Last Updated on June 9, 2024 by Jhonni Jets
Esports has grown exponentially in recent years, with huge prize pools and massive audiences watching some of the biggest tournaments online and in stadiums around the world. For fans of competitive gaming, there are always exciting tournaments happening throughout the year across different games. Here we breakdown 9 of the best esports tournaments to watch for top level competition and entertainment.
The International Dota 2 Championships
Hosted annually by Valve, The International for Dota 2 is easily the biggest esports event of the year. With a prize pool that starts at $1 million USD and is crowdsourced through in-game purchases, the total prize money has exceeded $34 million, making it the esport with the largest prize pool by far. The international features 18 of the best Dota 2 teams from around the world competing in a double elimination bracket. What makes The International so entertaining to watch is the high production values, epic crowd sizes that fill entire arenas, and high stakes pressure as teams battle it out for a huge share of the prize money. Even if you aren’t too familiar with Dota 2, The International is a must-watch tournament to experience the spectacle of esports at the highest level.
League of Legends World Championship
Riot Games’ League of Legends is the most played PC game in the world, so it’s no surprise that the League of Legends World Championship is one of the largest and most viewed esports tournaments annually. Held over multiple weeks each Fall with a prize pool of $2.225 million, it features 24 professional League of Legends teams from around the globe competing in a similar double elimination bracket format to The International. With huge domestic fan bases behind each regional team and nail-biting best of 5 series throughout the later stages, the Worlds final regularly attracts tens of millions of concurrent viewers online. Even people who have never played League will appreciate the adrenaline and national pride on display as top teams from every major region battle it out on Summoner’s Rift for the coveted Summoner’s Cup.
Overwatch League
The Overwatch League is noteworthy as being the first major esports league run by developers Blizzard Entertainment. Taking place weekly throughout each Spring and Summer season between 20 city-based franchised teams, it features a regular season schedule similar to traditional sports before playoffs. With big money franchise investments and a huge broadcaster deal with ABC/ESPN, OWL has quickly grown to be one of the most professionally run esports leagues. Home and away games are hosted each weekend at the dedicated Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, providing a unique atmosphere of live audience fandom. Watching these geolocated teams like New York Excelsior, London Spitfire and Shanghai Dragons face off provides a sports-like spectating experience, and the skill on display across 5v5 Overwatch matches is truly incredible to see unfold. OWL Grand Finals crowns one overall champion across the two seasons each year, making for an epic climax to the season.
Fortnite World Cup
Despite only being released in 2017, Fortnite rapidly took the world by storm to become a cultural phenomenon. Within just a couple years, Epic Games launched their inaugural Fortnite World Cup Finals in 2019 with a staggering $30 million prize pool. The tournament featured both solo and duo competitions for qualified online players from around the globe, with the finals taking place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York. What made the Fortnite World Cup such compelling viewing was seeing who would emerge as the best players in an explosively popular game that millions already enjoyed playing themselves. With a prize of $3 million for solo champions and intense clutch moments under intense pressure, it was a hugely entertaining introduction to the highest calibre of Fortnite play. Epitomising the fast popularity of Battle Royale games, the Fortnite World Cup paved the way for more mainstream adoption of esports on a truly global scale.
DOTA 2 The International
As mentioned earlier, The International Dota 2 Championships hosted by Valve each August is easily the largest esports tournament in terms of total prize pool money awarded. Featuring 18 teams in a double elimination bracket format, action takes place across two packed stadiums in Shanghai as squads vie for a slice of over $34 million in winnings. What’s always most exciting to watch is the grand finals match between the two remaining teams, where all the built up tension and storylines culminate in an epic best of 5 showdown. The huge production values, passionate crowd support and legacy players like OG’s N0tail cement TI as an experience transcending normal esports viewing. Even for non-Dota fans, it’s fascinating to see the highest echelon of strategic skill and teamwork on display for such massive stakes. TI is truly esports in its purest, most compelling form.
PGL Major Krakow 2017 (CS:GO)
One of the most iconic tournaments in Counter-Strike history, PGL Major Krakow 2017 exemplified everything great about CS:GO esports. Held at the packed Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland, it featured 24 top tier teams from around the world vying for $1 million in prize money. Key storylines included SK Gaming’s quest for a 3rd straight Major title against rising NA squad Cloud9. What made it truly spectacular viewing was the palpable electricity of the all-Polish crowd who madly cheered every strategic play and clutch moment. The playoffs saw legendary games like Cloud9’s comeback vs Gambit through double or triple overtime, culminating in the nail-biting final between SK and Cloud9 decided on Inferno. Krakow showed the magic that can happen when a Major is hosted in a country with deep CS passion, creating an experience that still lives long in the memory of fans.
Evolution Championship Series (Fighting games)
As the biggest and longest-running major tournament circuit for the fighting game community, Evo holds a special place in competitive gaming history. Featuring competitions across titles like Street Fighter, Tekken, Smash Bros and Mortal Kombat, Evo attracts top players from around the globe to do battle in Las Vegas each summer. With high production values provided via partnership with PlayStation, the venue transforms into an mecca for fighting game fandom. Whether enjoying storylines between rival players or appreciating technical mastery on display, Evo championships brilliantly capture what makes the fighting game genre so compelling and community-driven as an esport. The grand finals for games like Ultra Street Fighter IV or Dragon Ball FighterZ are always nail-biting spectacles as champions are crowned after long, grueling tournaments. Evo is simply a must-watch for any fan of the fighting game competitive scene.
Asia Digital Game Show (ADG) – PUBG Global Championship 2019
When Battle Royale pioneer PUBG launched its inaugural $2 million Global Championship at the Asia Digital Game Show in Jakarta, Indonesia in late 2019, it marked a landmark moment for the emerging esport. Featuring the world’s 20 best PUBG squads, the atmosphere was electric as fans packed the stadium to capacity to cheer on their favorite regions like Korea, China and North America. What made ADG PGC 2019 so compelling to watch was witnessing how teams from different metas and playstyles would adapt to the new 2-week patch. Squads like Chinese powerhouse Sweet Potato went on epic runs through the brackets, culminating in a thrilling final match between Cloud9 and REJECT that went down to the absolute wire. For fans eager to see how the next evolution of battle royale esports would unfold, ADG PGC 2019 set the standard and paved the way for even bigger international PUBG tournaments to come.
Mid-Season Invitational (League of Legends)
Held annually in May between the two splits of League’s professional seasonal format, the Mid-Season Invitational sees the top teams from each major region come together for an international showdown. With qualifiers from the LCK, LPL, LEC, LCS and other minor regions all vying for the title, no tournament better lets you compare the different metas and playstyles globally. And as the last international test before the higher stakes of Worlds each Fall, MSI provides key intel on which squads are peaking at the right time. Recent MSI events held in places like Brazil, Vietnam and China have seen explosive best-of-5 series with massive upsets and underdog stories. It’s always fascinating to watch which regions assert themselves as the strongest contenders heading into the second half of the League season.
In conclusion, esports has truly come into its own in recent years, with massive live events and tournaments that feel like traditional sporting competitions. For fans looking to get into watching the highest level of competitive play across different titles, these 9 events should provide a great introduction. With huge crowds, production values and storylines unfolding at each one, they represent some of the most entertaining and competitive showcases for top talent across the entire esports landscape. Whether you’re a hardcore follower or just beginning to tune in, these tournaments showcase why esports has grown into a worldwide phenomenon.