There are thousands of esports tournaments taking place all over the world every year and these feature pro gamers competing on dozens of different titles. While there are many tournaments that focus on niche titles, some esports are definitely better represented than others. So here is a rundown of the five esports that are most played and wagered on pro gamers and bettors.
CS:GO – Endless hunger for this iconic first-person shooter
Counter Strike Global Offensive or CS:GO has been ruling the world of esports for many years now. The first-person shooter was released by Valve in 2012 and it offers the perfect blend of explosive violence and team-based gameplay for the world of esports.
There’s a thriving professional CS:GO scene with many third-party tournaments as well as those organised by Valve which are called the Major Championships. These Majors feature huge prize pools that frequently hit the million-dollar mark and they have been instrumental in raising the profile of esports teams like Astralis to superstar status.
While the CS:GO pro gaming scheme has been evolving organically, there are signs that it could soon move to a franchise-based model in a way that mirrors the likes of the Overwatch League. This would help boost sponsorship and certainly aid Counter Strike in being a easier esport to bet on.
Valorant – One of the latest esports sensations
Valorant was only released by Riot Games in 2020 but it has already proven to be a big hit in the world of pro gaming. The game follows the same template of the likes of CS:GO in being a tactical first-person shooter, and Riot Games was quick to create its own tournament called First Strike to make Valorant a good fit for esports.
But it was the establishment of the Valorant Champions Tour that really kicked things off. This year-long tournament takes place all over the world and the 2022 incarnation saw LOUD beating OpTic Gaming in the Grand Finals in Istanbul to really put Valorant esports on the map.
FIFA (Classic and Volta versions) – Football esports hits the big time
As football is one of the world’s most popular sports, it comes as little surprise to find that the FIFA football simulator is one of the world’s biggest esports. FIFA has been around since the 1990s and its many upgrades have given players an evermore immersive way to play alongside their favorite stars.
Recent instalments of the FIFAe World Cup have gained a growing following as a result of the quality of the gameplay as well as a prize pool that recently topped the $1.2 million mark. Moreover betting websites are introducing odds related to Volta football and not just to the classic version of FIFA. One of them is BC.Game, that allows you to bet on FIFA, classic and VOLTA, and some other esports tournaments, like CSGO, NBA2K or Injustice 2 using the BC.Game promo code. For the uninitiated, FIFA VOLTA is a game mode introduced by EA SPORTS in 2020 and allows you to experience the football of the origins, the one played on the street or on improvised fields in the city streets.
NBA 2K – Basketball proves itself to be a good fit for pro gaming
Following on from football, basketball is arguably another one of the world’s most popular sports. As such, it makes perfect sense that the NBA2K game would prove to be a big hit in the pro gaming domain.
Thanks to the active involvement of the NBA league, the spin-off NBA2K League was successfully launched in 2018. This marked the first time that an esports league was formally operated by a professional North American sports league. Plus with coverage of games on regular sporting networks like ESPN as well as many esports betting sites, it looks like NBA2K is going from strength to strength.
Call of Duty – Legendary first-person shooter makes a big impact in esports
Call of Duty has been one of the most popular video games of all-time and so it’s been no major surprise to find that it would move into the domain of esports.
Much of this success has been down to the successful establishment of the Call of Duty League. This features a franchised format that mirrors the likes of sporting leagues like the NFL and NBA, and has ensured that Call of Duty has picked up many fans outside of the world of pro gaming.