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These are the 7 Most Popular esports Games
There are countless esports games that inspire people all over the world. But which are the most popular esports games worldwide? We'll not only introduce you to the seven games that rule the international esports community, but also reveal exciting facts about them.
First Up: The Genres
Before we get started, we'll take a look at what the more popular genres mean.
Esports, which formally implies electronic sports, is one of the most sweltering mainstream societies around the world. Boxing and other fighting sports have been popular in the world of traditional sports since ancient times, and in the world of gaming, fighting games have also always been massively popular. So, it should come as no surprise to learn that fighting is one of the most popular present-day esports around. The 7 Most Popular esports Games We present the seven most popular esports games worldwide. A game's popularity can be tracked based on the number of professional players for a particular game. Esportsearnings.com provides a comprehensive overview of the number of professional players per game.
The 7 Most Popular esports Games
We present the seven most popular esports games worldwide. A game's popularity can be tracked based on the number of professional players for a particular game. esportsearnings.com provides a comprehensive overview of the number of professional players per game.
Counter Strike
What is Counter Strike about?
In Counter Strike, two teams, terrorists (or T) and counter-terrorists (or CT), fight for control of the area. Depending on the scenario, the teams receive various objectives, which the opposing team must foil: In some scenarios, the CTs must rescue hostages from the terrorists or the Ts must plant a bomb amongst the counter terrorists.
If you succeed in eliminating your opponent or fulfilling your mission's goal, you will not only receive points for your score, but also virtual money. If you shoot your own teammates or hostages, money and points will be deducted automatically.
Fun Facts about Counter Strike
Originally, the esports Game, according to Counterstrike fandom wiki, was created by a small group of hobby developers. Minh Le and Jess Cliffe then took over leadership. Almost 20 years later it is one of the most popular and most successful shooters of all time.
According to esportsearnings.com, Counter Strike 2018 achieved the second highest total prize money worldwide (22,648,867.19 US dollars). Only DOTA 2 managed to surpass this figure with 41,395,452.23 US dollars.
According to OPSkins.gg an esports fan purchased the extremely rare 'Dragon Lore' AWP skin on the same platform for more than 61,000 US dollars.
League of Legends (LoL)
What is League of Legends about?
League of Legends is one of the most famous real-time strategy games in the world. Two teams compete against each other face to face with five champions each. There are several battlefields with an arena-like structure to choose from. The main goal is to bring your opponent to their knees by destroying their base (known as Nexus). Before this happens, however, the teams must first overcome some obstacles. Every player collects experience and resources that benefit your character.
The role-playing elements are very exciting: there are dozens of heroes to choose from and their number is constantly growing. Thanks to its character design and weekly updates the game caters to the esports scene and makes it possible for adept LoL players to experience the game again and again.
Fun Facts about League of Legends
The LoL heroine Fiora is based on the Italian fencing master Fiore dei Libri: His manuscripts from the 14th century, according to gamespot.com, had a far-reaching influence on martial arts. But not only the name of the LoL character resembles that of the fencing master: Fiora also fights with a sword.
The US-American actress Karen Strassman has dubbed voices according to IMDb for not only one, but a total of five LoL-champions (Cassiopeia, Fiora, Shyvana, Elise and Zyra).
Although the game was only released on 27 October 2009, the beta version of the eGame was already available on 10 April. According to pointsprizes.com, anyone who played the beta version has received the King Rammus skin (a skin is a special texture with which you can give weapons or characters a different look). The King Rammus skin is a rarity today!
Video Recommendation from the Editor: '7 DAYS OUT' (Netflix)
If you want to see the planning and coodination involved in a big esports event yourself, we recommend the Netflix Documentary Series '7 DAYS OUT': In episode 6 of the series, spectators are taken behind the scenes to experience the preparation for the Final of the North American Spring Split in Miami Beach (Florida, 2018). The film follows one of the two final teams very closely and gives exciting insights into the world of the esports players before the final showdown. A must see!
Here's a preview of the documentary:
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Overwatch
What is Overwatch about?
With Overwatch team work plays a crucial role: Two Teams of six players square off in a battle to gain control over a certain location within a given time. Each player can choose from 29 different heroes, which are divided into three categories:
You always choose a hero for the current round, but you can also play with other heroes in the coming rounds. Once the round is complete, players will receive experience points and can customize the appearance of their avatars. However, these will not affect your abilities or your game play.
Fun Facts about Overwatch
According to gameranx.com the heroine Zarya, a bodybuilder with pink hair, is based on the Russian character designer of the game, Tamara Bakhlycheva.
When the game was originally released, Overwatch had over 7,000 voice samples (special sayings that heroes can purchase and use in the game). 68 different actors were recorded and translated into 12 different languages: a total of about 84,000 different character voice samples.
The time it took for developers to release a beta version of Overwatch was just five months according to thegamer.com. By comparison, Fortnite took six years between the game's announcement and release.
Fortnite
What is Fortnite about?
Fortnite starts with an apocalyptical scenario. Ninty-eight percent of the planet is gone. The remaining two percent, to which you belong, are threatened by zombie attacks by the so-called 'husks', which descend from the heavens to earth.
As a player you have to complete different tasks. These include eliminating zombies, collecting resources and rebuilding parts of civilization through forts and fighting other players. The player who outlasts everyone else wins.
Fun Facts about Fortnite
The release date of Fortnite was announced in 2011, according to German platform gamestar.de . However, due to a series of delays and long test phases, the game finally released in 2017.
Dance Challenges have become a big part of the fanfare surrounding Fortnite on social media. Most challenges revole around the Fornite's most popular dances: The Carlton, The Floss and The Milly Rock.
According to TechSpot, Fortnite pocketed a revenue of $22 million between March and April 2018 as a result of a Fortnite live stream of Rapper Drake and esports athlete Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins. About 635,000 people watched the stream between the rap star and the gaming icon.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
What is PUBG about?
PUBG throws its players onto the battlefield: Equipped with a parachute, the player dives out of a plane. He is accompanied by a maximum of 99 other participants in one of three different maps. The players fight hunger games style until the last man standing wins.
PUBG is an esports Battle Royale game. You can fight alone or in a team of up to 4 players. Players fight each other randomly in the field of play as the map becomes smaller and smaller. Whoever moves outside the defined zone dies.
Fun Facts about PUBG
If a player wins, PUBG displays the following message: 'Winner Winner Chicken Dinner'. The background for the saying is not clear according to dictionary.com. One possible origin is the great depression: If you won money in a street game back then, you could afford the luxury of eating chicken for dinner.
According to businessinsider, PUBG was inspired by the Japanese movie Battle Royale. But the name 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' has a different background: The chief developer Brendan Greene often called himself 'PlayerUnknown' while playing the game.
The success of PUBG is based according to an interview with Sammie Kang (Lead Community Manager at the game's development studio) almost exclusively on word of mouth.
DOTA 2
What is DOTA 2 about?
For experienced players, DOTA 2 is nerve-racking because this real time strategy game not only inspires its participants with a sophisticated design, but also challenges them tactically. Every game begins with two teams ('Dire' and 'Radiant') with five players each. Each player chooses one of a total of 115 different heroes. If a hero has been selected, he is not available to the other players.
The goal of the game is to defend your own base (known as the 'Ancient') and to destroy the opponent's base . Before this can happen, each team must overcome the opponent's forts. Both teams are supported by so-called creeps every 30 seconds. These are auxiliary troops that attack the opponent's Ancient and forts on the way there. The game is not only a tactical challenge, but also a coordinative challenge, which is also captivating for spectators.
Fun Facts about DOTA 2
The big cheese behind DOTA 2 goes by the name of IceFrog. More is not known about IceFrog.
'The International', organised by its own developer Valve, is the largest DOTA 2 tournament in the world. 'The International' offers the most prize money among all esports events. In 2018 alone, more than 24 million dollars were awarded in prize money.
In the context of a research project, according to The Verge, five different artificial intelligence machines managed to beat a team of DOTA 2 players.
Hearthstone – Heroes of Warcraft
What is Hearthstone about?
Developed by Bizzard Entertainment, Hearthstone is a Strategic Card Game based off the folklore within the World of Warcraft (Wow) universe.
You start the game with a Hero and a deck of cards. With each game played, the game unlocks new cards that belong to either the base deck or the hero's deck. From the cards collected, the player can create a individual deck of cards.
Once you have completed the practice mode, you begin competing against other players who are around the same skill level. The purpose of the game is to experience exciting card duels. There is no concrete mission goal or similar. In addition, additional cards can be purchased , either with virtual gold coins, which the players earn, or with real money.
Fun Facts about Hearthstone
The svg.com reports that the Hearthstone cards are partly based on the card type of World of Warcraft. After World of Warcraft passed its zenith, however, the card designs had already been created. The developer studio Blizzard Entertainment, however, succeeded in using the cards in the form of the first Hearthstone sets.
According to gamersdecide.com the development team of Hearthstone originally consisted of only 15 people, which is absolutely unusual for the gaming world (mostly the teams consist of 50 developers or more for games of this size). While the team has grown since then, most of the game today is based off the original work of those 15 developers.
The same page also reports that each of the developers received their own fake card in their liking, which is displayed at the end of the game.
esports Games: Experience the thrill
The enthusiasm around esports is no longer hype, but lasting euphoria. You can enjoy the excitement of esports games not only as an esports gamer, but also as a spectator. You can dive into the madness here: Twitch or Smashcast.
Whether you're a gamer or a spectator: Make sure you're well equipped when you're on the go and customize your personal esports jersey in our online shop with our 3D Designer, so that you can share your enthusiasm with your community!
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Picture Credits: Cover Picture: © gettyimages/gorodenkoff, Image 1: © Wikimedia Commons/Clément Grandjean (CC BY-SA 4.0), Image 2: © Wikimedia Commons/Sergey Galyonkin (CC BY-SA 2.0), Image 3: © gettyimages/innovatedcaptures, Image 4: © Wikimedia Commons/IgorNazario (CC BY-SA 2.5).
More magazine articles
Unlike most esports genres, there is not one single esports racing game in which most players compete. Instead, there is a variety of different titles which all have their own tournaments and communities. Some games focus on racing series such as Formula 1, others on motorcycles and still others are far from simulations and send you into crazy futuristic settings. The amount of titles can be overwhelming, so we prepared an overview of the most important games in esports racing.
Esports Games Most Popular Games
Esports racing games can be sorted in different categories, the most important ones being simulation and simcade titles. Simulations aim to convey the physics and feelings of real-life cars and circuits as realistically as possible. Simcades are not quite fully-fledged sims, but neither can they be considered arcade racers like Mario Kart, which have nothing to do with reality at all. They are designed in real-life settings and include mechanics such as tire wear or weight distribution, but their impact is not as heavy and close to reality as in simulations. If you want to learn more about the categories, you can check out our article on the different genres.
Assetto Corsa Competizione
Publisher: Kunos Simulazioni
Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Genre: Simulation
One of the most recent publications in the realm of racing games is Assetto Corsa Competizione
which got released for PC in 2019 and for consoles earlier this year. The game is the official simulation of the 2018 and 2019 Blancpain GT Series season Sprint and Endurance Cups with its official drivers, teams, cars and circuits, as well as the Total 24 Hours of Spa endurance race.ACC offers five different game modes: Championship, Career, Special Events, Single Player and Multiplayer. A special part of the game that might spark your interest, if you don't sport an expensive PC: ACC is the only full-on simulator available for console. The base game offers GT cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis and McLarens, as well as Sprint cars which you can take to classic circuits such as Spa or Nürburgring.
DiRT Rally 2.0
Publisher: Codemasters
Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Genre: Simcade
From a highly polished simulation straight into a dirty action game: DiRT Rally 2.0 focuses on rallying and rallycross. The game's ambition is to deliver a realistic off-road experience with life-like physics. It features locations in New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, Poland, Australia and the USA. And while the tracks are set in muddy paths and are often even dimmed more by its impactful weather changes, the game still manages to portray aesthetic visuals.
DiRT Rally 2.0 also has a 'My Team' mode and a tuning feature, in which the set-ups of all cars and individual parts can be adjusted. The Freeplay part of the game features a Historic mode, Time Trial as well as the FIA World Rallycross Championship. DiRT's cars range from a historical Lancia Stratos to a brand new R5 Volkswagen Polo.
F1 2020
Publisher: Codemasters
Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Genre: Simcade
The new Formula 1 2020 game was released in June. As the name already suggests, it is all about the current season of Formula 1 and Formula 2 series. Players can race on the laser-scanned circuits that the real racers are competing on. The famous F1 teams and drivers are part of the game as well, of course. The special 2020 Schumacher edition honors German legend Michael Schumacher and comes with four cars the icon raced in, as well as historical F1 content as DLC.
Apart from the classic Time Trial, Multiplayer, Quick Race and Career Mode, the game also offers a fantastic My Team mode in which you build and manage your own team, starting with F2 drivers. The rookies can be developed to be even faster than the F1 allstars, but you can also follow the career of an already established driver like Lando Norris or Sebastian Vettel.
Since F1 2020 is not a fully-fledged simulator but a simcade title, it is quite suitable for new racing fans. The game supports newbies with assistance features, but it can still be played on a highly competitive level.
Forza Motorsport 7
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform: Windows, Xbox One
Genre: Simcade
Forza Motorsport 7 does not portray an annual season of any motorsports class, but is a giant melting pot of all kinds of real tracks and cars, as well as fantasy vehicles and circuits – with a total of 700 different cars to choose from which have a focus in GT cars. The game is quite accessible to beginners as it can be even played with a controller, but it also hosts a vivid esports scene.
A new title in the series called Forza Motorsport recently got announced, so check out our article on the new trailer.
Gran Turismo Sport
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PS4
Genre: Simcade
Gran Turismo Sport is the newest title of the series and was released in 2017. To nobody's surprise, the game is focused on GT class racing. This means a lot of its cars are classic Grand Touring vehicles: luxurious cars designed for high speed, long distance and style. There are currently over 324 cars and 82 tracks in GT Sport.
GT Sport features an Arcade and a Sports mode which are equivalent to a single and multiplayer experience. There also is a Campaign mode, as well as a place to create your own lobbies. In collaboration with the FIA, Gran Turismo annually hosts the FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championships, but also offers multiple smaller leagues and tournaments throughout the entire year. Publisher Sony already announced that they are working on a sequel titled Gran Turismo 7 for PlayStation 5.
iRacing.com
Publisher: iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations
Platform: Windows
Genre: SimulationiRacing belongs to the premier class of racing simulations. The biggest and most professional tournaments take place in this game. While iRacing was released already twelve years ago, its visuals and content are still up to date due to constant updates. The game features most motorsports disciplines such as NASCAR, IndyCar, World of Outlaws Sprint car or FIA series, all in a realistic setting with laser-scanned tracks.
As iRacing follows a subscription-based model, users have to pay for their membership monthly and for additional content too. Upon purchasing the first license, players get access to 21 circuits and 26 cars such as the Ford ’34 Coupe or the Riley Mk XX Daytona Prototype. New content can be purchased individually or in bundles, so you only have to spend money on the things you really want.
MotoGP 20
Publisher: Milestone S.r.l
Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Stadia
Genre: Simcade
The market for racing games does not only offer traditional Formula 1 or GT cars, there is also content for motorcycle fans. MotoGP 20 is a simulation of the annual real-world MotoGP Championship and counts as most popular motorbike game. The 2020 edition features the Grand Prix as it was originally planned, not like the current season progressed with all its limitation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since there are no real sim rigs or any other comparable hardware for motorbikes, the game is played with gamepads. MotoGP 20 offers a Career mode, multiplayer, quick races and a historic mode where you can follow in the tire marks of legendary road racers such as Marc Márquez or Valentino Rossi. The 2020 version introduces more realistic physics and graphics, while you can also completely customize the latter as well as the design of your own bikes and riders. The career mode has options like creating your own character, hiring technical staff and researching technologies, which will further modify the experience and performance playing.
NASCAR Heat 5
Publisher: 704Games
Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Genre: Simcade
NASCAR fans do not have to limit themselves to driving cars in iRacing or rFactor, there also is a dedicated game for the stock car championship. NASCAR Heat 5 is a simulation of the 2020 season, including all tracks, cars and drivers. Naturally, the game focuses on stock cars which originally was the term for automobiles that have not been modified from their original factory configuration. Nowadays, the vehicles are highly modified to go full speed.
The NASCAR Heat series is the only major game that is strictly about oval racing, referring to the classic oval racing tracks. The game offers several modes including a single player with challenges, Career, Quick Race and Championship, as well as a multiplayer where up to 40 players can join the lobby.
Project CARS 2
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Genre: Simcade
Top Esports Games 2019
Similar to DiRT Rally 2.0, Project CARS 2 offers off-road racing and rallycross in addition to its traditional racing on real-world circuits. What makes the game special is its plethora of types of cars, such as GT3 or Hypercars.
Project CARS 2 is a mixture of serious sim racing and casual arcade. It also boasts with its incredible graphics which are arguably of the highest quality among all racing games. The title features a career mode, as well as options for quick plays including Custom Races, Online Multiplayer, creating your own online event or Private Testing. In the upcoming Project CARS 3, the career mode will get you to work your way to the top by going through all racing classes the game offers. There will also be a Rival Mode where players can race against ghosts of other users, as well as a skill-based matchmaking multiplayer system.
rFactor 2
Publisher: Image Space Inc.
Platform: Windows
Genre: Simulation
rFactor 2 is another racing simulator that embraces all variations of four-wheel motorsports disciplines, featuring Formula 1 cars as well as GT and stock vehicles. The stand-out feature of rFactor 2 are its extremely realistic physics and accurate simulation of vehicle dynamics. Therefore, the game is often used as a practice tool for teams' professional drivers and to work on their race cars' development.
Users can of course either race alone in a singleplayer mode, or against others in multiplayer. rFactor 2 is a one-time purchase, unlike iRacing which requires a monthly subscription. However, you still need to purchase additional circuits and cars. There are also plenty of mods available to dive into, so if you want a twist to your usual racing, why not put on the helmet and suit of a 1991 Formula 1 racer and compete against Nigel Mansell?
RaceRoom
Publisher: Sector3 Studio; SimBim Studios
Platform: Windows
Genre: Simulation
RaceRoom's concept is similar to rFactor2, as the game offers plenty of different real-life tracks and car classes. But RaceRoom also expands its car library to Prototypes, GTO, hillclimb or historical classes. What also makes the game special are its licenses for touring cars, which allows them to include the DTM or WTCR tournament. You can choose to play the singleplayer mode, multiplayer or competitions.
The basic version of the game is free to play, but fans still have to take their wallets out to enjoy the full experience, as additional circuits and vehicles have to be purchased.
Related content:
- The most popular racing classes explained
- The most important partners of esports racing
- All you need to know: A sim racing dictionary
- What is SimCade? Racing game genres explained
What do you think: Which esports racing games are the most beginner-friendly?
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