Esports has been a developing industry for more than two decades, becoming increasingly valuable and prolific over time. It’s held up by a network of esports games – the top-tier titles that make up the core of the market. Without the best esports games in the business, there would be no industry – and there are more games out there than you’d think.
From the strategy esports games to the racers, and from the first-person shooters to the fighting games, there’s a huge and diverse list of esports games out there. This includes esports casino games, which are becoming increasingly common and combine aspects of both esports and classic casino games to create a hybrid that appeals to a wide range of players.
Image credits: Riot Games
Let’s dive straight into our comprehensive list of all esports games (in no particular order).
Call of Duty has been a legitimate esports title for more than a decade and accelerated following the 2012 season which was played on Black Ops II. It boasts an ecosystem that includes a mobile game and a battle royale title.
League of Legends is perhaps the most visible esports game in the world, boasting tens of millions of fans worldwide.
CS2 is the latest iteration of the legendary first-person shooter franchise that many consider to be the founding father of the modern esports industry.
Dota 2 is home to some of the most valuable esports tournaments in the world, and it’s one of the most densely populated esports games on the market.
Rainbow Six: Siege has been the flagship esports game for Ubisoft since it was released in 2016. It’s a top-tier shooter with a vibrant ecosystem that’s only getting bigger over time.
PUBG is often thought of as the spearhead of the battle royale genre. It’s a hugely popular esports game that’s appreciated by millions of players.
In some regions, PUBG Mobile is much more popular than PUBG, the full-sized, console- and PC-based game. The accessibility of the handheld market makes it a massively popular game in locales where gaming technology is hard to come by.
StarCraft II is one of the most electrifying and competitive RTS titles in the world. The preceding title in the series left a lasting impression on the industry, earning recognition as one of the first and most important esports games in history.
Overwatch 2 is a high-octane, colorful game that, despite a rocky history, remains a constant presence in esports.
VALORANT is one of the ‘youngest’ games on this list having only been released in 2020. It’s a direct competitor to Counter-Strike 2 and makes use of a ‘hero’ operating model like Overwatch. It’s the perfect combination of a few games.
Rocket League is an energetic esports game that sees players take control of high-powered cars on a soccer pitch, attempting to use agile movement mechanics to knock the ball into their opponent’s goal.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is fast becoming the most valuable mobile-based esports game in the world.
Apex Legends was created by Respawn Entertainment as an early battle royale game, and almost a decade later, it remains one of the most popular games in the genre. It also boasts a valuable and diverse esports ecosystem.
Arena of Valor is a MOBA like League of Legends, and while it doesn’t have the profile of that game, it’s still hugely popular and has solid backing from the biggest gaming company in the world: Tencent.
Once known as ‘FIFA’, a rebrand caused a pivot that saw this series renamed as ‘EA Sports FC’. This top-tier soccer game has been running for more than two decades and is one of the most widely appreciated esports games in the business right now.
Super Smash Bros. is one of the very few Nintendo-focused esports games. The game features a platform-based fighting experience where players control a roster of classic Nintendo characters, and many consider it a timeless classic.
Various fighting games can fit under this one banner: Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and so on. They’re punchy, powerful games that have a solid following and millions of fans, and many of those gamers will naturally gravitate from one title to another in the genre.
From traditional racing games like Gran Turismo and Forza to the infinitely more challenging ‘simracing’ category, racing-focused games are a dime a dozen in the esports industry.
Although it has slumbered somewhat in recent years, Warcraft boasts one of the most instantly recognisable universes in modern gaming.
That might seem like a huge amount of esports games to stay in touch with, but it’s worth remembering that the industry is growing all the time. This esports games list is non-exhaustive, which means that as new games are released, they’ll find their way onto this list. Which of these esports games is your favourite?
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