Esports is fast penetrating the gaming universe. Massive advances in gaming technology have produced ultra-realistic gaming universes that can get you stuck on your console all day.
Aside from the thrill, lucrative money-earning opportunities are springing up in esports with top bookmakers –including bookmaker crypto — featuring top titles like Dota and Counter-Strike.
Perhaps you are about to enter the exhilarating world of esports gaming and are a bit confused about the best titles to go for. This article extensively reviews the best eight esports games that will make you wish there were more than 24 hours in a day!
Call of Duty
The Call of Duty, often called COD, is arguably one of the best first-player shooting esports franchises ever graced the earth. The single and multiplayer offers holiday shooters a crowded battle royale avenue to test their mettle in top competitions.
COD has an incredibly massive gaming community, with a series of well-organized esports tournaments sponsored by publisher Activision and other groups.
Annually, the Call of Duty League events is held in Latin America, North America, Uk, and Australia. These events have helped to publish and promote COD to vast regions worldwide massively.
Consequently, more mobile and console players join in the fun by every year, generating a massive pool of about $1 million annually.
Overwatch 2
For decades, Valve’s Team Fortress dominated as the only game where game lovers derived joy as they took on shooting adventures with their cartoon characters. However, the narrative changed when the Blizzard gaming brand released Overwatch in 2016.
Overwatch rapidly became the most played competitive multiplayer first-person shooter esports in America and worldwide.
A few months after launch, the shooting game started recording an endless number of 14.4 million players via console and PC every month.
Initially, Overwatch featured all the hallmarks of Team Fortress 2, which included multiple arcade game modes focused on combating teams, colorful graphics, fantastic characters, and other MOBA perks.
However, the launch of Overwatch 2 was on a different level. The new version was integrated with classy and heroic characters and improved mechanical features that made the first-person shooter game more enjoyable.
Fortnite
Undoubtedly, Fortnite has remained a top-rated title and one of the best esports games since Epic games created it in 2017. Initially, it was modeled as a player versus environment (PVE) game.
However, it was later remodeled after the trending player vs. player battle royale format where you enjoy takes on from other players.
In addition, its popularity was further escalated by its free-to-play mode. The incredible game gathers about 100 players in a battleground and leaves them to display their survival skills.
If you’re the last man standing, you’re the winner. One of its uniqueness is that it allows you to build fortifications and hideouts with different materials.
Fortnite hooks down an average of 1 million players worldwide every month. However, in 2020, during Travis Scott’s virtual concert, Fortnite’s popularity exploded as it recorded over 12.3 million players.
In addition, it is a top-leading esports game in fame and prize fund, raking in a pool prize ranging from $20 million to $30 million for winners.
PUBG
In 2017, the PUBG Corporation revealed the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) game to the world. Since then, the game has become the favorite of many online gamers.
PUBG is a fun-filled online battle royale game that pitches you against 100 other players on a significant battleground, leaving you to fight to the death. The last man standing wins the game.
The unique battle features used in PUBG further promote the broad adoption of the “Battle Royale” game mode, which has already been in existence.
Also, it encouraged many esports and non-esports video game producers to adopt the game mode into their productions. Thereby making PUBG one of the best and most influential video games.
Another uniqueness of the game is its harmonious combination of the best first-person shooter, MMO player features, and promising aspects of open-world games. According to stats, the PUBG Global Organisation has a $2 million prize pool.
Dota 2
Unveiled by Valve entertainment in 2013, Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2) remained one of the best multiple online battle arena (MOBA) esports games on earth.
The favorite online battle arena game has an average of 10 million players across the globe who are devoted to it, according to statistics.
Dota 2 requires ten players to form two sub-team, Dire and Radiant, and then combat opposite Ancient characters. You can choose only one representative from about 100 heroic characters in the game. Furthermore, you get to harness your characters’ unique abilities to win.
In April 2017, with about 32 million views, Dota became the most streamed esports game. In addition, Valve’s international competition project became the most prominent competitive gaming occasion and raked in about $1.6 million regularly to fund the game’s prize pool.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (for PC)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) is another brilliant production of Valve entertainment in 2012. It is a widely known first-person shooter (FPS) esports game enjoyed by over 20 million players globally.
Unlike most modern video games that support multiple platforms, CS: GO only supports PCs.
Although the game has started losing its thematic integrity due to old age, it still stands out among modern games as millions of people still enjoy playing it. The game has a solid and active community that constantly backs it.
Further, its core gameplay and $1 million game prize have kept the game relevant and entertaining over the years.
Call of Duty Warzone 2.0
Call of Duty Warzone completely revolutionalized the battle royale genre after its release in 2020. The release of the 2.0 in late 2022 goes ahead to show the capabilities of Activision and why many fans fell in love with the title.
It’s connected to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but you can buy and enjoy Warzone without owning Modern Warfare.
The game retains the traditional battle royal mechanics where the player fights in an enclosed area to become the last man standing.
One of the new things it introduced was the ability for multiple safe zones to be established within a single map. Its proximity chat feature also makes the game more fun.
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the game is its eSports possibilities. There is the Call of Duty League and World Series of Warzone for players at different levels to challenge themselves. All these championships feature lucrative price pools.
Apex Legends
Apex’s release was destined for success when EA released it in 2019. One of the reasons it was popular was the team-inspired battle royale format.
The game lets a 3-man team of up to 23 players battle it out on a map to see the last team standing. The release of the mobile version in 2022 helped skyrocket the game’s popularity.
Apex legend has many annual eSports competitions with lucrative price pools. The EA-sponsored Apex Legends Global Series is the most popular, and the 2022 edition features a $2 million prize pool.
Conclusion
Since its emergence in the late 1990s, Esports video games have become a significant source of fun, entertainment, and interactions for gamers worldwide.
While this list compiled 6 of the best video games in the world, there are undoubtedly many more games you can partake in.
