10 Most played eSports games | In November 2023

The best eSports games of the year

Currently you can enjoy authentic competitions that have nothing to envy of the main sporting events , neither at the media level, nor at the production level and of course at the level of prizes.

What’s more, in many cases, they are far above these and proof of this is the massive audiences that these tournaments have . It is estimated that in 2022 eSports audiences will exceed 500 million viewers ⁽¹⁾ .

eSports games are no longer a novelty in the video game sector in terms of online multiplayer competitions. The business model has been validated for the obvious: viewers watch other gamers play and they become, irremediably, hooked.

Before moving on to the list of eSports games, if we talk about electronic sports we must indicate its three greatest exponents today. These most famous eSports games stand out above the rest in terms of the number of regular players and hours of play. These are Dota 2, League of Legends (Lol) and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive quite different from the rest.

League of Legends

League of Legends has been developed by the company Riot Games , also designer of the board game Mechs vs. Minions. It is a video game of the MOBA genre and has a large number of followers . Its measured mix of action and strategy makes it an extremely competitive game that is among the top most played games.

LoL takes its inspiration from the Defense of the Ancients: Allstars map , which Steve “Guinsoo” Feak once designed for the Warcraft III video game .

The goal of players in League of Legends is to defeat the enemy by destroying the rival structure in Summoner’s Rift. To achieve this, they will take a champion who, as the game progresses, will unlock unique abilities and objects.

League of Legends has a very active community of eSports championships and every year the World Cup is held in which the best teams on the planet fight to win the championship title.

The League of Legends Worlds is the most important event and brings together a multitude of people in addition to attracting the attention of many. An example of this are the collaborations carried out with different artists to create the tournament song, this year by Lil Nas X ⁽²⁾ .

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In Europe you can also enjoy the LEC (League of Legends European Championship) in which the 10 most prominent teams on the continent compete in four splits that coincide with each of the seasons of the year.

But this does not stop here, each country has its own league that is made up of teams that have not found a place in the LEC or that have been relegated. In the case of Spain we have the Super League of the Professional Video Game League (LVP).

Overwatch 2

The game fresh from the Blizzard oven is among the best eSports in the month of October. Overwatch 2 is a first-person hero shooter that has captured the attention of players from the first moment.

Overwatch 2 replaces Overwatch in all aspects in this ranking of the best electronic sports and achieves this second place thanks to its almost 104 million hours streamed and a little more than 630,000 viewers .

The most important competition in Overwatch 2 is the Overwatch League . It is an official Blizzard championship and is divided into two groups, East and West, where 20 teams from around the world participate. The tournament prize is more than 4 million euros ⁽³⁾ .

FIFA 23

FIFA 23 , the latest installment of the saga with this name, ranks second in the best eSports despite having been released in September 2022. This is due to the almost 76 million hours of streaming and more than 120,000 viewers which he has achieved in some broadcasts.

This football simulator includes attractive new features in its single-player modes, but without a doubt, the most interesting thing about FIFA 23 is found in Ultimate Team . This game mode attracts many fans thanks to its different challenges. One of the most active communities.

FIFA’s main competition is FIFAe World Cup 2023 . It is divided into different phases that players must overcome and reach the final phase where only the 24 best in the world will remain.

dota 2

Dota 2 is a real-time strategy video game , also known as MOBA – multiplayer online battle arena -, developed by the company Valve Corporation.

In it, two teams made up of 5 different players and heroes face each other with the intention of destroying rival structures . In total, players have up to 123 different champions in Dota 2.

Each of these characters has certain characteristics , which will end up defining the strategies to follow during the game. The game, distributed by Steam, ranks fourth among the best eSports with more than 70 million hours broadcast and more than 440,000 viewers at its peak .

Valve has organized every year, since 2011, a world championship called The International , the annual eSports tournament that distributes the most prizes. In 2021 alone, The International of Dota 2 exceeded $40 million in prizes ⁽⁴⁾ .

VALORANT

The VALORANT game was born with a clear destiny, to enter the top of eSports in 2020. With a somewhat tortuous start, it is now placed in fifth place on this eSports list with more than 66 million hours of streaming and peaks of more than 283,000 players.

Now, with several behind it and loaded with renewed strength, VALORANT has some of the best players from other electronic sports in its competitive scene , making it a game to keep an eye on.

VALORANT is a hero shooter similar to Apex Legends or Overwatch 2 developed by Riot Games. It is destined to occupy a privileged position as the best eSport shooter, although it still has a way to go.

VALORANT’s most important competition is VALORANT Champions . It is a world cup where the 16 best teams in the world come together. The winner of the last edition was the Brazilian team LOUD who beat OpTiC Gaming ⁽⁵⁾ .

Counter Strike: Global Offensive

Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) is a first-person shooter in which two factions face life or death. The terrorist faction will try to set off a bomb or take hostages. The mission of the anti-terrorist side is to prevent them from achieving their objective.

Like Dota 2, Counter-Strike is a game created by the Valve company and distributed by Steam . It is a frenetic and highly realistic video game that is not suitable for all players, as it requires great skill.

On the contrary, it is perfect for those who love fast-paced action and who feel a special attraction for the hunt-to-be-hunted game mode, a very interesting bet like eSports games.

ESL and World Esports Association (WESA) have already presented the new CS: Go Pro League , the most important Counter Strike competition . For this edition, the organizers have presented a new competition system. The league is expected to be resolved in about four weeks. Of course, it is an eSport tournament that should not be missed.

Apex Legends

Apex Legends is another eSports game that adds and continues. Since its launch it continues to prove its worth in the Battle Royale genre. Many people place it alongside Fortnite and PUBG as the most popular trio within this type of video game and, to fool ourselves, this is no surprise given its success.

With more than 30 million broadcast hours and a peak viewership of more than 138,000 , Apex Legends occupies seventh place in our list of top eSports. A must if you like action.

The latest updates have added support for solo matchmaking and introduced spectacular death sequences that help with the immersion of the game and generates extra satisfaction when eliminating other players.

This game saw rapid adoption as an esport with direct cash tournaments around the world. Its main tournament is the Apex Legends Global Series Championship and has $5 million in prizes ⁽⁶⁾ .

Fortnite

Since its release, Fortnite has been an undeniable success and its arrival in eSports was inevitable. Of course, the creative company, Epic Games, put all its effort into the game when it decided to allocate 100 million euros in prizes for its competitors 

This eSport game, in addition to the fact that people already played it, the economic reason gave way to a lot of professional players who came from everywhere, not to mention the teams that already existed.

The structure and mechanics of the game are apparently simple, but mastering all the strategies and capabilities is another level. Aiming and building at high speed is the way to reach the top positions in this third-person game.

With all this, Fortnite is currently in eighth place in our ranking of the best eSports thanks to more than 24 million hours of gameplay broadcast on Twitch and a peak viewership of more than 148,000.

Warzone

Warzone , the Call of Duty battle royale, also sneaks into the top of the best eSports. This shooter attracts a lot of attention from the community and has achieved more than 20 million hours of broadcast this month and a peak viewership of approximately 93,000.

The perfect mix of action and moments of tranquility has catapulted Warzone into the top 10 of eSports. The game has the benefits of the saga and one of the most polished gameplay of its genre.

The most important official CoD Warzone tournament is the World Series of Warzone and has two modalities: trios and duos. The maximum prize in this championship is $300,000.

Teamfight Tactics

Teamfight Tactics , popularly known as TFT, is a strategy game set in the world of League of Legends . It is part of Riot Games’ strategy to expand this successful universe. Something he also tried with the Netflix series Arcane .

This game for PC and mobile devices closes our top 10 of the best eSports since it has more than 15 million hours of broadcast and almost 71,000 peak viewers.

It is a free to play video game just like its older brother, League of Legends. In it you will have to select a team to face your opponent until you manage to defeat him after several rounds.