ESports is a relatively new phenomenon. There are entire generations that probably never thought that online gaming would ever reach such a competitive level. However, there are hundreds of these eSports tournaments each year.
Unfortunately, not every video game lends itself to a competitive spot on the world stage. Chasing your friends around an open-world map is fun, but only some games require the skill and strategy to make it into an eSports event. As such, these are the biggest games in eSports.
Fortnite
Fortnite is the type of video game that will elicit a groan of impatience from one generation of gamers and squeals of excitement from another. This online battle royale game was released in 2017 and has hit the market like a storm.
Players from all over the world can join a lobby with their custom-made characters to battle it out. The sole premise of Fortnite is that one hundred players enter a map and only one is crowned winner. Players can wipe out the competition by eliminating them with a range of outlandish weapons or you can be kicked out as the map slowly shrinks. As you can see, it is a simple premise with a steep learning curve that makes it so competitive. It is so popular among the eSports community, in fact, that Fortnite has become an official Olympic eSport.
League of Legends
League of Legends is very similar to Fortnite in the fact that it is easy to play but difficult to master. This team-based strategy game has been on gamers’ radars for over ten years. However, with constant updates and an engaging premise, League of Legends has stuck with competitive players all this time.
Developed by Riot Games, the aim of League of Legends is to use teamwork to stop the opposing players from destroying your Nexus while also destroying theirs. Again, you can achieve this objective with outright aggression or a more tactical approach. While the League of Legends eSports community has taken a dip in 2023, there are still over two million players that play this game competitively online.
Rocket League
There is an element of real-world fantasy behind Rocket League. It is football with cars. While you will never get to achieve this reality in the real world, millions of people sign in to play Rocket League every day. While this isn’t enough for people to get betting sites to worry about people forgetting the NFL moneyline, it is still impressive. However, there is a bit more to Rocket League than its eye-catching premise.
A match of Rocket League takes place in an enclosed dome and players have access to speed boosts. As such, you can use the terrain to pull off some insane trick shots and stunts, which adds an extra layer of skill to the game. You can do this in a one-on-one match, in a team of two, or in a team of four. It is so competitive that the annual Rocket League championship comes with a prize of $ 6 million for the winner.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
It is strange that a simple first-person shooter has made such a big impact on the eSports community. For Counter-Strike: Global Offensive it seems like it was the right game at the right time.
This team-based FPS was released in 2012 and has you work together to hunt the other team down and rack up more kills within the time limit. That’s it. Sure, you have an array of different weapons, but the core gameplay isn’t that dissimilar to other online games in the same genre like Halo or Call of Duty. Nonetheless, the Counter-Strike franchise has amassed a strong following in the eSports community.
Player Unknown Battle Grounds
Fortnite may be the most popular battle royale game at the moment, but Player Unknown Battlegrounds was released first. Coming out just a few months before Fortnite, the developers of PUBG even opened up a copyright lawsuit against the newest game.
You can see why as the core mechanics are almost identical. A group of players enters a map that gradually shrinks, and the winner is the last player standing. The main difference between the two games is that PUBG has a more realistic art style. That means you won’t be blasting Darth Vaderoff of rooftops with a colorful rocket launcher in this world. However, it seems that players prefer this approach as the Player Unknown Battlegrounds eSports community has reached almost four thousand players.
Conclusion
The games that are currently the most popular in the eSports community are likely to change. ESports is still a relatively new idea, after all. However, it is popular enough that any new online multiplayer game could reach the top of the ladder in the future.