10 Biggest Esports Tournaments in The World

Which is the biggest esports tournament in the world? The esports industry has grown significantly over the years and has become an integral part of the gaming industry. Gone are the days when gamers hosted LAN parties to compete with each other. With the rising popularity of eSports, tournaments and leagues have reached the international stage with millions of dollars in prize money.

The rise of esports has facilitated the careers of many esports players. Today, gamers are no less than athletes as they also have to undergo intensive training and practice for hours. But all of that is worth it as they get a chance to represent their team in the biggest video game tournaments worldwide.

Ranking the best esports events involves analyzing a lot of factors, with prize money being an obvious one. Apart from that, viewership, organizers, investors, and profit turnouts also play a key role in the decision. In this blog, we will rank the top esports tournaments by taking all these factors into account.

Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

Best Esports Tournaments in the World

Let’s dive into the world of esports and take a look at the biggest video game tournaments in the industry.

The International(DOTA 2)

Starting our list at the number one spot is The International- DOTA 2’s annual event. If you are an avid esports fan, this may come as no surprise to you as TI is the biggest player in the industry for multiple reasons. Not only is DOTA 2 the best MOBA title in the world, but it also falls under the Valve umbrella, making it the highest prize pool tournament in the industry.

Due to crowdfunding efforts and monetary mechanics, The International boasted a whopping $40 million prize pool in 2022. Moreover, the annual tournament broke its record and peaked at 2.7 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched esports events in the world.

League of Legends World Championship(Worlds)

Quite possibly one of the largest esports events of all time, League of Legends stands tall as the number 2 pick in this list. While it may not have a ridiculous amount of prize pool like DOTA 2’s TI, it still holds its ground with a substantial prize pool of $6.7 million.

Moreover, organizer Riot Games spends a fortune on theatrics and atmospheric settings to make the top esports tournament something to remember. League of Legends World Championships has a staggering 4 million peak viewership and a whopping 174 million collective hours watched, making it one of the biggest video game tournaments in the world.

Fortnite World Cup

Coming in at number 3 in our list of the biggest esports tournaments is Fortnite’s annual event. Fortnite World Cup was one of the first of its kind and revolutionized the esports industry when it first launched in 2019. The tournament pitted 200 players against each other for a whopping $30 million prize pool.

It was organized by Epic Games and had 2 separate events- the ‘solo’ and ‘duo’ leagues. History was created when a single esports player named Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, became the champion of the solo league and won $3 million.

The winnings of the duo event were also $3 million split between the two winners. The viewership peaked at around 2.3 million, making it a successful event.

Valorant Champions

With already solidifying its place as one of the greatest FPS shooters of all time, there is no way Valorant Champions doesn’t make it to our list of the biggest esports tournaments. Despite being a relatively fresh game, Riot Games has already made Valorant a major player in the esports industry that will soon compete head-to-head with big players like Fortnite and DOTA 2.

Valorant Champions Tour 2023 was organized in Tokyo and had a prize pool of $2.25 million. Moreover, despite just starting out the tournament managed to garner over 1.8 million peak viewership, making it a rising star in the esports industry.

CSGO Major Championships

Solidifying its place as the top esports tournament is CSGO Major Championships, an actual veteran in the esports industry. When it comes to LAN tournaments, CSGO is the poster child and one of the first FPS shooters in esports competition.

From the humble beginnings of Counter-Strike to Counter-Strike Global Offensive, the game is a full-fledged tactical shooter and resonates with the essence of esports tournaments. Most recently, CSGO Majors 2021 brought in a substantial viewership with an impressive 2.7 million viewers. The tournament had a prize pool of $2 million.

Overwatch World Cup

The Overwatch World Cup is another top esports tournament with substantial prize money. Organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the company that created the popular first-person shooter, the Overwatch World Cup has been going on since 2016. The tournament consists of 20 teams from all over the world competing for the World Championship. Currently, South Korea has been dominant in the tournament by bagging three wins, and the United States won the 2019 edition of the tournament.

The top esports tournament had a prize money of $90,000 in 2019. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the tournament was scrapped in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2023, the Overwatch World Cup has returned with a prize pool of $374,608. Saudi Arabia became the team to overthrow the United States in 2023 and won the World Championship.

Honour of Kings Champions Cup

Arena of Valor is proof that even mobile esports games can stand out in esports tournaments. The game was originally developed for the Chinese market as a rival to the popular mobile MOBA title, Vainglory. However, the game quickly gained popularity and skyrocketed to new heights, including having over 100 million concurrent players.

Fast forward to 2023, the game has turned into an esports sensation with the latest Champions Cup having a prize pool of $7.7 million and a decent viewership of 700K-800K.

PUBG Mobile Global Championship

PUBG Mobile is proof that even small hardware can make a huge difference. Although the PC version of PUBG has an impressive track record of its own the mobile version surpassed the original as it was available on both Android & iOS. Moreover, the game has a monumental player base all across the world, especially in the Southeast Asia(SEA) region.

Despite being a mobile game, the 2021 edition of the PUBG Mobile Global Championship boasted a prize pool of $3.5 million and had a peak viewership of over 3.8 million viewers. This landed the top esports tournament in the top 5 most watched esports tournaments of all time, which is no small accomplishment, especially for a mobile game.

Six Invitational(Rainbow Six Seige)

The esports industry has come a long way but the veterans of the craft are still going strong and Rainbow Six Seige is the perfect example. Developed by Ubisoft, the tactical shooter game still holds a significant place in the FPS esports industry.

The Rainbox Six annual tournament consistently features a prize pool of $3 million and the esports tournament gathers over 300k viewers on average. These statistics coupled with the game’s ever-growing popularity make Six Invitational one of the biggest video game tournaments of the year, solidifying its spot in this list.

Call of Duty World League Championship

If you are an avid FPS fan, you must be quite familiar with Call of Duty. For most millennials, it was one of the first story-mode FPS tactical shooters.

Hosted by Activision, the Call of Duty World League Championship is an annual tournament held for professional Call of Duty players. The tournament has been held yearly ever since 2013 and features 32 teams each year fighting for glory.

Despite not being on par with many titles on this list in terms of viewership, Call of Duty still holds a special place in FPS gamers’ hearts. While the average viewership averaged around 200-300k viewers with a decent prize pool of $2 million, the 2020 edition of COD World League had a prize pool of $4.6 million. The name of Call of Duty is enough to solidify its place as one of the best esports tournaments.

Honorable Mentions

M3 World Championship
Intel Extreme Masters World Championship
Evolution Championship Series
HALO World Championship
Electronic Sports World Convention
Free Fire World Series
Hearthstone World Championships

Final Words

This is our list of the biggest esports tournaments in the world in terms of viewership, popularity, and prize pool. Most of these games are cult classics with a huge number of followers.

The esports industry has come a long way since its inception and is growing every year. With the boom of esports, professional gamers has also become a viable career option for youngsters. If you are also interested in becoming an esports player and playing in the biggest video game tournaments, you must have consistency, determination, and most importantly skill to reach the professional level.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

What are the most popular esports in the world?

Ans. The top esports games in the world include League of Legends, DOTA 2, Valorant, Fortnite, Counter-strike, PUBG: Mobile, and more. All of these games hold annual tournaments with substantial prize pools and have some of the highest viewerships in the industry.
Which is the most-watched esports event?

Ans. The 2021 Free Fire World Series is the most-watched esports event with a peak viewership of 5.41 million Despite being a mobile game, it overthrew the Fortnite World Cup Finals and the League of Legends World Championships.
What is the biggest game in esports?

Ans. While there are many popular esports games, DOTA 2 has to be one of the biggest games in esports. It was released in 2013 and is one of the longest-standing esports games that is still going strong. It also has the biggest prize pool of any esports tournament.