What are the top esports games of 2024?

Esports in recent years have only grown in popularity both in terms of viewership and prize pool. This year is continuing the tradition with multiple huge tournaments across some of the biggest esports titles. While many of these games are some of the longest-running in the esports scene, few of them have made a huge comeback in recent years.

Here are the 10 most popular esports titles for 2024 that have already concluded multiple events: 

10. Rocket League

One of the most Beloved esports titles for both casual and competitive gamers, Rocket League have seen a huge facelift in recent years. Thanks to Epic Games, who have decided to further support the game alongside Fortnite after the last few successful years.

Since 2021, the game has put on some serious prize pool across multiple regional events, leading to the world finals. RLCS Season X saw a total of $4+ million in prize pool, while the 21-22 season and 22-23 season saw over $6 million with a huge bump in participants and viewership.

9. Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Siege is a one of its kind video game and while it had a few rough years after the launch, the game has also come a long way. The beginning of 2024 came as immense success for the game, with viewership reaching its all-time peak years after release.

Most recent updates to the game were also welcomed by the community. The last few years also saw some heft prize pool for Six Invitational, even when the numbers were a few down.

Also Check: What are the biggest esports tournaments in the World?

8. Apex Legends

Apex Legends boasts a huge fan following since its release back in 2019. Off the bat, it boasted some of the highest viewership and prize pool in the esports industry, taking over multiple games.

The Covid years saw some decline, similar to other games, but Apex was back on track, even smashing older records. One of the most popular events for the game currently is the Apex Legends Global Series, featuring some of the most popular teams across the globe.

7. Call of Duty

The competitive Call of Duty scene has seen its ups and downs, but the players remained loyal. Recent popularity for the game has surpassed many of the old high-stakes events and while the game has changed a lot over time, the fans remain the same.

The most recent Call of Duty league has seen even more activity from the esports organisations, especially after Activision announced some big changes to the CDL starting in 2024 which have had a huge impact on the teams and further helped them financially.

Also Check: How is the esports industry changing in 2024?

6. Street Fighter 6

The fighting community is one of the most incredible and passionate esports communities for their game, and after multiple years of being in the backlog, Capcom has recently decided to further extend their support.

Capcom Cup X recently shocked the entire Street Fighter 6 with the biggest prize pool for fighting games ever of over $1.7 million with the winner taking home $1 million. The upcoming tournament announcement for the game is also going to have high stakes. The last few years also saw a surge in viewership for the game.

5. Fortnite

Fortnite entered the esports scene with a bang with an insane prize pool of $4 million in the opening year and over $30 million at the Fortnite World Cup the following year. While the tournaments are much more grounded, the game still remains one of the most popular esports titles.

Epic Games recently signed a multi-year partnership with BLAST, one of the biggest esports event organizers, which has further boosted the production quality for these events. The most recent FNCS Major 1 Europe crossed over 700k in viewership.

4. Dota 2

Anyone who has heard of Dota 2 is what the tournament is all about. It is among the most popular MOBA titles that also feature the biggest prize pool in the history of video games. The International 2021 currently holds the record for the biggest prize pool at a single event, for $40 million.

PGL who recently entered the Dota 2 scene has taken the crown for the current highest viewership with Wallachia Season 1. Valve recently decided to ditch the Dota 2 Pro Circuit scene which now allowed more organizers to host Dota 2 events, so there are a lot more events to come this year.

3. Valorant

Although the youngest of all esports titles currently, Valorant achieved a lot in the short amount of time it has been here. This is usually thanks to the backing from Riot Games, however, the game itself has attracted a huge audience.

The viewership for Valorant has already started rivalling Counter-Strike. Like other games by Riot, most tournaments for Valorant are also organized by them only, which restricts the prize pool compared to other games. However, since release, the numbers have only gone up and hold a good chance of catching up with others.

2. Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike is also one of the longest-running games and while the iterations have changed, the audience remains loyal and so does the esports scene with multiple Majors each year and high-stakes regional tournaments.

With the recent decision of Valve to take away franchised events, more organizers have jumped back into the scene and announced multiple tournaments across the board with a huge prize pool. In terms of viewers, Major events have reached around 2 million in recent years while other high-tier events cross over 800k.

Also Check: What skills are essential for a career in esports?

1. League of Legends

Riot Games usually does not allow any third-party tournaments for League of Legends, but even after that, League is likely the most popular esports title, with viewership reaching millions each year and breaking previous records.

The League of Legends World Championship is one of the most celebrated events, featuring both a prize pool and a viewership of millions. World 2023 saw over 6.4 million peak viewership. The recently concluded 2024 Mid-Seasonal Invitational also saw the viewer count reaching over 2.8 million, breaking the previous year’s record.