Best esports games in 2024

Potential esports games are being released all the time. Not all become top esports games, with many failing to catch on with the masses. The best esports games in 2024 include games like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike, but the launch of the XBOX Series X and PS5 is set to shake things up. These next generation console games might not immediately have esports industries sprout up, but you can rest assured by the end of 2024 things will be much clearer. With the bulk of esports games played on PC currently, this page will evolve as more competitive video games are released.

Top 10 esports games in 2024

While there are 100s of video games that could be termed a competitive esports game, there are some that stand head and shoulders above the others, in terms of popularity; including player numbers, streamers and viewers. The top esports games literally have millions of players online at any one time, while there are various competitions, tournaments and leagues set up surrounding the most popular games. The top 10 esports games for 2024 are:

Dota II

Game guide: Dota 2
Watch: How to watch Dota 2

Released in 2013, Dota 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game and one of the most popular esports games in the world. It started life out as a standalone sequel to a WarCraft 3 mod called Defense of the Ancients and now records over 10 million concurrent players every month. It was also the top live streamed esport on Twitch in April 2017, one of the few games to temporarily de-throne League of Legends with 32.2 million esports hours watched by fans. Its main tournament, The International, is organized and sponsored by game developer and publisher Valve, who regularly fund prize-pools of up to $1.6 million in the annual tournament to make it the biggest competitive gaming event globally.

League of Legends

Game guide: League of Legends
Watch: LoL live streaming

League of Legends sits at third in the top esports games list, with over $4 million dollars in prize money handed out during 2024. LoL is an action-packed competitive video game, with elements of both Role Playing Games and First Person Shooter games. The general gist of League of Legends is two teams of “champions” do battle on various maps and under different game modes, with each team boasting unique characteristics. The LoL competitive esports scene is thriving, with the professional competitions in Europe and North America particularly strong. There are all levels of tournament play available in this esport game, while the constant updates released by Riot Games keeping League of Legends fresh and exciting.

Counter-Strike 2

Released in 2023 as the latest in the long-running popular Counter-Strike series of FPS multiplayer games, Counter-Strike 2 dominates the esports world with million dollar tournament prize-pools fronted by developer Valve, who co-sponsors and organizes the ‘Majors’ events, while many third-party esport organizers like the Electronic Sport League host regional, smaller events. It is undoubtedly one of the most influential games to boost esports into the mainstream. In the United Kingdom, is the #1 popular esport franchise watched by fans.

Valorant

Game guide: Valorant

Valorant is a free-to-play first-person tactical hero shooter developed by Riot Games, for Windows. Valorant was released in June of 2020, after multiple betas were released in early 2020. From 2021, the competitive esports scene took off, with multiple tournaments taking place all over the world, with international event happening two or three times a year. The Valorant Champions Tour runs every year, with each year bigger and better than the previous.

Rainbow Six Siege

Game guide: Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Siege is another one of the popular tactical first-person shooter esports games, with multiple esports tournaments being held every year. Following its release in 2015, the esports scene has continued to grow with tournament organisers such as BLAST and Ubisoft announcing more events each year. The Six Invitational is the most prestigious Rainbow Six Siege tournament, with US$3 million in prize money handed out at the 2024 edition.

Call of Duty

Game guide: Call of Duty
Streaming: How to watch COD

Released annually as a single-player and multiplayer holiday shooter, the long-running FPS franchise is well known for its incredibly competitive gaming communities, with professional esports tournaments organized by series publisher Activision in partnership with multiple other sponsors and groups, including Electronic Sports League, Major League Gaming and PlayStation. Its biggest event is the Call of Duty League, held in North America annually, with millions of dollars up for grabs.

PUBG

Game guide: PUBG
Stream: How to watch professional PUBG

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG, was released in 2017 as an early access title and launching as a full retail release at the tail-end of that year, PUBG is an incredibly influential multiplayer online battle royale game developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of Korean video games publisher Bluehole Inc. Pitting 100 people against each other on a large island, the last man standing sub-genre exploded in popularity with PUBG’s debut and has influenced countless other video games, both esports and non-esports, into introducing ‘Battle Royale’ game modes into their titles. Popular events surrounding this esports game include the PUBG Nations Cup and the PUBG Global Championships.

Overwatch 2

Released in 2016, Overwatch was the most anticipated esports title in the United States and the most played competitive multiplayer first-person shooter worldwide, averaging 14.4 million monthly users across PC and console merely a year after its launch. Since late 2023, when Overwatch 2 was released, all tournaments have been played on the new game and under the new league banner, Overwatch Champions Series.

Starcraft II

Released in 2010 and recently re-launched as a free-to-play title, StarCraft II is a third-person real-time strategy game and part of the most popular RTS computer gaming franchise ever in South Korea, where the game thrives in the competitive esports scene. While it has lower prize-pools in officially sanctioned pro SC2 events (around US $150,000) and its popularity has waned after the introduction of the MOBA sub-genre and the resounding success of Dota 2 and League of Legends, StarCraft II’s intensely competitive one-versus-one format is irreplaceable in spectacle and it isn’t leaving the professional gaming leagues anytime soon.

Halo

Game guide: Halo

Halo is first-person shooter developed by Bungie and 343 Industries, with the first Halo game released in 2001, Halo: Combat Released. With a number of titles being released over the last 20 years, the competitive esports scene has been a constant over the last five years. The Halo World Championship Series runs every year, with a Halo World Champion crowned at the end of each series.

Upcoming esports games in 2024

The esports world is continually expanding with new games being released. While not all make it as successful esports games, there are some that are highly anticipated:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6: The 21st game of the Call of Duty franchise is set to be released on October 25, 2024. The yearly installment of Call of Duty games will continue in 2024, as the seventh entry of the Black Ops sub-series will be released on all consoles. The Call of Duty League are already gearing up to change over to the new title for the 2025 season.

Introducing esports games

New competitive video games are being released all the time, including upgrades to existing esports games, which can breath new life into older titles. Esports is growing fast and the more money involved in it the more video game developers can put back into developing new esports games. There barely goes a week when some potential esports game is released and pumped up by its developers. Having said this not all potential esports games turn out to be Fortnite or Apex Legends, with many big budget releases failing to make an impact in professional video gaming. This page will highlight the most popular esports games, new esports games and upcoming competitive video gaming releases.

What is an esports game?

Esports is an all-encompassing term used to describe online multiplayer video games played competitively for spectators and the many tournaments and events they spawn. Over 50 video games across consoles and PC spread are considered to be esports, with professionally organized leagues and tournaments offering millions of dollars in prize money for the very best players around the world to win. The massive success of the industry in the past seven years has led to more games across more genres being developed with a potential esport sub-culture in mind.

Despite esports’ continued advancement into the mainstream consciousness, it can be quite overwhelming for anyone new to competitive gaming or video games in general to try and dive into even just one of these highly passionate communities. Sometimes, it’s even difficult to find out which games have an esports scene and which are simply touted by its fans as a potential breakout hit, let alone understand how esports and betting on such large-scale events works.

This page aims to guide readers on the best esports games in 2024, understanding how they work and why they’re popular, and the upcoming esports games that will make it big this year.

Esports games genres

There are some common video game genres or categories that make up the majority of esports in 2024, although every now and then a new game will shake things up that might not necessarily fit into a traditional category.

• Multiplayer online battle arena:
  Also known as real time strategy video games, MOBA is a subgenre of strategy video games. Played between two teams, MOBA games are usually head to head, and involve destroying the other team’s base and killing any players. Fortnite and PUBG are prime examples of MOBA games.
• First person shooter:
  First person shooter esports games are very popular, and usually involve fighting on a map, either in free-for-all or team vs team mode. Last man standing and capture the flag are two of the popular formats of esports games in First Person Shooter titles. Call of Duty is arguably the best first person shooter of all time, while games like Unreal Tournament and early versions of Counter-Strike did a lot to pioneer this genre.
• Card game battles:
  Card game esport games are very popular and are usually referred to as digital collectible card games. For a long time digital versions of collectable cards were not desired, but now many distributors are only releasing them as a video game, like 2024’s no.1 digital card battle game Hearthstone.
• Battle royale:
  Battle royale esports games have got elements of many games, including survival, exploration, scavenging and even first person shooter. Beginning on a massive map, a battle royale esports game usually has a safe zone, forcing players to eventually come together in a small zone. The winner of a battle royale esports game is usually the last team or man standing. PUBG is a prime example of a battle royale esports title.
• Real-time strategy esports games:
  Real-time strategy esports games are games that are running continuously, with players not taking it in turns. An example of an RTS esport game is World of WarCraft.
• Turn-based strategy esports:
  This is simple a video game where players take it in turns, with games like the Civilization series the perfect example of how these types of games work.
• Sports:
  The sports genre of esports games should not be underestimated and it is only now beginning to flourish. Most of the major European soccer leagues have now launched digital esports leagues, running off the FIFA series, while 2K is insanely popular with basketball fans. Expect sports to be one of the big movers in terms of prize money offered in the coming years, as mainstream sporting organisations do everything they can to get-in on the esports boom.

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Most popular esports games in 2024

The most popular esports games in 2024 boil down to a select few genres, despite the increasingly diverse amount of titles releasing with the intention of building out a future competitive scene. Competitive and organised video game tournaments can exist for any title, but there is a distinct list of games that made the esport industry the behemoth it is today (valued at $4.3 billion in the 2024, in case you were wondering).

We break-down the most popular esports titles globally in our list below – click on the provided links for more detailed information into the game’s competitive format, event schedules, gameplay, top teams and the best esports betting sites to place a real money wager on the latest official tournaments for each title.

• League of Legends

  With leagues running concurrently in each corner of the world, League of Legends has cemented itself as one of the world’s most popular esports titles. China (LPL), Korea (LCK), North America (LCS), Europe (EMEA), Vietnam (VCS) and South America (CBLOL) are just some of the regions that have LoL leagues.

  Outside of the regional leagues that run a spring and summer split each year, Riot Games hosts international events such as the LoL World Championship and Mid-Season Invitational.

• Dota 2

  Dota 2 has been and still is one of the biggest esports titles, with millions and millions of dollars being handed out in tournament prize pools. Recently, in 2023, the Dota Pro Circuit concluded and the ESL Pro Tour took over, with most tournaments being run by ESL now. The Dota 2 International is one of the richest events in the world of esports, with the season-ending tournament giving out 10s of millions of dollars in prize money over the years.

• Counter-Strike 2

  Counter-Strike has been the biggest first-person shooter game for several years, with thousands of people packing out arenas to watch events. Since the release of Counter-Strike 2, major tournament organisers such as BLAST, PGL and ESL have continued to increase prize money and introduce more events each year.

Best new and upcoming esports games in 2024

Despite the continued worldwide domination of the esport triumvirate (CS:GO, Dota 2 and LoL), 2024 will see the debut of several popular competitive multiplayer video games, especially sports titles like FIFA and NBA 2K that have branched out into the world of esports, along with the continued advancement in popularity for other long-running and supported titles.

• Apex Legends

  One of the fastest growing releases of all time after its early February 2019 drop. Respawn Entertainment released this title, with it set 30 years after TitanFall 2, its other well-known title. Its gameplay is a similar concept to PUBG although the addition of Legends with unique attributes has made it a huge hit. The Apex Legends Global Series is the main seasonal tournament that runs throughout the year, with two playoff splits splitting the season up. The Apex Legends Global Championship is scheduled to end the season.

• EA Sports FC

  EA Sports FC is the first soccer game that Electronic Arts (EA) has produced without the FIFA branding, with both parties going separate ways after the release of FIFA 23. EA Sports FC24 has maintained all of the licences for the teams and players, and with most professional players and tournament organisers sticking with EA, they have all switched over to the new title. Throughout 2024 and into 2025, it is expected that more events will be announced for the growing player base of the new game.

Esports games that have come and gone

• Heroes of the Storm

  Heroes of the Storm looked to be the next big thing in 2016, when it was announced almost $7 million in prizes would be handed out the following year. Despite this, in 2018, Blizzard announced Heroes of the Storm would be scaling back its commitments to this cross-franchise MOBA esports game. Perhaps the biggest sign Heroes of the Storm was on its last legs as an esport came with the announcement the Heroes Global Championship was cancelled, effectively signalling the end of the professional scene.

• H1Z1

  This Daybreak Game Company game, released for Microsoft Windows in 2015, was poised to be the next big thing in esports. But it all came crashing down in 2018, when H1Z1’s official league was shut down without warning halfway during its inaugural season. Despite trying to cash in on the battle royale boom, the game simply could not compete with the likes of Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Other notable esports games to watch in 2024

There are dozens more amazing video games with competitive esports scenes attached to them, some still growing, some forever niche, and others on the steady path to the big leagues. These are the esport titles to watch for in 2024 and beyond.

• Battlefield
• Gears of War
• Injustice 2
• Madden NFL
• Marvel vs Capcom
• Pro Evolution Soccer
• Quake Champions
• Fortnite
• Smite
• Street Fighter V
• Super Smash Bros Melee
• Tekken 7
• Vainglory
• WarCraft III
• War Thunder
• World of Tanks
• World of WarCraft

Most popular esports video game genres

As esports history follows, fighting games and first person shooters are the two dominant genres to come out of the 1980s and 1990s and remain at the top today, though Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games, which have taken the world by storm since 2010, arguably is the most significant esport genre today. The booming popularity of South Korean Internet cafes and extensive modding communities helped shape real-time strategy (RTS) games into highly competitive, multiplayer-focused head-to-head arenas which led to the now dominant MOBA category.

How are esports growing so fast?

An increasing amount of these top-tier esports are entirely organized and managed under the administration of their original developers and publishers of the video games in question – Activision Blizzard, Riot Games and Steam all are heavily involved with the advertising, funding, promotion and organization of tournaments for Overwatch, League of Legends and Dota 2, respectively – rather than third-party esport organizations such as the Electronic Gaming League and Major League Gaming as in the past. This has lead to increased support for the competitive and professional communities, directly provided from the creators.

You can find the definitive guide to all video game publishers supporting esports here.

A brief history of esports

Competitive video gaming precedes the Internet era and has been around since the 1970s and 1980s, when organized and televised gaming tournaments hosted by games developers, usually as a marketing tactic, were commonplace in countries like Japan and the United States. Despite video games at the time being offline and lacking the massive multiplayer functions that we take for granted in our favourite titles today, the medium found a way to rise to popularity.

The earliest recorded esport event, which were labelled under more amusingly creative names such as “Intergalactic spacewar olympics”, took place in 1972 at Stanford University, California. The university invited Spacewars players to compete for a one-year subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. It wasn’t until 8 years later when video game publisher Atari held the Space Invaders Championship in 1980 – when more than 10,000 people showed up from all across North America – that competitive video gaming was considered a mainstream hobby.

The rest of the 1980s saw the establishment of several organizations such as Twin Galaxies and the U.S National Video Game Team which helped promote video games worldwide, along with the competitive scenes that inevitably accompanied them, created and driven by passionate fan-bases. When the Internet era properly arrived in the 1990s and more video games began taking advantage of the connectivity and multiplayer possibilities it provided, larger esports tournaments formed and greater awareness followed. Games such as Counter-Strike, StarCraft and Warcraft had their humble beginnings in the LAN era and became powerhouses in the modern esports industry today thanks to the growing subcultures they fostered in the early days of connected gaming.

You can find a more detailed look into the history of esports here.

Where can I bet on the best esports games?

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The editorial team not only loves watching esports, but betting on them – and we have several guided across our site which aim to help our readers learn how to bet on their favourite esport title and the types of odds and betting options available per game. A good starting point for beginners or those new to esports in general is our how to bet on esports guide, which we highly recommend reading before placing a real money wager on any esports title.

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