The Best Mobile Games for eSports Fans
Now that mobile gaming is bigger than both PC and console gaming, everyone is taking the industry seriously. Brand name developers are spending hundreds of millions of dollars every year creating games for Android and iOS devices.
And they’re making loads of cash from their investments. In 2022, Tencent generated $28 billion from mobile games like PUBG and Honor of Kings. Netease earned $10 billion while Singapore’s Garena ranked third at $4.3 billion.
The best part of it all is that developers are not the only stakeholders making money from mobile games. If you’re into eSports, below are some amazing games you could play for fun. And if you’re really good, you could play these games professionally.
#1: Clash Royale
Supercell took the best parts of Clash of Clans and added elements like collectible cards and MOBA to create this insanely popular game. They launched the game in early 2016. After a year, Clash Royale was valued at more than $1 billion.
Today, Clash Royale is one of the most popular eSports games on both Android and iOS devices. The real-time, multiplayer strategy game can be played by two or four people.
The goal is to destroy your opponent’s towers within three minutes. Sometimes a game might end in a tie. The game then goes on overtime. The winner is whoever destroys an opponent’s tower first.
Clash Royale has a matchmaking system determined by players’ trophies. Ranked players compete in the game’s 24 arenas. The eSports scene features a league with 40 teams. These teams have millions of fans on Twitch and YouTube.
Find Clash Royale on Google Play Store
#2: PUBG
PUBG needs no introduction. It was one of the first battle arena games on mobile. For a long time, it was considered the best battle arena game in the world. That explains why it’s so popular around the world, especially in Asia.
The game’s global popularity means it’s extremely easy to find people to play with at any time. Also, the game has lucrative prizes for tournament winners. Major PUBG competitions have payouts that exceed $1 million.
One of the reasons people love this game despite competition from Fortnite is that it stays at the core of Battle Arena gaming. You drop into a map with 99 opponents. And you scavenge for weapons, cars, and resources. If you’re the last player standing, you win the game.
Download PUBG here.
#3: Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard has been making some great games for mobile fans in the past few years. COD: Mobile is a case in point. Activision contracted Timi Studios to create the game in 2019. After one year, it was generating more than $3 billion.
Call of Duty’s success in the mobile space shouldn’t come as a surprise. The long-running video game franchise has millions of fans around the world. It has inspired movies, eSports leagues, and slot machines.
That’s right. You can play a COD-themed online slot for real money. All you need is to find an online casino for US players with video game-themed slot machines. More precisely, look for a site with slots from Wager Logic—it designed the COD slot.
Back to video gaming, Call of Duty: Mobile has a thriving eSports scene. If you want to become part of it, play ranked matches and build your way to the top. Also, invest in proper skins. You can’t win certain matches unless you own exclusive weapons and characters you must buy using COD points.
Download the Game here
#4: Fortnite
Epic Games saw potential in the battle arena niche and launched one of the best mobile eSports games ever. The game came out in 2017 and didn’t take long to capture the hearts of mobile gaming fans.
Fortnite’s beautiful visuals, diverse characters, powerful weapons, and resources earned it global attention pretty quickly. The fact that it was also free and available in a multiplayer mode added to the reasons for its quick growth.
When it comes to competitive gaming, fans really love this game. The 2019 Fortnite World Cup was a case in point. The competition attracted over 40 million players. In the end, the winner took home over $3 million.
You might not be competitive enough to win a major Fortnite tournament. But thanks to its vibrant eSports space, you could make money as a Fortnite streamer. Or you could flip valuable Fortnite skins.
Download Fortnite for Android here.
#5: Garena Free Fire
Earlier on, we mentioned that Garena was making billions of dollars from its mobile games. The company’s best-selling game is a battle arena game known for its short matches and fewer players (50).
Free Fire starts in the same way as PUBG or Fortnite. You’re accompanied by 49 opponents armed and ready to take you out at any time. In the usual style, the map keeps shrinking and forcing you to get into a safe zone.
To differentiate it from PUBG and Fortnite, Garena has five types of games. There’s the classic battle royale game. Next is a 7-round ‘Clash Squad of two teams—the goal is to beat your opponents at least four times.
Other game modes include Rush Hour, Kill Squad, and Big Head. Rush Hour features 20 players instead of 50. Kill Squad is about killing the most opponents while Big Head is a light-hearted game in which players have enlarged heads.
Get Free Fire on the Google Play Store
#6: Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor is a hugely successful popular game in China. But it’s not as popular in Europe and North America. Should you try it out? Arena of Valor is an excellent game people for who love MOBA games but don’t want to spend too much time gaming.
AOV is a 5v5 battle arena game in which the goal is to defend your team’s towers. If you can defend your towers and destroy your opponent’s base, you win the game.
The game has several modes, including a zombie option. But that’s not the only reason you should play this game. If you dream of a future in streaming or competitive gaming, AOV is worth playing. It has more than 80 million fans and over 70M watched hours since its launch.
Download Arena of Valor here