It seems like every day there is a new esports tournament being announced with a massive prize pool and various games being showcased. Many of these tournaments would never exist if not for some of the biggest events in esports that still stand at the top of the industry each year. There is a staggering list of the best esports events that make up the core following of the wider industry – they’re the shining gems that glow amid thousands of annual competitions.
To that end, here is a list of some of the top esports tournaments in the business today.
The Top Esports Tournaments
Some of the best esports tournaments are being run yearly, making them incredibly popular. With increasing popularity, it seems as if a large majority of these tournaments will continue every year, as there is no shortage of funding. From fighting games to first-person shooters, many of these tournaments focus on one title, while others mix a variety of games for a massive weekend of events.
Some of the biggest esport events even hold multiple tournaments a year, giving viewers and players a chance to participate at least once.
Here are some of the best and biggest tournaments in esports.
League of Legends World Championship
Being one of the world’s largest MOBAs, League of Legends is deserving of its World Championship that is held each year. In fact, in 2023, the League of Legends World Championship broke records as the most-viewed esports tournament of all time.
The game continues to keep itself at the top with one of the biggest viewer bases on Twitch and millions of dollars on the line each year during the World Championship.
For casual players, the game continues to keep itself in the spotlight, which has helped push its esports events to the top.
DreamHack
DreamHack has been around for years now, as this massive convention is a stronghold within the esports world. With some of the best esports events taking place at DreamHack, many fans from around the world travel to attend.
The best part about DreamHack? It has multiple events a year. Not only that, but the convention showcases multiple games. From Fortnite tournaments to Rocket League tournaments to Super Smash Bros. tournaments, DreamHack has it all.
It’s a relatively cheap event to attend and happens in multiple cities around the world, giving everyone a chance to travel to it. Some of the tournaments also feature prize pools that sit around a quarter million dollars.
DreamHack has everything a gamer could need, from large tournaments to free-to-play small ones, making it one of the best esports events in the world.
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Fortnite Globals
Following the success of the Fortnite World Cup back in 2019, Fortnite officially launched Fortnite Globals. This large esports tournament happens once a year in the fall, as many big online tournaments are held throughout the year leading up to it.
Those who qualify in one of the three FNCS (Fortnite Championship Series) that are held throughout the year will be flown to wherever Fortnite Globals is held. The tournament only features 200 players (100 duos) and usually has a prize pool of a couple of million dollars.
With a massive fan base, competitive Fortnite continues to grow as more and more people have been attending these large events. The event usually brings out multiple creators too, such as SypherPK, Sommerset and more, to help push popularity.
Fortnite Globals still stands to be one of the most valuable esports tournaments, as many Battle Royales struggle to gain the traction that Fortnite has.
Apex Legends Global Series
The Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) is another massive Battle Royale series that happens once a year. With some of the best Apex Legends teams in the world competing, this tournament never seems to fall short of a massive viewership.
In 2023, the ALGS had a $2,000,000 prize pool, making it one of the top esports tournaments in the world. While the game continues to thrive on Twitch and YouTube, it also continues to make a name for itself within the competitive gaming world.
Many organizations have their own Apex Legends team, as it is one of the top esports for organizations to invest in right now.
Dota 2: The International
While Dota 2 may not have as big a fan base online as some of the other games listed, this title still has one of the largest tournament series in the world. The Dota 2: International has been around since 2011, making it one of the longest-running major esports series.
With only 16 teams making it to the finals held each year in Copenhagen, and a $1,600,000 prize pool, The International continues to shape the way esports tournaments run throughout the world.
Standing as a pioneer within the competitive gaming tournaments world. Dota 2: The International continues to stay at the top.
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Call of Duty League Championship
The Call of Duty League is another yearly tournament that features the popular title, Call of Duty. Each year, the Call of Duty Championship is held, which takes place at the end of the league’s season.
With hundreds of thousands of viewers each year and millions of dollars on the line, the Call of Duty League is by far one of the most important esports tournaments in the world. As the Call of Duty franchise continues to release games, this tournament series will only grow to bigger and better heights.
Like Apex Legends, many organizations have invested in the Call of Duty League, putting together teams of their own to compete. In the COD esports space, there’s nothing bigger than COD Champs.
Capcom Cup
The Capcom Cup, part of the Capcom Pro Tour, is one of the biggest fighting game tournaments in the world. With a focus on Street Fighter, this esports series has been a leading path for other fighting game tournaments.
The event series began back in 2013 and is now holding yearly events with the most recent Street Fighter title, Street Fighter 6. Like other top esports tournaments, the Capcom Cup has multiple qualifiers that players have to go through to make it to the finals.
The Capcom Cup has been held in multiple regions, including Japan, the US and Europe, making it incredibly popular throughout the entire globe.
Evo
While on the topic of fighting game tournaments, a massive esports series such as the Evo tournaments needs to be mentioned. Held yearly, the Evo esports events feature a plethora of fighting games, including Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat and more.
This series is easily one of the biggest esports events in the world, as it takes fan bases from multiple different games and clashes them together. With large prize pools for every game (some bigger than others), the Evo series has yet to decline in popularity.
The event is commonly held in the summer each year, making it an extremely popular esports event.
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Rocket League Championship Series
The Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) is a one-of-a-kind in the world of esports tournaments. Having an event held each year, the RLCS continues to prove why Rocket League is one of the top competitive games.
The tournament series features multiple Majors that players must participate in to qualify for the finals. Not only does the event feature a large prize pool, but its broadcast has consistently done great numbers throughout the past few years.
Esports World Cup
There is no tournament series out there that is as big as the Esports World Cup at the moment. Held every summer in Saudi Arabia, this huge esports tournament features almost every large title in gaming.
From Fortnite to Counter-Strike to Rocket League, the Esports World Cup has millions of dollars on the line for each game. The 2024 Esports World Cup had a prize pool accumulative of $60 million.
The event features some of the top gamers around the world, as many pro players get an invite ahead of the game. There are also various qualifiers, too, that bring players to the event, as many are held throughout the year (DreamHack, PGL Stockholm, etc).
Olympic Esports Games
Being recently announced, the Olympic Esports have already gained quite a bit of traction in the world of gaming. While the first esports event in the Olympics will not happen until 2025, many are already expecting it to be one of the most-viewed tournament series in gaming.
While we only have speculation of the games that will be involved in the Olympics, competitive players are already gearing up to try and participate in next year’s event.
Stay tuned to Insider Gaming for more esports news.
