In 2019, 442 million people worldwide tuned in to an Esports tournament and cheered on their favourite teams and players. The industry as a whole is a beast that continues to grow year on year with $950 million in revenue generated in 2019 alone. Although China and North America dominate the scene, globally, there were 855 major events that took place all around the world. Whether you are a casual gamer or an Esports fanatic, you know how exciting it is to tune in to Twitch or YouTube and witness the action.
With so many games now in the competitive circuit it can be hard to keep up with it all. Based off research from NewZoo’s 2020 Global Esports Market Report, here are the top 10 most popular and most watched Esports games of the past year.
- LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
Simply Put: League of Legend is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game where players assume the role of a champion and battle against another team of champions with the objective of destroying the Nexus in the enemy team’s base.
Popular Tournaments: LoL World Championships, LoL European Championship, LoL Pro League China, LoL Championship Series North America, LoL Champions Korea & Oceanic Pro League.
Hours Watched: 348.8 million
- COUNTER-STRIKE: GLOBAL OFFENSIVE
Simply Put: Playing on two opposing teams, CO:GO is an objective based multiplayer first-person shooter. After each round, players are rewarded on individual performance.
Popular Tournaments: DreamHack Masters, Intel Extreme Masters, BLAST Premier, ESL One.
Hours Watched: 215 million
- DOTA 2
Simply Put: Dota 2 is a MOBA game which consists of two teams of five players competing to destroy the other team’s Ancient whilst defending their own.
Popular Tournaments: The International, DreamHack, World Cyber Games, Omega League
Hours Watched: 189.9 million
- OVERWATCH
Simply Put: Overwatch is a 6v6 online first-person shooter where players can choose from a wide variety of heroes to play as. Each hero is part of a specific class with unique abilities appropriate for the various objectives in each game mode.
Popular Tournaments: Overwatch League, Overwatch World Cup, Overwatch Contenders, Intel Extreme Masters
Hours Watched: 109.9 million
- HEARTHSTONE
Simply Put: Hearthstone is an free-to-play online collectible card game where two players go head to head with a deck of cards to reduce the opponent’s health to zero.
Popular Tournaments: Hearthstone Masters Tour, Hearthstone Grandmasters, Hearthstone Masters Qualifiers, Hearthstone Global Games.
Hours Watched: 37 million
- TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX: SIEGE
Simply Put: This first-person shooter game has players playing as operators each with game-changing gadgets to help lead teams to victory. This 5v5 game includes close quarters confrontations, team tactics and strategies and explosive action.
Popular Tournaments: Six Invitational, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Pro League by ESL.
Hours Watched: 32.4 million
- ARENA OF VALOR
Simply Put: Arena of Valor is a MOBA game where players compete to destroy enemy turrets on the map and claim victory by destroying the enemy core. There are multiple game modes with the ability to play as different heroes with unique abilities.
Popular Tournaments: Arena of Valor International Championship, Arena of Valor World Cup.
Hours Watched: 31.6 million
- PUBG MOBILE
Simply Put: The mobile version of the popular PvP shooter game where players fight till the last man standing in a battle royale scenario.
Popular Tournaments: PUBG Mobile Club Open
Hours Watched: 27.9 million
- FORTNITE
Simply Put: Fortnite has three different game modes. Fortnite: Save the World is player-versus-environment where players complete common objectives. Fortnite Battle Royale is a PvP format where the last man standing wins and Fortnite Creative allows players to create and built the environment around them.
Popular Tournaments: Fortnite World Cup, Champion Cash Cup, Fortnite Champion Series, Contender’s Cash Cup.
Hours Watched: 27.5 million
- PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS
Simply Put: Up to 100 players compete in a large-scale battle royale. Players can enter solo, duo or in a team of four. The last man or team standing wins.
Popular Tournaments: PUBG Continental Series
Hours Watched: 26.8 million
Love everything gaming and esports? Make sure to check out the Melbourne Esports Open happening in 2021. Take part in an unforgettable weekend of esports & gaming action, with pro esports tournaments, open competitions, the latest AAA releases, VR experiences, a giant inflatable obstacle course, and much more.
Experience the action across the weekend with an MEO Ground Pass, or guarantee your spot with the world-famous crowds at Intel Extreme Masters Melbourne in Rod Laver Arena with a dedicated IEM Arena Ticket.