Best Competitive Online Games

Best Competitive Online Games

Gaming is many things to many people. Some play games for the immersive narrative experience, others are completionists who love nothing more than finding every hidden achievement and unlocking every feature or character. Others are team players or lone wolves that look for one thing in their gaming experience: a sense of competition.

Competitive gaming, or esports, has always been a part of gaming, but with the rise of streaming platforms like Twitch.tv, it’s more popular than ever. You don’t need to be a high level gamer to enjoy competitive gaming. Step into the arena with these fan favorites.

DOTA 2

To date, Defense of the Ancients 2, better known simply as DOTA 2, is the most successful esports title in history. Developed by Valve, DOTA 2 is a genre of game known as a MOBA, or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game, that sees you join a small team and duke it out against your rivals in curated player versus player levels.

DOTA 2 features over 100 different characters to choose from, each with a unique blend of abilities, skills, and style of play. This makes choosing characters to complete your team a key part of the gameplay mechanics. DOTA 2’s eSports prize posts frequently come in at over $30 million, and the game has a massive and committed community fanbase. 

Rocket League

A small indie game that emerged out of complete obscurity way back in 2015, Rocket League has grown to be one of the best loved and most played competitive video games in history. By blending two established gaming genres, motorsport and soccer, Rocket League carved out a niche in the esports space that was all its own.

With prize pools for Rocket League competitions still drawing in excess of $1 million, the franchise is going from strength to strength. Developer Psyonix made Rocket League a free to play title as of 2020. The game is also available on most of the top video games consoles and is cross-platform, so now there’s no reason not to check out this crazy and unique classic.

PokerStars

Poker is a great option for those looking for a new arena to test their skills. There is good reason why poker has found a permanent home for itself in the online competitive gaming sphere. There are many great options out there if you’re looking for a game of cards online.

Industry-leading platforms like PokerStars provides access to leader-boards and player statistics across a host of play styles through computer and a mobile app optimized for Android devices. There are over a thousand active tournaments running at a time on their platform, which makes finding a match straight forward, whether you’re looking to play Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, or new variations that you may never have heard of.

Fortnite

As of 2021 Fortnite is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, with over 350 million players still gripped by its fantastic gameplay, rich community and cartoonish fun. Fortnite is a Battle Royale game wherein you face off as one of a hundred players who parachute onto an island arena. The game finishes when a single surviving player or team is left.

Frequent promotions from the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars, bonus weapons such as light sabers, and unexpected encounters with Thor are par for the course with Fortnite. The game blends 3rd person shooter mechanics with an innovative crafting mechanic that lets you rapidly construct bases and fortifications on the fly, making for surprising depth of play that keeps fans coming back for more.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

New on the scene is Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, the brainchild of British developer Mediatonic. Available for PC, Playstation 4 and the Android ecosystem, Fall Guys is an obstacle course knock-out game. Inspired by classic television shows Takeshi’s Castle and Total Wipe-out, you are tasked with surviving through multiple zany knock-out rounds as you vie to beat 49 other players to the podium.

With randomized rounds ranging from dodging giant fruit on a perilous assault course, to dodgeball style team battles, this title is as hilarious as it is challenging. It takes gaming back to what it should be; having lots of fun.