8 Biggest Esports Games Played Worldwide
Esports has become more than a guilty pleasure squeezed between school assignments and family obligations.
The boom of esports tournaments and video games in general in India are not a fluke. It is a cultural shift that is worth over a billion dollars. What many saw as a hobby or an obsession back in the days, electronic sports, today has become a movement worldwide. To those, who still doubt it, would be amazed to know that the Waves Esports Championship (WESC25) is underway backed by investors and the government with a massive prize pool.
Remember the time when many of us flocked to cyber cafes nearby to play games online. Well, it seems like eons ago. Now, gaming has become so accessible to everyone, thanks to mobile esports and the accessibility to set up our own gaming room, that everyone is almost a pro. But not all games have a big fanbase, some simply known how to dominate.
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Biggest Esports Games
Here are the biggest titles dominating esports right now, whether it is real-time strategy games, Multiplayer online battleground arena sports or first-person shooter games:
Valorant
Developed by US-based developer, Riot Games, Valorant is tactical first-person shooter game that is one of the fastest-growing title across the world, with over 15,836,436 active players. Inspired by Counter-Strike series, with many mechanics similar to CS like spray patterns and buy menus. Currently, Challengers League 2025 South Asia: Split 1 (Feb 23, 2025 - Mar 22, 2025) is live and can be streamed on Twitch and YouTube. The Valorant tournament features a total of prize pool ₹2,640,000.
Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI)
The undisputed king of Indian esports, BGMI (formerly PUBG Mobile) has a huge gamer base, despite the temporary ban in India. An immersive battle royale experience, specifically tailored for Indian for mobile users, Krafton, the developer of BGMI, has been conducting tournaments in the country. This year the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2025 or BGIS 2025 will be the fourth edition of Battlegrounds Mobile India Series.
The tournament is organised by KRAFTON and features a total prize pool of ₹2,00,00,000.
Dota 2
Another US-based developer's creation, Dota 2 by Valve is a complex Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) that tests teamwork and mastery through strategic game off. You can customise your hero, each with unique skillset and team compositions. With over 413,766 active players each month, Dota 2 is quite popular amongst the global esport athletes.
Free Fire Max
Another game to be part of the World Cup 2025 is Garena's Free Fire Max (2021) is a battle royale game that has been developed by a Vietnam-based developer and produced by Garena- Singaporean online game developer. With over 100 million active users worldwide in 2024, the game is fast-paced and has over 50 players competing with one another.
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Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6ev
Popularly known as COD, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, Call of Duty Black Ops 6is a first-person shooter game. It has great storytelling, intense battle sequences and innovative health regaining system. Moreover, according to the reports, the upcoming Esports World Cup 2025 in summer, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is set to feature, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as opposed to 2024 World Cup.
Counter Strike 2
CS2 is as competitive as the previous Counter-Strike game but with far better graphics and gameplay mechanics. The first-person shooter is also developed and published by Developed by Treyarch and Raven and maintains a robust player base with over 1,023,375 a month.
EA Sports FC
Formerly called FIFA, the EA Sports FC is a football simulation game published by Electronic Arts (USA) and developed by EA Sports (Canada). With realistic players, matches, and features to manage the team, it is one of the most competitive electronic sports games played worldwide.
Apex Legends
With over 60 million monthly players worldwide, the innovative gameplay, Apex Legends, that introduced a unique ping system for non-verbal communication among teammates, has robust player base and popularity. The high-quality graphics and Fluid mechanics add to the appeal of the game. Created by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts (EA), Apex Legends reached 25 million players in its first week of its launch in 2019.
These 8 titles define the industry, drawing million viewers and many players to participate in the battle of best and demonstrating that esports is not a hobby but like other sports requires skills, strategy, and sheer determination.