Video games come and go, but the ones that usually stay popular longer are those with a strong esports presence. Our list of TOP 10 most popular esports games features titles both new and old, with the shared characteristic of having a huge fanbase, events with a lot of prize money and a large audience on streaming platforms.
10. Hearthstone (Digital collectible card game)
Initially released for PC and MAC in 2014, the huge interest in the game paved the way for its premiere on Android and iOS. Hearthstone has become the first big digital card game – an example that other games are trying to follow. With the ability to play it virtually anywhere using your smartphone, combined with a huge audience on Twitch, it is very easy to learn its secrets and practice whenever you have time – on the bus, during a school break or at home.
9. Overwatch (FPS)
The next title on our list is another Blizzard game. Overwatch has been an experiment for the company, a step away from their usual RPG/RTS visions. The result is a game that set an example for several other hero shooters. With a strong presence on multiple platforms, including the more recent addition of Nintendo Switch, Overwatch still remains one of the biggest esports games and with Overwatch 2 somewhere on the horizon and the promise of not separating the online community, it seems that the popular shooter has a bright future indeed.
8. StarCraft II (RTS)
To say that Blizzard Entertainment is one of the companies responsible for the rise of esports would be an understatement. The original StarCraft (together with Counter strike) is one of the founding fathers of esports, and the game’s sequel continues the legacy. SCII has given us some of the most monumental and memorable moments in all of esports history. On a professional level, it is an extremely difficult title to excel at. South Koreans used to dominate the scene until the arrival of Joona Sotala, more commonly known as Serral – the Finnish legend who was able to finally break the Korean dominance.
7. Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (Battle Royale)
PUBG opens up our non-Blizzard list of most popular esport games. Considered by many as the creator of the Battle Royale genre, the game lost a bit of its popularity while competing with Fortnite. Still, it has a substantial presence on Twitch and the total prize money for PUBG events has passed the threshold of $25 000 000. PUBG mobile became the world’s top grossing mobile app in 2019, crossing the mark of $4.8 million a day in May that year. Despite having mixed reviews on Steam, according to Steam Charts the game still boasted an average player count between 150 000 and 300 000 in recent months.
6. Call of Duty series (FPS)
Arguably the most well-known and popular video game series in history, CoD is also one of the largest esports titles. With a new game released almost (if not) every year, the individual titles have a hard time beating any records in terms of total prize money awards. Nevertheless, at the moment of writing this article, Call of Duty: Warzone is currently ranked 5th most watched game on Twitch while its brother – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – has an audience of nearly 6 000 midday. Everyone has a friend who either plays or played a CoD game.
5. Valorant (FPS)
The fifth place on our list goes to Riot Games’ most recent game. Since its release in mid 2020, the numbers of people playing Valorant have been growing and so has its popularity on streaming platforms – over 50 000 viewers midday on Twitch. Strongly inspired by both Counter Strike and Overwatch, Valorant was able to put its own spin on the team-based shooter genre, while remaining true to the core concept. Riot Games is responsible for some of the biggest esports games of all time, including League of Legends, so if you haven’t tried Valorant already – now is a good time.
4. Counter Strike: Global Offensive (FPS)
One of the founding fathers of esports, the Counter Strike series still has a very strong esports presence today. CS: GO is also the second oldest title on our list as it was released in the second half of 2012. It is incredible that the game stood the test of time and has managed to hold player interest for so long. According to easportsearnings.com, it is also ranked second in terms of the total amount of prize money, with over 5400 CS: GO tournaments recorded over its long life. CS: GO has undoubtedly become one of the most important titles in gaming history.
3. DOTA2 (MOBA)
Originally conceived as a Warcraft III mod, the first Defense of the Ancients gave birth to the MOBA genre, while its successor became one of the most popular games ever created. Today, DotA 2 is behind League of Legends in the race for the title of the most popular MOBA, but it hardly ever drops below TOP 10 most viewed games on Twitch. What was originally a modification to an existing game has grown to become one of the biggest entertainment phenomena. Now that’s what we call a success story!
2. FORTNITE (Battle Royale)
Fortnite Battle Royale is more than just a game – it is a big cultural phenomenon. Huge entertainment events are announced in-game, singers release their new tracks during virtual concerts and various teasers for other franchises are realesed. Epic Games created themselves a real gold mine and riding on the game’s success they were able to open up their own game Store, which has grown to compete with the industry’s biggest giant – Steam. And to think that the game was nearly cancelled during development!
1. League of Legends (MOBA)
When you saw Fortnite second, you probably already knew what was coming first. LoL has been dominating the esports scene for years and Worlds 2020 turned out to be a huge success despite the health-related problems worldwide. The most popular game on our list is also the oldest one, which shows that with the right ideas it is possible not only to keep a game alive for more than a decade, but to make it the king of esports as well.
