Top 15 Esports Games for Crypto Betting

S.Ateljevic image
· 27 Aug 2022

The esports scene is bigger than ever. Competitions attract millions of fans across the globe, and the best players become millionaires after winning just one tournament.

But, if you want to follow esports games from a betting perspective, it’s not all about the crowds but what each game brings to the table betting-wise. Read on to find out what’s happening in the world of esports these days and what the hottest games you can bet on are.

Betting on Esports with Crypto

Esports doesn’t differ all that much from more traditional sports. The competitions and leagues usually follow similar formats, and there are mid-season breaks, drafts, and events held in giant sports arenas.

Even betting works in a similar fashion. Just like you’d bet on your favorite soccer team to score first, you can also bet that a team will be first to take down Roshan in Dota or wager on who will win the first round in a game of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

To bet on the best esports games, you’ll need to make a crypto wallet (if you don’t already have one) and sign up on one of the betting sites with esports in their sportsbook offer. After that, it’s just a matter of choosing which game to follow, placing bets, and waiting for the outcome.

The Most Popular Esports Game Genres

Video games now come in all shapes and sizes. As for competitive gaming, it’s prominent primarily in these genres:

  • FPS (First-person shooter)
  • MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)
  • Battle royale
  • Fighting games
  • Sports games

First-Person Shooters

FPS titles were among the most important games during the formative years of esports. Games like Doom and Quake ignited the spark for competitive shooters and were later followed by Counter-Strike and Call of Duty.

In recent years, a subgenre of FPS gained prominence – the hero shooters. These are team-based games where players pick distinctive characters with unique traits and skills.

Unlike older titles, hero shooters revolve around an objective, and the maps are designed to highlight the characters’ abilities. If you want to bet on video games in this genre, check out Overwatch, Rainbow Six: Siege, and Valorant.

MOBA Games

Some of the biggest tournaments in the world are held in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games. They’re also among the most complex competitive games, requiring players to know 200+ characters and hundreds of item combinations by heart, on top of having lightning-fast reflexes and impeccable coordination with teammates.

The genre originated within Starcraft and blew up during the Warcraft III era with the mod Defense of the Ancients (DOTA). A real-time strategy genre at its core, MOBA gives each player just one character to control, with the goal of annihilating the opponent’s central building. The matches are usually played in teams of five, but some MOBA games also allow for 3v3 matches.

Battle Royale Games

Recently, battle royale games have been dominating esports bets, and the genre is very popular with bettors everywhere.

Inspired by the cult Japanese movie Battle Royale, this is another genre that evolved through modifications of an existing game. Battle royale games pit dozens of players – up to 100! – in a winner-takes-all match. Players are divided into small teams or play individually, trying to be the last man standing.

These games require players to adapt as the match progresses, collecting gear from the random drops scattered around the map, all the while trying to keep up with the shrinking play area.

Fighting Games

With their roots in the era of arcade machines, competitive fighting games are the oldest competitive titles that are still around. They’re the classic dueling type of game, incredibly fast-paced, and very attractive to watch and bet on. What’s great about watching Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros, or Tekken is that you don’t need to be versed in the games to enjoy the players’ skills.

And if you bet on competitive games? Then you don’t want to miss the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), held in early August every year in Las Vegas. It’s the culmination of various leagues and a gathering of the best players in the world.

Sports Games

These video games aim to be realistic depictions of football, basketball, and soccer. They’re also the easiest games to bet your Bitcoins on, as they follow the rules of their real-life counterparts, making them a fantastic entry into the exciting world of esports betting for rookies.

The Most Popular Esports Games

Now that we’ve gotten familiar with the various genres of video games and esports events let’s look at the most popular titles you can bet on.

1. Dota 2

Genre: MOBA

Biggest tournament: The International

Dota 2, the absolute king of MOBAs and the most successful esports title of all time, was developed by Valve, famous for the legendary single-player game, Half-Life. Dota 2 is a direct sequel to the famous Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients, featuring two teams of five players battling it out across various maps.

It’s also the game that defined the genre, with 120+ playable characters and the biggest prizes in any esports title, putting it on top of our list of esports games. The International, the annual tournament featuring the top 16 Dota teams, is the largest competition in the esports world, with millions of dollars in prize money.

2. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Genre: FPS

Biggest tournament: CS:GO Majors

Counter-Strike has always been a popular competitive shooter, but its popularity skyrocketed when Valve released the game’s Global Offensive (CS:GO) version.

The concept is simple: teams of five – playing as terrorists or counter-terrorists – try to either eliminate each other or complete map-based objectives and become the first to win 15 rounds. A team needs to win two maps to win a match of CS:GO.

No single tournament in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can be considered the biggest one, not in the sense we mentioned with The International, anyway. Instead, several Majors and minor tournaments are held throughout the year, making it the biggest esports market you can watch – and bet on – all year round.

3. League of Legends

Genre: MOBA

Biggest tournament: World Championship

Riot Games released League of Legends way back in 2009, rocking the competitive gaming world. Although similar to Dota 2, as it’s also based on the mechanics of the original Defense of the Ancients Warcraft III mod,  LoL is significantly faster and has a more extensive champion roster.

Another difference is that the esports scene is directly funded by Riot Games. League of Legends teams are on salaries, so the prize money isn’t as big as for the previous two esports titles.

As for the tournaments and leagues, the teams compete in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), with the winners facing off in the League of Legends World Championship tournament at the end of the year.

4. Valorant

Genre: Hero shooter

Biggest tournament: Valorant Champions

Valorant is among the most popular esports games right now and is another smash hit from Riot Games. It’s a game that many Counter-Strike pros switched to thanks to the similar 5v5 gameplay and gunplay that’s very close to CS:GO.

Unlike CS, though, Valorant is a hero shooter. Each playable character, called agent, brings their unique kit to the game. They often have healing, offensive, or obstructive abilities, alongside an ultimate ability, which they charge throughout the match by racking up kills.

It’s an incredibly dynamic game as it’s played on a variety of maps, and the team compositions can change dramatically depending on the heroes that are currently popular.

5. Fortnite

Genre: Battle royale

Biggest tournament: Fortnite World Cup

When it first launched Fortnite, Epic Games wasn’t planning to create a battle royale game. Originally designed as a co-op game, Fortnite soon evolved into the world’s most popular battle royale title and one of the top esports games around.

One hundred players drop from the sky on the Fortnite map and try to survive the shrinking play zone by scavenging resources and eliminating their opponents. The game is very fast-paced and, among other mechanics, includes the ability to construct buildings and cover.

Fortnite has several multiplayer game modes on rotation, some excluding the building mechanic altogether. The publisher, Epic Games, is involved in the esports scene and regularly organizes World Cups with big prizes.

6. Call of Duty

Genre: FPS

Biggest tournament: CWL Championship

Ever since Call of Duty 2, this franchise has been one of the most popular competitive titles around. If you’re betting on competitive games, this is one you must include on your betting slip.

Call of Duty is a highly competitive game with multiple game modes, but it’s usually played in teams. Since there are so many entries in this franchise, usually the most current video game is used in the official competitions, alongside Call of Duty: Warzone, the battle royale spin on the formula.

7. Rainbow Six: Siege

Genre: Hero shooter

Biggest tournament: Six Invitational

The latest entry in the legendary tactical FPS franchise introduced hero shooter elements into the mix. It pits two teams of five as attackers and defenders, with different objectives on each map.

Aside from having dozens of operators with different tools and skills, R6: Siege also has destructible terrain, which plays a significant part in the tactical aspect, which is far more pronounced here than in most other esport games, especially shooters.

The best teams compete at an annual Six Invitational for their share of the $3 million prize pool.

8. Rocket League

Genre: Sports

Biggest tournament: Rocket League Championship Series

Rocket League is the most unusual game on this list. A game of Rocket League looks like a soccer match, but each player controls an RC car equipped with a nitrous boost that can fly and double-jump.

Due to being so attractive to watch and dynamic, Rocket League has become popular on numerous esports betting sites. The matches are just five minutes long, and with the RLCS competition happening throughout the year, there’s more than enough excitement for sports bettors who prefer this game over the others.

9. Overwatch 2

Genre: Hero shooter

Biggest tournament: Overwatch League (OWL)

Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s ultra-popular, Team Fortress-inspired hero shooter.

Players are divided into two teams and try to complete objectives on various maps, either by capturing zones or escorting a vehicle to the opponent’s base.

The game is played in a 5v5 format, and players get to pick from 30+ unique heroes, each with a designated role on the team. Overwatch 2 characters are equipped with a few unique skills and an ultimate ability they charge up by damaging the opponents.

As for betting on the esports scene, the main championship is Overwatch League, with Overwatch Contenders acting as a qualifier for new teams.

10. FIFA 23

Genre: Sports

Biggest tournament: FIFAe World Cup

FIFA is the officially licensed soccer simulation published by EA Sports. As an annual release, FIFA always offers up-to-date statistics on soccer players and teams, so it’s a great way to keep up with the sport.

Regarding the competitive scene and prize money, FIFA games aren’t particularly big compared to the previously mentioned titles, and European and Brazilian players mostly dominate the scene at the moment.

While less popular than other esports games, FIFA is very easy to bet on as the betting options are usually the same as those for soccer.

11. NBA 2K23

Genre: Sports

Biggest tournament: NBA 2K League

For basketball fans that want to try their hand at esports gambling, 2K Sports has its own annual release – the NBA 2K. Just like the FIFA series, these games aim to simulate the sport accurately, including everything that goes on during a season of an NBA league.

With so many similarities to real-life basketball, NBA 2K is straightforward to bet on. Many betting sites, especially newer casinos with sportsbooks, offer this game in their esports portfolio. Of course, the matches are much quicker than live NBA, so you can bet on more games and, hopefully, win more frequently.

12. Street Fighter

Genre: Fighting game

Biggest tournament: EVO

The Street Fighter series of fighting games has been around since 1987, with the newest entry slated for the summer of 2023.

The series really took off with Street Fighter Alpha 3, becoming one of the biggest esports games in the world thanks to the legendary EVO moment #37 when Daigo Umehara did the impossible and parried a 15-hit combo. The popularity of this epic footage would soon herald the moment that esports truly became mainstream.

While the main tournament for Street Fighter happens at EVO in August, there are several more championships and tournaments before that. The Capcom Pro Tour, Stunfest, Red Bull Kumite, and Combo Breaker are the most prominent events for this game.

13. Tekken

Genre: Fighting game

Biggest tournament: EVO

Tekken is another incredibly popular fighting game, but this one comes from Bandai Namco. It’s spectacularly flashy, especially since Tekken 7 introduced some jaw-dropping slow-mo effects for hyping up the crowd, but the characters’ movements are based on authentic martial arts.

Similarly to Street Fighter, Tekken is played strictly as a 1v1 game, and players choose from a roster of 40+ characters. If you’re planning some gambling on the esports scene, don’t miss EVO and tournaments held during the Tokyo Game Show.

14. Apex Legends

Genre: Battle royale

Biggest tournament: Apex Legends Global Series

Launched in early 2019, Apex Legends was EA’s first battle royale game and a spin-off to the Titanfall series. Unlike other games in the genre, the default format for this game is 20 teams of three players, and the matches are over much quicker thanks to an overall faster pace.

Another thing that sets Apex Legends apart from other battle royale games is the various characters players can pick. The game features over a dozen different characters, each bringing their unique kit into the mix, but also several playable maps and modes.

15. Starcraft 2

Genre: Real-time strategy game

Biggest tournament: Intel Extreme Masters

Starcraft 2 has always been one of the most attractive esports games to bet on. Players choose from one of three playable races – Terrans, Zerg, or Protoss – and try to build the strongest army and eliminate the opposing player(s) or team(s).

Commonly considered the national sport of South Korea, Starcraft is incredibly fast-paced for a strategy game, requiring lightning-fast reflexes. Watching two high-ranked players face off is absolutely surreal, which is why the game stood the test of time with both players and sportsbooks.

Conclusion

There are, of course, many more great video games that you can bet on, but these 15 are the ones you should be looking for when first signing up for an online betting site.

The world of competitive gaming is constantly growing, with tournaments sometimes boasting larger viewerships than the NBA finals, bringing with it record esports earnings.

New generations of gamers are coming, the games are constantly updated for the esports scene, and sportsbooks quickly pick up on these changes. It’s a fast-paced and exciting new world for traditional bettors to explore, but make sure to understand each game’s mechanics and learn about the players and tournaments before you get stuck in.

FAQ

Which game is best for esports?

All of the games featured on our list are amazing esports titles, both for watching and betting on. These games are exciting, with a bustling esports scene, and most betting sites include them in their sportsbooks.

What is the most popular esport?

Three games can be considered the most popular ones in the world. They’re Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and League of Legends. In terms of prize money, Dota 2 is the absolute leader, while League of Legends has a larger player base. Still, CS:GO regularly pulls huge crowds at live events and Twitch streams, so keep an eye on all three games if you want to get into esports betting.

Is esports a good career?

Yes, esports is a promising career and can be a very lucrative one. As with any sport, playing video games at a competitive level requires a lot of dedication and some natural talent, on top of picking the right esports games to focus on. It’s ideal not to stay locked to a single game, but instead get good within a whole genre, so you can transfer to another title if needed.