2025 has been another brilliant year for esports, with tournaments attracting dedicated players and keen online viewers from all over the world. The number of video games that have large-scale international tournaments is on the rise, though the esports scene is still dominated by popular titles released many years ago.
When it comes to esports tournaments, people don’t just watch them; they also place bets on teams and individual competitors. Dota 2 is a prime example of an esport whose tournaments encourage people to place bets. There are many Dota 2 betting sites where you’re able to place wagers on the esport’s top competitions. Most other major esports are popular options for bettors too.
So what are the biggest esports in 2025? Below are the 10 esports that have registered the highest number of peak viewers for their tournaments. The list includes mostly console games along with some mobile ones.
Clash Royale
Kicking off the list is Clash Royale, a mobile game from Supercell that’s available on iOS and Android devices. The Clash of Clans spin-off is a real-time strategy game that includes elements of tower defense and collectible card games. When it was released in 2016, it was a major success, topping download charts and generating over $1 billion of revenue in its first year on sale. Nearly 700,000 viewers have logged online to watch Clash Royale tournaments.
PUGB: Battlegrounds
Previously known as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, PUGB: Battlegrounds was released by Krafton in 2017 and is a battle royale game. Inspired by the Japanese Battle Royale film (released in 2000), it pits 100 players against one another. They’re dropped onto an island and have to avoid getting killed while killing others and foraging for items. More than 800,000 peak viewers have been registered for PUGB: Battlegrounds tournaments.
Arena of Valor
This multiplayer online battle arena game had a staggered release from 2016 to 2018 and started featuring in tournaments in 2018. It’s an international version of Honor of Kings, which is targeted at the Chinese market and is the highest-grossing mobile game in the world. Arena of Valor has the same gameplay and uses the same development engine, though its characters were redesigned to better suit Western audiences. A peak of 870,000 people have watched others take part in Arena of Valor tournaments.
Fortnite
An extremely popular video game that’s among the most critically and commercially successful releases of all time, Fortnite is an Epic Games battle royale and survival game. It has seven modes, including a sandbox game creator, a racing game and even a collaboration with Lego. The highest number of people who have been watching Fortnite tournaments simultaneously is said to be around 950,000. It may be surprising that Fortnite isn’t number one on this list, but other, older games have been in the tournament scene for longer.
PUGB Mobile
This is the mobile version of PUGB: Battlegrounds and is very much the same as the original, except that it’s specially adapted for mobile devices. Since its release in 2018, it’s become one of the most-played mobile games of all time and has generated huge amounts of revenue. Its player base is both large and broad, and this is reflected in its tournament viewers. Around 1.3 million people have been logged on to watch PUBG Mobile tournaments at the same time.
Valorant
One of the newer games on the list is Valorant, which came out in 2020. Inspired by Counter-Strike, the first-person tactical shooter has been a big hit for its developer Riot Games and has one of the largest, most active communities of all esports. A mobile version has been released in China, though a release date for other countries hasn’t been confirmed yet. Peak viewing figures of 1.4 million have been reported for tournaments featuring Valorant, a sure sign of the game’s continued success.
Dota 2
The sequel to Defense of the Ancients, Dota 2 was released in 2013 by Valve and remains a key title in the esports scene. Tournaments featuring the game, which peaked with 1.7 million viewers, have had some of the biggest prize pools of any esports tournaments. Its annual championships, The Internationals, gave out a record-breaking $40 million in prize money in 2021, though this has declined in recent years.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series, came out in 2012 and remains one of the biggest esports in the world. It’s also among the most played titles on Steam. When playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you and other team members take on the role of terrorists planting a bomb or counter-terrorists trying to prevent a bomb from going off. With 1.7 million viewers (just slightly more than Dota 2), the thirteen-year-old game is still going strong.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
This multiplayer online battle arena game for mobile devices was released in 2016 and developed by Moonton. It’s a free-to-play title that earns money through the optional purchases that allow players to customise their characters. Available on smartphones and tablets, it’s compatible with both the iOS and Android operating systems.
Soon after its release, it drew comparisons with League of Legends (more information on this game below) and was even the subject of lawsuits. The game was allowed to remain on sale and went on to be downloaded over 1 billion times. 2025 has been a great year for the game, peak viewing figures of 4.1 million reported.
League of Legends
With peak viewers of 6.7 million people, League of Legends continues to cement its status as the world’s biggest esport. The multiplayer online battle arena game from Riot Games was released way back in 2009, but continues to attract players thanks to its vast, immersive gameplay and frequent updates. It’s also widely considered to be one of the best video games ever made.