본문 : ESPORTS NEWS UK

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Many video games of course have tens of thousands of players in online multiplayer modes. The fierce competition makes it hard to position yourself as one of the top players. It’s now possible to prove your class by participating in esports events.

These are official live video gaming competitions and prestigious tournaments that often have hefty prize pools. They are also an opportunity to turn your gaming knowledge into a professional career. In this article, you’ll find some of the best esports games. The criteria used were popularity among players, tournaments with large prize pools, and the coverage of different genres.

1. Dota 2

Valve Corporation fully launched this action real-time strategy game in 2010. Many describe it as the most comprehensive MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) with depth and top replay value. Ten players are divided into two teams of five, and they participate in matches. Each player controls a ‘hero’, and each character has different playing styles and abilities.

Dota 2 tops the list of the biggest esports games in terms of prize funds secured for esports tournaments over the years. The estimation is that players won over $355 million combined. Dota 2 International 2021, organized in Romania, tops the list with a prize pool that exceeded $40 million. Tournament winners received a reward of $18.2 million.

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2. League of Legends

According to Statista, League of Legends had 6.4 million peak viewers in 2023. In terms of viewership, this MOBA beats many other top esports games. LoL is free to play, but in-game purchases that customize your characters or ‘champions’ are available. You can pick from over 160 champions with different skill sets. Earning gold and gathering experience points can boost your odds of beating other teams.

League of Legends is 5v5, like Dota. Its premium esports event is the LoL World Championship, and there’s also different regional leagues like the LEC, LCK, LPL and LCS. Although the prize pool was $2.25 million in the last few years, Worlds’ rewards went as high as $6.45 million in 2018.

3. Fortnite

Fortnite is one of the most popular esports games, with a peak of over 11.6 million users playing it simultaneously. It belongs to the battle royale genre, which has had a huge expansion over the last decade. Battle Royale is a survival shooter game where 100 players compete in the last-man-standing mode. Fortnite features rather cartoonish graphics, which contributed to its popularity across all ages.

Epic Games, Fortnite’s creator, regularly updates in-game events with new chapters and competitions. In the esports gaming scene, a wide range of tournaments is available. The Fortnite Champion Series announced that the total prize pool for its events in 2024 would exceed $7.6 million. The main competition is the FNCS 2024 Global Championship, with a $2 million reward scheme.

4. EA Sports FC

EAFC is a football game that succeeded the popular FIFA soccer franchise. It’s in this list of top electronic sports and is based on an actual sport. EAFC features over 30 leagues, 100 stadiums, and 19,000 players. Your goal is to build the ultimate dream team with your favorite players and participate in various events that are available.

Electronic Arts, the company behind EAFC, launched a global seasonal circuit in 2023. It includes FC Pro Open and FC Pro Leagues, which had total prize money of $2 million in the initial season. According to the announcement, EAFC is also among the available games in the 2024 Esports World Cup.

5. Counter-Strike

This legendary game, which has long become a classic, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. What makes its success even more astonishing is the fact that it was originally developed as a mod for the popular Half-Life at that time. Minh Gooseman Le and Jess Cliffe, who worked on its creation, used the standard Half-Life engine created by Valve Corporation. This tactical first-person shooter was first released back in 1999, shortly after this, in 2000, Valve bought the game and officially released it as Counter-Strike 1.0.

Thanks to its realistic mechanics and rich gameplay, the game quickly gained popularity and became iconic. Counter-Strike is a game focused on teamwork and tactical thinking. Players can choose which team to compete for, performing different missions. Standard game modes include hostage rescue and bomb defusal, and before each round starts, there is an opportunity to upgrade and buy new equipment. The prize pool for Counter-Strike 2 at the Esports World Cup in 2024 was $1,050,000.

6. Valorant

Valorant predictably gained the favour of players quickly, largely thanks to its similar gameplay to CS, successfully combined with the unique abilities of agents, which made it possible to diversify the gameplay. The first esports tournaments for Valorant began to be held shortly after the release of the game. The developers, Riot Games, actively support such events, regularly organizing large tournaments and leagues with impressive prize pools, including the well-known Valorant Champions Tour, and world championship Valorant Champions.

Other Popular Esports Games Worth Mentioning

Here are some other titles that hold a reputable spot in the esports market:

• Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds. The game revolutionized the Battle Royale genre and made it popular in the competitive video gaming world
• Rocket League. It’s a creative take on a soccer game where players are actually vehicles powered with rocket fuel
• Brawl Stars. A mobile-only mix of a shooting game and MOBA developed by Supercell won multiple BAFTA Games Awards for mobile games.
• StarCraft II. The second part of the franchise features multiple different races battling for dominance in a distant galaxy.

The esports industry continues developing, with an estimated value for 2024 set at $6.61 billion. According to some forecasts, the market size could go up to $41.39 billion by 2033.