Hidden gems of the arena: Top 10 Esports games

Every year, the esports business grows beyond our wildest dreams as gamers. Once upon a time, the esports sector was a fairly simple notion, with multi-million dollar competitions impossible to imagine. Today, esports is swiftly developing to become one of the world’s most profitable sports markets, with a multibillion-dollar valuation. We’re here to break down the top ten esports games available right now, finding the most popular and successful titles in the market.

As the esports business expands in scale, so do the number of tournaments, players, and organisations that participate. From esports betting to world-class sponsorships, the esports industry is a real, breathing beast of business that is only rising. A staggering number of high-stakes tournaments will be staged in 2022, displaying the incredible talents of some of the world’s best esports players.

We’re here to break down the top 10 esports games on the market right now, identifying the most popular and successful titles.

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is easily one of the top ten esports titles in the world today in terms of revenue and following. It has a strong and diverse ecosystem with some of the most watched esports tournaments in the industry’s history. Moreover, CSGO features one of the most popular grassroots settings in competitive gaming, and millions of people play CS GO every day.

CSGO has a multibillion-dollar skin trading market, and as a brand, it is supported by some top-tier sponsors, including the computing behemoth Intel. Even when CSGO events were halted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the popular FPS title stayed atop the rankings. Finally, it has been established that CSGO betting is the most popular category among esports bettors, with the aggregate market cap for CSGO markets accounting for around 50% of all esports bets.

By 2022, CSGO had gathered $133 million in prize money, introduced over 14,000 new players, and hosted 6167 competitions.

• Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds

PUBG is widely regarded as the game that helped to popularise the battle royale genre. When it was introduced in 2017, it swiftly became an overnight success, spawning a popular and exciting esports culture in a short amount of time. Because PUBG esports are now hosted on both mobile and PC platforms, we’re lumping both formats together.By sheer numbers, PUBG is undoubtedly one of the top ten esports games available. It’s hugely popular and constantly changing, and it has a huge community. PUBG debuted free-to-play in January 2022, and it smashed concurrent player records overnight, proving the game still had enough left in the tank.

By 2022, PUBG had gathered $77 million in prize money, introduced over 5,000 new players, and hosted 500 tournaments.

Also Read: Esports: How do gaming keyboards help the players?

• DOTA 2

Dota 2 is the undisputed leader among the top ten esports games. Since 2013, ‘Defence of the Ancients’ has been a dominant MOBA in the esports sector, and it has contributed significantly to the overall expansion of esports. Every year, The International, the world’s largest and most valuable esports competition, is held on Dota 2’s platform. This event had a $40 million prize pool in 2021, which was the largest reward pool in esports history.

It’s insanely popular, with millions of players, a massive social media presence, and an ecosystem that just won’t die. It has made numerous players multi-millionaires, edging away CSGO as the world’s richest esports title. And the most incredible thing? It’s only going to get worse.

Dota 2 has gathered $282 million in prize money, introduced around 4,200 participants, and hosted 1630 tournaments by 2022.

• Fortnite

Fortnite is an interesting example, yet it easily makes the top ten esports games. When Fortnite first came out, it was a huge success, quickly becoming a fan favourite. Within a few years, Fortnite would have exploded, unquestionably becoming the most popular battle royale title. It fostered a robust competitive scene that culminated in a Fortnite World Cup at its peak.

The first (and only) Fortnite World Cup was held in 2019, with a massive prize pool. It was divided into numerous categories, with the solo category alone worth $15 million. However, Fortnite’s esports environment has withdrawn somewhat since the Fortnite World Cup, and it’s a little quieter out there today.

By 2022, Fortnite had gathered $112 million in prize money, attracted 4,900 new players, and hosted 750 tournaments.

• League of Legends

Without a doubt, League of Legends is one of the top ten esports games available today. It is extremely valuable and has one of the most advanced esports ecosystems in the industry, with multiple competitions held each year. It’s a really global esports game with a plethora of sponsors and partners to help it grow. There are millions of League of Legends enthusiasts worldwide, and the game is expected to continue at the top for many years to come.

League of Legends had gathered $93 million in prize money, introduced around 8,150 players, and hosted 2700 tournaments by 2022.

• Starcraft II

It has been around for more than a decade and is still as popular today as it was then. Some consider StarCraft II to be the most popular esports game of all time. StarCraft as a franchise has seen widespread appeal in Asian esports markets, but it is a worldwide esports title, similar to League of Legends. There’s no doubt about it: StarCraft II is one of the top ten esports games available.

By 2022, StarCraft II had gathered $37 million in prize money, introduced over 2,100 new players, and hosted 6420 tournaments.

• Overwatch

This particular esports title has risen to become a tremendous success because of the franchise-built power of the Overwatch League. While the esports scene has stagnated in recent months, it is expected to pick up again with the release of Overwatch 2. Overwatch has been a phenomenally popular video game since 2016, and many fans love the frequent esports competitions conducted on the Overwatch platform.

Overwatch has gathered $34 million in prize money, introduced about 3,720 participants, and hosted 790 tournaments by 2022.

• Call Of Duty

Call of Duty has a complicated yet renowned esports ecosystem. Since the release of Call of Duty 4 in 2007, the multiplayer platform has worked tirelessly to improve esports. The Call of Duty League, the most important COD esports event today, is a highly valuable esports tournament. However, if we look back through Call of Duty’s history, we can see that different tournaments appear on a regular basis, including on the popular battle royale platform, Warzone.

Call of Duty has gathered $50 million in prize money, introduced approximately 4,800 players, and hosted 1340 tournaments by 2022.

• Rainbow Six: Siege

Rainbow Six: Siege was always intended to be a competitive game. It’s a fiercely competitive shooter with one of the most devoted followings in FPS esports today. There’s no denying it’s one of the best ten esports games of all time, with a fantastically balanced and engaging game. While it lacks the overall player base of CSGO, it is nevertheless a terrific game as a high-performing esports title.

Siege had gathered $24 million in prize money, introduced about 2164 participants, and hosted 350 tournaments by 2022.

Call of Duty has gathered $50 million in prize money, introduced approximately 4,800 players, and hosted 1340 tournaments by 2022.

• Apex Legend

Apex Legends is a newcomer to the esports world, but it’s a strong contender for a place among the top ten esports games rankings. Apex Legends is a thrilling and entertaining esports video game to watch, with many broadcasters attracting impressively large audiences with ease. Finally, it’s a popular game, and the EA battle royale epic has lots of life remaining in it.

Apex had gathered $10 million in prize money by 2022, introduced about 1,600 players, and hosted approximately 400 tournaments.