Esports continues to shatter expectations, drawing record-breaking numbers that rival those of even mainstream traditional sports. Millions of fans tune in from around the world to watch their favorite team chase victory. But which esports tournaments dominate the charts and pull in the biggest audiences?

In this article, we’ll look at the top 5 most-viewed events ever and understand why fans can’t get enough of these competitive games.

Editor’s Note: This page is accurate as of November 6, 2025. The page will be updated as new esports viewership data becomes available.

Most Viewed Esports Events Of All Time

The table below ranks the biggest esports games by peak viewership—the highest number of concurrent viewers watching live. For added context, we’ve also included the total hours watched, average viewers, and total airtime recorded at each event. 

#	Tournament	Game	Peak Viewership	Hours Watched	Avg. Viewers (p/min)	Airtime
1	World Championship 2024	League of Legends	6.8 million	190.1 million	1.7 million	109h 50m
2	World Championship 2023	League of Legends	6.4 million	146.9 million	1.2 million	116h 35m
3	World Series 2021	Free Fire	5.4 million	18.4 million	2 million	8h 50m
4	World Championship 2022	League of Legends	5.1 million	141.9 million	987,000	143h 45m
5	M5 World Championship	Mobile Legends: Bang Bang	5.1 million	72.2 million	475,000	151h 50m
6	M4 World Championship	Mobile Legends: Bang Bang	4.2 million	80.1 million	806,000	99h 20m
7	MPL Indonesia Season 15	Mobile Legends: Bang Bang	4.1 million	113.2 million	488,000	231h 55m
8	M6 World Championship	Mobile Legends: Bang Bang	4.1 million	85.0 million	705,000	120h 35m
9	World Championship 2021	League of Legends	4.0 million	174.8 million	1.3 million	134h 40m
10	MPL Indonesia Season 14	Mobile Legends: Bang Bang	4.0 million	117.0 million	510,000	229h 25m

Note: These statistics are courtesy of escharts.com and are accurate as of November 5, 2025. Viewership data is gathered from public streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, and AfreecaTV, but excludes Chinese streaming platforms.

Top 5 Most Watched Esports Events

World Championship 2024 (League of Legends)

The 14th annual League of Legends 2024 World Championship (Worlds) tops our list of most-viewed esports events of all time, recording an average of 1.7 million concurrent viewers and 190.1 million hours watched across 110 hours of airtime.

The intense Grand Final between T1 and Bilibili, where T1 executed an incredible 3-2 reverse-sweep, peaked at 6.85 million viewers—a 6.25% increase from their 0-3 sweep against Weibo the previous year. 

Overall, concurrent viewership rose by 41.6% from 2023 and 72.2% from 2022, setting a new benchmark for esports audiences. The increasing popularity of Worlds and the consistency of its competitive scene makes League of Legends the most-watched esports game worldwide.

World Championship 2023 (League of Legends)

Worlds 2023 became the most-viewed esports event of that year with 6.4 million peak viewership and 146.9 million watch hours. The second most-watched series was the Semifinal matchup between T1 and JDG, which peaked at 4.3 million viewers.

The best-of-five Grand Finals between Weibo Gaming vs T1 drew the most viewers, ending with LCK titans T1 claiming the Summoner’s Cup and $445,000 in prize money. This was also the first esports tournament to surpass 6 million peak viewers.

Worlds 2023 concurrent viewership grew by 21.58% compared to 2022, despite having a shorter airtime of 116 hours. Most viewers came from Korean-speaking audiences, with T1 consistently drawing massive crowds throughout the event.

World Series 2021 (Free Fire)

The Free Fire World Series 2021 is the most-watched mobile esports event of all time. It made it onto our list with a peak viewership of 5.4 million. The event reached its climax during Game 1 of the Grand Finals, which featured 12 of the top Free Fire teams competing from around the globe. 

While the 2021 World Series had a shorter airtime of just under nine hours, its 2 million average viewers outpaced both LoL’s Worlds in both 2023 and 2024 by a considerable margin. This highlights the game’s explosive engagement rate per minute, proving mobile esports can match and even outperform PC titles.

World Championship 2022 (League of Legends)

By mid-2022, Worlds was already on pace to break esports viewership records—and it delivered. The tournament peaked at 5.4 million viewers during the T1 vs. DRX Grand Final, becoming the most-watched esports event of the year and the fourth most-viewed esports event in history.

A quick comparison between the Worlds and The International viewership records shows a striking difference.

Despite its staggering $40 million prize pool, The International 2024 reached a peak of just 2.2 million viewers. In contrast, Worlds 2022, even with a smaller $2.2 million prize, hit 5.4 million viewers—proving League of Legends’ massive community loyalty.

M5 World Championship (MLBB)

The MLBB M5 World Championship made a strong showing in the esports tournament’s viewership ranking, drawing 5.4 million viewers during the Grand Finals. Indonesian powerhouse ONIC pulled a large Indonesian crowd throughout the event, despite losing the series.

The Philippines’ favorite AP.Bren won the match 4-3 after the heated best-of-seven series that ran the full distance. The total watch time was 72.1 million hours, averaging 475,000 viewers per minute. The tournament took place from November to December 2023 and had a prize pool of $900,000. 

Honorable Mention: World Championship 2025

The ongoing Worlds 2025 has already broken esports viewership records, with a peak viewership of 3.59 million viewers. The exciting Semifinal match between T1 vs. Top Esports not only showed T1’s dominance but also made T1 one of the most-watched esports teams of all time. 

Worlds 2025 has already pulled over 106.6 million hours of watch time across 82 hours of airtime, making it one of the top 10 most-watched LoL tournaments even before the Grand Final, set to take place on November 9, 2025, in Chengdu.

This could allow the Korean giant T1 to break its own record in the upcoming series against KT Rolster—and possibly clinch its third consecutive world champion title and add a sixth Summoner’s Cup to its trophy cabinet.

FAQs

What is the most-viewed esports event of all time?

The League of Legends World Championship 2024 is the most-viewed esports event of all time. It recorded a peak viewership of 6.8 million during the Grand Final match between T1 and Bilibili Gaming.

Which esports game has the highest global audience?

League of Legends has the largest audience. It consistently dominates peak viewership because it attracts viewers worldwide, has a loyal fan base of iconic teams like T1, Gen.G, and G2 Esports, and is available to stream for free on various platforms.

How is esports viewership measured across different platforms?

Esports viewership is measured through concurrent viewership, the average number of viewers, and the total hours watched across popular streaming platforms using analytics tools such as Esports Charts and Nielsen Esports Viewership Report.

What factors make some esports events more popular than others?

An esports event’s popularity depends on the team’s reputation, players’ star power, regional fan bases, prize pool, media budget, marketing, and accessibility across streaming platforms, languages, and time zones.

How do mobile esports tournaments compare to PC esports in viewership?

Mobile esports, including Free Fire and Mobile Legends, draw huge audiences across Asia and Latin America. The Free Fire World Series 2021 averaged 2 million viewers and peaked at 5.4 million, becoming the most-watched mobile esports event ever.