As the esports industry becomes increasingly popular, the number of esports documentaries is growing in kind. From esports documentaries on Netflix to the web series-based titles uploaded to YouTube, there are plenty of esports documentaries that you can consume to learn more about the industry. Most esports documentaries focus on a particular team or game, but as a collective, they’re perfect for beginners wanting to soak up knowledge about this phenomenal and ever-developing market.
In this guide, we’ve broken down the best esports documentaries you need to watch to become a better fan of the business. Over time, the concept of the esports documentary has blossomed, and these days, they’re being pieced together by world-class directors and producers with multi-million-dollar budgets.
Without further ado, let’s get into the massive list – these are the best esports documentaries in the world.
For Call of Duty fans, there are few esports documentaries as important as No Pressure Finale, the ultimate breakdown of a competitive season by the New York Subliners. In 2023, the Subliners dominated the Call of Duty League, winning two Majors and the World Championship. They secured the biggest prize in COD esports in the fastest grand final on record, beating Toronto Ultra 5 – 0 to lift this prestigious trophy. This is one of the best behind-the-scenes looks you’ll ever get at the Call of Duty scene.
It’s a shorter, less ‘high-tech’ esports documentary, but The Story of FormaL explores an important topic. Matthew ‘FormaL’ Piper is a legend of the esports scene and is one of just two competitors in history to land a world championship title in two games: Halo and Call of Duty. He’s often considered one of the greatest Call of Duty players ever, and he’s still winning tournaments after more than a decade of competition.
One of the most recent esports documentaries, Memories of CSGO celebrates Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the impact it had on the esports industry. It was made in tribute to the age-old title that helped to spearhead the growth of the esports industry before giving way to Counter-Strike 2 in September 2023. It was made by Red Bull, and the production value is off the charts.
DRX The Rise is the tale of the ultimate underdog. During the League of Legends 2022 World Championship, DRX entered the competition without any major expectations and blasted through the tournament to win one of the biggest prizes in the esports industry. The team beat some of the most incredible players in the entire market to secure this prestigious prize.
In League of Legends Origins, an award-winning filmmaker dives deep into one of the biggest esports games ever made – League of Legends. In this esports documentary, Leslie Iwerks connects with some of the most recognisable competitors from the early days of the esports industry, focusing on League’s story from 2006 to 2017.
Dreams of BlizzCon was an esports documentary assembled to honour one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the esports industry: StarCraft II. This professional documentary stunned audiences when it dropped, and given the recent issues with the future of BlizzCon, it’s more poignant now than ever before.
VICE host Matt Shea travels around the world meeting various esports personalities, and getting glimpses at the lifestyle of esports athletes. One of the most famous esports documentaries ever made, this is a must-watch for everyone interested in learning about esports and the culture that unravels behind the scenes.
Girl Gamers: Now Is Our Time is an annual documentary series covering that year’s Girl Gamers Esports Festival. The series helps bring exposure to one of the underrepresented demographics in esports with professional female players. The series shows the festival’s progress, both in its direct footage of the events and in each episode’s own improving quality. Despite lower viewership, the documentary series provides a platform that draws attention to the festival and competitive women in esports.
The Live/Play Miniseries, produced by Riot Games, is a series that highlights significant community figures in League of Legends across the globe. The mini-series, which premiered in 2016, is a continuation of the 2015 documentary Live/Play that focuses on community figures like cosplayers, professional players, casual fans, and content creators.
The series is a tribute to the passion that motivates people from all backgrounds with many different professions and their unification through League of Legends. From North America to South Korea to Brazil to China to Taiwan to Mexico, the documentary showcases the heartfelt stories of League of Legends players worldwide.
Breaking Point is a two-hour documentary focused on professional esports organization Team Liquid and their League of Legends team’s behind-the-scenes conflict during a tumultuous 2016 season of the League of Legends Championship Series.
The footage spans the entirety of the season and showcases the many conflicts between everyone on Team Liquid, from players to staff to management to the owner Steve Arhancet. It is a shockingly transparent video series that showcases footage from the players’ waiting room to team meetings to bedrooms. Breaking Point was an unprecedented dive into the dramatic arguments, and strife kept hidden from fans behind closed doors.
The All Work All Play documentary, produced by tournament organizer ESL, focuses on Season Nine of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM). IEM is a globe-spanning pro-gaming tour that features the most famous teams across multiple titles (including Starcraft 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) competing for their respective championship title.
The 90-minute documentary highlights the eSports industry’s growth from small online competition from players’ bedrooms to sold-out stadiums with thousands of fans. With interviews from notable personnel such as Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere, All Work All Play focuses on the heights that esports has reached.
Free to Play: The Movie is a 2014 hour-long documentary. Produced by developer Valve, Free to Play follows three professional players worldwide as they compete for the million-dollar prize. The tournament in question was The International (TI) 2011, the first world championship for Dota 2. Free to Play showcases where esports was at the start of the 2010s.
The State of Play documentary focuses on one of the original esports scenes: Starcraft: Brood War in South Korea. Released in 2013, State of Play focuses on the harsh environments and struggles that young players must face if they hope to become professional players. The 90-minute documentary focuses on legendary Starcraft professional player Jaedong Lee, and two aspiring hopefuls Joonhyuk Kim and Yohan Park. It serves as a stark look into the lives of those who would hope to become great.
Netflix’s 7 Days Out: League of Legends focuses on the week leading up to the finals of the League of Legends Championship Series 2018 spring season. The 45-minute documentary focuses on the teams competing in the playoffs as they aim for the title. 7 Days Out features the immediate events of the personal family tragedy that struck Yiliang Peter ‘Doublelift’ Peng during his semifinal match, one week before the finals.
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