We have compiled a list of the Top eSports games and if you are a long time gamer then most of these games won’t be new to you. Some are games that have been around forever and some are games that have evolved as game companies continue to update them. Esports has become so popular that sites like DraftKings, Vulcun and AlphaDraft are now offering Fantasy Esports based on some of the games listed below for real money prizes. If you are new to fantasy eSports and want to see what the hype is all about, check out our reviews of the Top Daily Fantasy eSports sites (DFES).
Here is our list of the top esports games broken down by genre:
First Person Shooter Esports Games
Counter-Strike
The Counter-Strike series is a team based first person shooter game which was created from a mod of the game Half-Life. Counter Strike is held almost annually at competitions such as DreamHack and is one of the top fantasy eSports games in the world. The game has changed over the years but since 2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) has been the main game for fantasy players.
You Can Play Fantasy CS:GO At:
- Vulcun – use promo code VBONUS for $5000 in gold currency
- AlphaDraft – use link to get a 100% bonus up to $1000
Call of Duty
If your a video game player then you have heard of Call of Duty (CoD) and in November 2015 the latest version, Call of Duty Black Ops III, hits the shelves. COD Black Ops III will be featured in the Call of Duty 2016 Championship and it’s going to be massive. Over $3 Million will be given out in prize money and the top teams in the world will be competing for glory.
You Can Play Fantasy Call of Duty At:
- Vulcun – use promo code VBONUS for $5000 in gold currency
- AlphaDraft – use link to get a 100% bonus up to $1000
Halo
Halo 5 will be featured prominently at the Halo World Championship with Microsoft offering a top prize of $1 Million to the winner. Halo’s developers have launched the championship in hopes of the game once again gaining traction in the esports world. Halo fantasy isn’t yet offered by any DFE sites but when they do, we can see it becoming just as huge as COD or CS:GO.
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Esports Games
League of Legends (LoL)
LoL is a multiplayer online game created by Riot Games for the Microsoft platform. LOL is widely considered the most popular Esports game in the world with LOL Championship Tournaments selling out arenas across the world. Professional eSports players play in the LCS (League of Legends Championship Series) as a qualifier for the big League of Legends World Championships.
You Can Play Fantasy LOL At:
- Vulcun – use promo code VBONUS for $5000 in gold currency
- AlphaDraft – use link to get a 100% bonus up to $1000
- Draftkings – get a Free contest entry ticket with deposit
Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2)
How popular is DOTA 2? The International, their largest tournament, has total prizes worth over $18 Million. In 2015, the 1st place prize was a crazy $6.6 Million to the winning team. Many might see League of Legends as the more popular fantasy esports game, but DOTA is quite possibly the biggest eSports game on the planet.
You Can Play Fantasy DOTA 2 At:
- Vulcun – use promo code VBONUS for $5000 in gold currency
- AlphaDraft – use link to get a 100% bonus up to $1000
Smite
Smite is a third-person Multi-Player Online Battle Arena game developed by Hi-Rez Studios. Smite grew a large following by first offering it up as a Beta game and a community of players grew so large that today the Smite World Championship Series (SWC) offers winners Millions in prize money.
You Can Play Fantasy Smite At:
- AlphaDraft – use link to get a 100% bonus up to $1000
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm, developed by Blizzard originally titled Blizzard DOTA and later changed to Blizzard All-Stars, is a popular MOBA game for eSports competitions. Although it is classified as a MOBA, because of its broader play style, some refer to it as an online “hero Brawler” game. ESPN2 broadcast the finals of HotS in a special called “Heroes of the Dorm”.
Fighting Esports Games
Street Fighter
Yes, the classic game that a generation of teenagers spent their lunchtime playing at the closest local arcade. The Street Fighter Series is one of the earliest and longest running professional gaming series, going all the way back to the nineties. It is featured annually at the Evolution Championship or Evo for short.
Popular Street Fighter Characters
- Ryu
- Ken
- Chun-Li
- Dhalsim
Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. video game series has a huge competitive eSports community. At the Evolution Championship (EVO 2015), Smash Wii U became the largest Smash tournament ever with 1,926 players. Every Super Smash Bros. title has been featured in a professional gaming tournament in some way. If you have ever played it you know why, this game is super fun and highly addictive.
Popular Super Smash Bos. Characters
- Donkey Kong
- Kirby
- Mario
- Yoshi
Marvel vs. Capcom (MvC)
Played at the Evolution Championship Series the games features characters from Capcom games and Marvel comic book characters. It is one of Capcom’s most popular games, however, there is some thought that the popularity of the game in the esports community is waning.
Popular Marvel vs Capcom Characters
- Hulk
- Wolverine
- Spiderman
- Doctor Doom
Real-Time Strategy Esports Games
Starcraft II
StarCraft II is a real-time strategy military science fiction video game created by Blizzard Entertainment. The StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) is a 3 – season event all gearing up to the end of the year when the top 16 players compete in the Global Finals for huge cash prizes and the prestigious title of StarCraft World Champion.
Warcraft III
WarCraft III is a high fantasy real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment in July 2002. Although, still played professionally throughout the world, and boasting a high number of users, Warcraft III has lost a lot of it’s hardcore players to StarCraft II.
Sports Esports Games
FIFA Soccer
FIFA Football or FIFA Soccer is one of the world’s most popular sports video games and has slowly begun carving out a place into the eSports world. Although still a ways away from prize money given out at League of Legends Championships or DOTA 2 Invitational, the FIFA Interactive World Cup debuted during the actual World Cup and will become an annual event from now on.
Other Esports Games
Hearthstone
Hearthstone is a unique game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The game revolves around card collecting and consists of turn-based matches between two opponents. A survey in May of 2015 showed that there were more than 30 million registered Hearthstone accounts worldwide. Who knew card collecting online could be so much fun.
You Can Play Fantasy Hearthstone At:
- Vulcun – use promo code VBONUS for $5000 in gold currency
World of Warcraft
WoW was originally a popular eSports game but other games took over. WoW developer Blizzard continues to hold the World of Warcraft Arena Global Invitational every year with hundreds of thousands in prize money given away.
World of Tanks
A Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) tank simulator game for PC and Xbox One developed by Wargaming first released in 2010. Since that time the company has been big in the WoT eSports scene. Qualifier tournaments for an annual world championship are held worldwide with The Electronic Sports League a major sponsor of WoT tournaments.