The Mobile Esports scene has gotten a lot of attention in the past years. It has broken several viewership records and prize pool money. As of now, it is mainly popular in the Asian Region, especially Southeast Asia, and China, but that will surely change in the future. Time definitely changed the world as we know it, who would have thought that a phone, a device used to communicate can now be used to earn thousands of dollars in the gaming scene? All you need is an internet connection, a decent mobile phone, and lots of patience as these games are all competitive. Here are the best mobile esports games you can play right now.
PUBG Mobile
This battle royale game was launched in December 2017, the mobile version of the famous PlayerUnknown’s Battleground. Owned by Tencent (the biggest Gaming company in the world), PUBG Mobile cemented itself as one of the juggernauts in mobile gaming history. While the PC version becomes stale and loses its player base throughout time, PUBG mobile added more and more new features to hook players. Its battle pass makes you progress and acquires new in-game cosmetics, such as gun skins, player skins, and more. It reached the 1 billion downloads milestone in March of 2021. Home of the PMPL or the PUBG Mobile Pro League, PUBG’s mobile version of Dota 2’s The International, reaching an accumulated 14 million US dollar prize pool throughout 2021 alone, the largest in any mobile esports games.
Arena of Valor/ Honor of Kings (Chinese Version)
As Moonton (creator of Mobile Legends Bang) and Riot Games (Creator of League of Legends) continue to fight over lawsuits, one game remains untouched, Arena of Valor. Developed by Tencent, also known as Honor of Kings in China, this 5v5 MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) did not only include characters/ heroes from its lore, but it also has characters from the popular DC Comics, such as Batman, Superman, etc. A game that is widely popular in the Chinese region, with over 100M daily active players in China alone. AoV also offers hundreds of free in-game cosmetics items for your hero, unlike Wild Rift and Mobile Legends, where you have to buy cosmetics with real money. Here, you can have it by winning rank games. It also has one of the better mobile games graphics. In 2022, the 6th Arena of Valor World Cup/ Honor of Kings Championships will commence, and it has a whopping 8 million USD prize pool.
Call of Duty Mobile (CODM)
With the rising popularity of the battle royale genre and mobile gaming, Activision realizes that mobile games are going big, hence in October of 2019, they launched Call of Duty Mobile. With the help of the game developer TiMi Studios (a subsidiary of Tencent), it became one of the biggest mobile game launches in history, generating over 480 million US dollars with 270 million downloads within a year and even won the Best Mobile Game 2019 award. The game featured battle royale and some of the game modes of Call of Duty we know and love. In 2020, Activision Blizzard, in partnership with Sony, announced the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championships, which will mark the game’s entry into the top-tier esports. The tournament will feature a million-dollar prize pool together with rare in-game cosmetics. In May of 2021, it surpassed the 500 million download milestone. Call of Duty Mobile gives players interactive ways to progress on the game. With its different game modes, new maps, and lots of free in-game cosmetic items, this is a great game to try if you’re tired of battle royale games.
Garena Free Fire
The most downloaded game of 2019, winning the Best Popular Vote Game award and now one of the biggest mobile esports today. Free Fire may not be graphically impressive like PUBG Mobile and COD Mobile; however, it is one of the most accessible games to run and to have fun with, even when you have an outdated smartphone. It is particularly popular in Latin American, India, and Southeast Asia, with over 35 million active players daily. Similar to PUBG Mobile and COD Mobile, Free Fire offers players a battle pass, where you can have a chance to progress and win rare cosmetics items. In May of this year, the 3rd annual Free Fire World Series was hosted in Singapore, with a 2 million US dollar prize pool; Thailand’s EVOS PHOENIX won it.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Even though its early years of release were riddled with lawsuits, it did not stop Moonton from delivering the MOBA game genre to mobile. Yes, Vainglory was the first MOBA ever to grace the mobile platform; however, it’s already a dead game as of 2020, while Mobile Legends continues to flourish. Last year’s October, it reached a billion downloads, and as of this November, it has 75 million active daily players. Since it is most popular in the Southeast Asian region, some notable characters came from the Southeast, such as Lapu Lapu, a Philippine hero, Minsithhar, a character based on Myanmar folklore, and more. Mobile Legends also collaborated with big names such as King of Fighters, Hasbro’s Transformers, and Star Wars for in-game cosmetics. Like PUBG Mobile, it has its league, the MPL (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Profesional League). In 2019, it became one of the medal games in the Southeast Asian Games.
Brawl Stars
SuperCell never fails to deliver a great mobile game. From the global phenomenon Clash of Clans to the engaging real-time strategy game Clash Royale. SuperCell delivers again with Brawl Stars, it is a fast-paced game where you can pick a variety of game modes. It has a traditional 3v3 MOBA type of gameplay, it also has a battle royale mode, this is a game where you can enjoy the best of both worlds. As you progress through the game, you can unlock new Brawlers, abilities, and gadgets. And just like any other competitive game, it has its own ranking system known as the Power League. This coming November, the Brawl Stars World Finals will be held 16 teams across the globe will fight for the million-dollar prize pool.
League of Legends: Wild Rift
Because of the growing popularity of mobile games, Riot promised its fans one thing, bring the beloved League of Legends into the mobile platform. Released in October of 2020, Wild Rift is League of Legends on the phone. Though the roster is a bit small compare to the PC version, Riot is doing everything to give the fans the League of Legends experience on the mobile platform. This is one of the best-looking games on this list, almost copying the PC graphics. Given that, it requires a decent smartphone to get a playable FPS when playing. This November, ten teams will compete for the very first Horizon Cup, Wild Rift’s version of the World Championships.
Pokémon Unite
The newest game on this list, developed by TiMi Studio and Published by the Pokémon Company, this MOBA game lets you play your favorite Pokémons. This is a fast-paced time-limited game where teams have to score goals, the team that has the highest goal score will win. You will always start your pokemon in its original form, and as the game goes by, it will evolve. It also has a ranked game feature, where matches are longer. Though fans of Pokémon liked the game, it was heavily criticized because of its micro-transactions, making the game pay-to-win. However, Pokémon Unite’s Twitter promoted a survey for feedback from the fans to improve the game. In October of this year, they announced the Pokémon Unite Shiny League, a series of tournaments where players will compete to win prized money.
What other games do you think are top mobile esports? Leave a comment below!
