E-sports can be traced all the way back to when Atari held the first major tournament in 1980, gathering 10,000 players. Now the industry is booming with 29.8 million viewers in 2022, and an estimated 34.8 million viewers by 2026. 

League of Legends

Platform: PC/Console

Prize pool: $7,803,338

Peak Viewers: Nov. 6: 5,147,701

About: In League of Legends, players can work with their teammates, forming competitive strategies to outplay their adversaries and destroy the enemy Nexus before their own is broken. This 2009 arena game, inspired by Defense of the Ancient, is completely free besides certain character customizations. 

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Platform: Mobile

Prize pool:$2,819,105

Peak Viewers: Apr. 9: 2,845,364

About: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is akin to League of Legends as it too features team battle in an arena. Similarly, teams of five must work together to move across three lanes and destroy the other team’s tower while defending their own in a ten minute match. This is another free game, and is designed to be played on mobile phones. 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Platform: PC/Console

Prize pool: $15,651,666

Peak Viewers: May 22: 2,113,610

About: Developed for two years, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released in 2012 to Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows. In this game you play as a first person shooter. The teams are Terrorists versus Counter Terrorists and the most commonly played modes are trying to disarm a Terrorist bomb and trying to rescue hostages from the Terrorists. 

Dota 2

Platform: PC/Console

Prize pool: $32,526,387

Peak Viewers: 1,751,086

About: In Dota 2, two teams of five face off trying to wipe out the other team’s ‘Ancient’ first. The players all act as different ‘Heros’ each with different abilities and styles of play. This 2013 MOBA quickly rose in popularity and now is known for making its players the most money.