking forward to this event continuing to grow in 2026. The organizers are very clear about their goals. Over the next few years, BigGame Mahlwinkel is to gradually become not just Germany's, but Europe's largest paintball big game. To achieve this, we're already working feverishly to put on an even bigger and better event in 2026.