Despite recent news that they likely wouldn’t be in the running for the next Olympics, eSports games have definitely taken their place at the top table as professional sports, with some having well over 1,000 professional players supporting themselves from their gaming skills alone. As they bring the ‘professional gamer’ ambition closer than ever to all of us, whatever our age group, Twitch has become the stream of choice for seasoned pros and the next big thing alike to demonstrate their talents.
But which games and genres that are played competitively are the most popular with streamers globally? eSportsBets has researched to see the potential loss in viewership by not having a tournament included at future Olympic games.
Please note, Fortnite Battle Royale is not included in the below as it’s surprisingly yet to make its competitive eSports debut and won’t until E3 2018.
The Most Popular Games
#1 League of Legends
Unsurprisingly, it’s League of Legends which is the top Twitch league, with an impressive 117,855 live accounts devoted to the game. While LoL has long been known for its ardent fanbase and popular pro tournaments, the ever-growing number of Twitch accounts popping up puts it well in advance of its nearest competitor, DOTA 2, showcasing LoL’s continued impact on a whole new generation of gamers. As the second most lucrative league in terms of prize money, and arguably one of the most popular games ever, League of Legends is truly the Super Bowl of the eSports world.
#2 DOTA 2
Speaking of DOTA 2, the league is taking up the second spot in eSports Bets’ top 20. It’s already made its mark as THE most lucrative league globally, having paid out well over $100 million in prize money to competitors – twice that awarded by League of Legends over its lifetime. The game has also become something of an investor’s darling, with funding pouring in to sustain the free-to-play game’s ascent. Twitch accounts dedicated to DOTA 2 have been springing up with increasing regularity over the last year, with 52,522 accounts now opened. As it has fewer pro players than would be expected for a league of its financial clout, could this be an attempt for truly talented gamers to get noticed on the world stage?
#3 PUBG
Held in third place by the rise and rise of DOTA 2, Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds also has an impressive amount of Twitch streamers – 52,023 at last count. Although many outlets reported it as the game changer for spawning a wide range of Twitch accounts in 2017, eSports Bets’ research reveals that it only climbed to second place, and has now narrowly been placed back into third. Despite this slight knock-back, the game has still shifted an impressive $20 million worth of units over its lifespan, and enthusiasm from its fanbase shows no signs of waning.
The Most Popular Genres
As all of these games fall squarely into this genre, it shouldn’t exactly catch anyone off guard that MOBA games are a Twitch streamer’s first choice, with a dizzying 241,920 accounts dedicated to multiplayer battle arenas. As well as the three heavyweights above, smaller games such as Smite and Defence of the Ancients, who have their own die-hard fans, have helped push MOBAs into pole position on Twitch. However, for those who prefer their streaming without a slice of fantasy, FPSs still hold their own, with 82,813 accounts streaming adventures into Counter-Strike, CoD and Overwatch. With over 50% of pro gamers currently making money from their FPS skills, this is also a great genre to follow if you want to see the world’s best gamers show off their skills.
Of course, no list of most streamed games would be complete without the FIFA series which, having launched the careers of KSI and Hugegorilla, single-handedly hold up the sports genre on Twitch, where there are 11,628 streamers in total. As one of the first genres to draw the world’s attention to Twitch, the sea change since the platform’s early days shows just how far it – and eSports as a whole – have come.
If your favourite game didn’t make the list, why not let us know your thoughts in the comments? You can also check out the rest of eSports Bets’ top 20 eSports games here, where you can sort them by genre, Twitch players, prize money awarded, and much more.
