The popularity of esports is increasing each year and more gamers are looking for new adventures. That has seen gaming as a whole reach new heights, but the esports industry is forced to constantly morph around new game releases
Sites like fragster.com are regularly covering different esports tournaments and events around the globe. Games like Apex Legends and Valorant have changed the industry overnight, however.
What are the Most Popular Esports Games?
While there are many esports titles with high viewership, there are some that have remained constant in terms of popularity over recent years. Here are the top-ranking esports games you can find in 2022.
The top game in the MOBA genre remains the largest game in esports in many capacities. Each team is made up of five players that choose from over 150 characters. It was first released in 2009 by Riot Games
Each selected team member chooses one of the available roles, including top laner, midlaner, carry, support, and jungler. The game has thousands of professional players in the scene with larger support staffs behind them. The esports scene is made up of two large international tournaments, with teams being selected through a network of leagues.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the classic strategic first-person shooter. It involves two teams of five players each competing against each other in the roles of terrorists and counter-terrorists with the former being offense and the latter being defense.
Counter-Strike is one of the most enduring game series in esports today, with almost 20 years of competitive history. It remains strong in the genre but faces increased competition from similar game, Valorant.
Dota 2 is similar to League of Legends in many ways. The two games have a lot of shared history including lead developers that worked on the original DotA that started the MOBA genre in earnest.
Players have over 110 heroes and several playable roles to choose from. Since its launch in 2013, Dota 2 has become one of the most popular esports games in the industry despite a seemingly endless stream of controversies regarding how publisher Valve runs the game.
Fortnite sees 100 players competing against each other on a big map with the last person standing taking the victory. This game is quite different from other battle royale titles because of its focus on building structures and acquiring different resources.
The game enjoyed pop culture icon status through 2019. It remains strong today, despite not getting the same focus.
Developed by World of Warcraft developer, Blizzard Entertainment in 2016, Overwatch spurred a surge of popularity surrounding the hero shooter genre. Players have the chance to choose from a wide range of characters for various roles, each with a unique set of skills.
Activision Blizzard went with a pure franchising format for its esports scene, selling organizations a spot in official leagues. The game fell off hard after its initial release but is enjoying renewed popularity thanks to the upcoming release of Overwatch 2.
While video games keep changing, specific genres remain the top choices for esports. More games will be released in the future and players will need to adapt as they compete in tournaments for the biggest prizes.
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