5 of our Favorite Tournament Games to Watch

Counter-Strike GO (Global Offensive):

The multiplayer first-person shooter, Counter-Strike, has been around since 1999 when it was released as a Half-Life mod. As the game progressed, it snapped up die-hard fans, even through various Counter-Strike game releases. By far the most popular is CS:GO, which came out in 2012, and is still one of the most popular games to watch to this day with nearly 200 million fans. There are also teams around the world that compete in lucrative international tournaments that millions of viewers are able to stream to see the high stakes competitions unfold. It’s a heavy hitter in the Esports community with no end in sight. That said, with Counter-Strike 2 on the horizon, here are some predictions for the future of CS:GO.

League of Legends:

It’s impossible to mention tournament games without giving League of Legends its due praise. This multiplayer online battle arena game has been around since 2009 and has been declared one of the most popular video games of all time and one of the very top Esports games. One reason for this is the fact that it’s free and so very accessible for players around the world. Relying on teams and strategy makes it particularly fun to watch, especially with the thousands of dollars at stake for the winners. League is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon.

Chess World Cup:

Chess has been around for centuries. Its popularity, worldwide, is uncontested so it only makes sense that the Chess World Cup would be wildly loved by fans across the globe. There are, naturally, smaller Chess tournaments with lower stakes that plenty of people thoroughly enjoy, but the biggest draw for audiences is FIDE’S (The International Chess Federation) World Cup. Streamed on YouTube and Twitch, the weeks-long competition pits the very best against the very best, with thousands of dollars in the pot for the top winners and everything on the line. The skill of these players is mind-boggling and there is even a separate competition for women.

World Series of Poker Tournament (WSOP):

Held annually in Nevada, the WSOP has been around in one fashion or another since 1970, with the winner’s pot only skyrocketing through the years for big rewards for those skilled and lucky enough to claim them. It consists of dozens of events, many of them variations of Texas hold ‘em poker, and culminates in the “Main Event,” a $10,000 buy-in, no-limit poker game. It has thousands of entrants and the winner gets a coveted championship bracelet and millions

of dollars in winnings. In fact, 2023’s Main Event winner took home a record-breaking 12.1 million dollars. With numbers like that, it’s pretty obvious why the WSOP is a fan favorite. And if you decide to try out poker on your own, you can always play at an online casino from the comfort of your own home.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang:

MLBB is a mobile MOBA game (multiplayer online battle arena) that came out in 2016. At first, its popularity was mostly in Southeast Asia, but it quickly expanded worldwide. In terms of gameplay, it’s basically a 5v5 showdown where you fight other players, winning based on factors like strategy, ability, tactics, and skill. The game itself is free, though there are in-game purchases you can make with real money. One of the reasons for such popularity is the fact that it's a game primarily played via mobile phones, making it accessible for most people, especially with the free price tag. Each match is only 10 minutes, which makes it great for anyone with a little time to kill and a smartphone.

Because of all these factors, MLBB burst into the Esports scene, becoming one of the most popular game titles for viewers. The first MLBB World Championship was only in 2019, fairly recent compared to the rest of our list. Each year, the reward money has increased, as does the tournament’s popularity, with teams from around the world facing each other with the biggest prize pool to date at stake. Nine hundred thousand U.S. dollars.

Conclusion:

One of the most interesting things about these global tournaments is the fact that they’re global. Fans across the world take part in excitement, competition, and undeniable skill. As technology continues to develop and further spread the availability of both games and

ways to watch them, it will be fascinating to see the future of gaming.