As of 2024, the popularization of mobile esports has firmly established itself on a global scale. Large prize pools, the opportunity for teams to showcase their skills and make a name for themselves worldwide, and high viewer counts are all part of the scene—though this was not always the case. In this article, we will discuss the origins of mobile esports, provide an exclusive interview, and reveal the top 10 most popular mobile esports games in 2024.

What is Esports?

Esports is a type of sport where competitions and tournaments are held in multiplayer video games. In other words, esports games are the official term for competitive gaming disciplines for professional players. Competitions can take place both between teams and individually. The winner is determined by the player or team that demonstrates the best skills, reaction times, and endurance.

The first esports tournament took place in 1972 when a competition in the game Spacewar! was held between faculty and students at Stanford University in the United States. The objective of the game was to destroy the opponent's spaceship while avoiding enemy fire and collisions with a star at the center of the screen. The main prize was a one-year subscription to Rolling Stone magazine.

From that point on, the gaming community began considering and organizing competitions for rewards. Mobile gaming, however, emerged much later. The active growth of mobile gaming began around 2016 with the release of games like PUBG MOBILE, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Brawl Stars, Honor of Kings, Free Fire, and others.

Why Did Mobile Gaming Emerge?

Owning a personal computer was considered a luxury and a result of hard work since the late '90s, while "phones" did not have stable functionality. Over time, as technology advanced, more and more people could afford mobile devices. Today, mobile gaming is convenient because players can access their favorite games anywhere, whether on the road, at school, or at work. However, the debate over which type of gaming is superior—mobile or traditional—remains a hot topic.

Mobile Esports vs. PC Esports: Which is Better?

Our team at BIGPLAY.GG, as well as many players, agree that comparing the formats of mobile and PC esports is not meaningful. Each format has its own distinct features, and it's important to remember that mobile gaming was designed primarily for the convenience of players. PC esports is distinguished by its format, scale, complexity, and organizational factors. Mobile esports faces challenges in organizing offline events, ensuring high FPS on devices, and more. However, even in 2024, many organizations are adapting features from PC esports tournaments and tailoring them to mobile formats. So, when asked, "Mobile esports vs. PC esports: which is better?" we can say that both continue to evolve, borrowing key elements from each other and are considered the best in their respective disciplines.

Top 10 Most Popular Mobile Esports Games in 2024

Returning to the main topic, Esports Charts has compiled the yearly rankings based on several criteria: peak viewership and prize pool. Let’s take a look at the rankings.

Top 10 by "Peak Viewership":

1. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (M6 World Championship, Nov 21–Dec 15): Peak viewership - 4,129,026
2. Brawl Stars (Brawl Stars World Finals 2024, Nov 1–3): Peak viewership - 1,103,153
3. PUBG Mobile (PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2024, Oct 31–Dec 8): Peak viewership - 985,418
4. Free Fire (Free Fire World Series - Global Finals 2024, Nov 8–24): Peak viewership - 751,237
5. Arena of Valor (Arena of Glory Winter 2024, Aug 10–Oct 27): Peak viewership - 571,657
6. Battlegrounds Mobile India (Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series 2024, Aug 20–Sep 29): Peak viewership - 493,980
7. Honor of Kings (Honor of Kings Invitational Midseason 2024, Jul 30–Aug 4): Peak viewership - 481,212
8. Monster Strike (Monster Strike Grand Prix 2024 Japan, Apr 28–Jul 14): Peak viewership - 368,970
9. Clash Royale (Clash Royale League 2024 World Finals, Nov 1–3): Peak viewership - 141,777
10. Clash of Clans (Clash of Clans World Championship 2024, Nov 1–3): Peak viewership - 68,045

Top 10 by "Prize Pool":

1. Honor of Kings ($20,565,523)
2. PUBG Mobile ($16,182,509)
3. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang ($7,831,052)
4. Free Fire ($4,005,670)
5. Arena of Valor ($2,385,577)
6. Call of Duty: Mobile ($2,208,257)
7. League of Legends: Wild Rift ($1,584,602)
8. Brawl Stars ($1,542,834)
9. Clash of Clans ($1,130,000)
10. Battlegrounds Mobile India ($928,659)

If we summarize the rankings based on both "Peak Viewership" and "Prize Pool," the Top 5 games by overall statistics are as follows:

1. PUBG Mobile
2. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
3. Honor of Kings
4. Free Fire
5. Arena of Valor

Exclusive Interview with Lia "Sora" from the CIS Region for Honor of Kings and a PUBG MOBILE CIS Team Member

• Why did you choose mobile gaming for your development and how did you get into it?

I fell in love with mobile games back in school when I was gifted a smartphone and immersed myself in the world of mobile gaming. Since 2016, when I saw the announcement for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, I thought to myself, "I want to try it!" From 2016 to 2019, I dived deep into the game, and in 2020, I decided to try my hand at tournaments, eventually leading a mixed team to qualify for two World Championships and achieving 14th or 17th place from the CIS region. Later, I decided to try out the "Battle Royale" genre and switched to PUBG MOBILE LITE, where I eventually met the full version of PUBG MOBILE. After volunteering for a long time, I joined the CIS team.

• Considering your previous answer, before joining the CIS team for the games, you witnessed the development of mobile esports. What was it like in the past?

As I remember and saw, in the past, players gathered in teams and funded their own equipment, boot camps, etc. There were no organizations or many private tournaments. Communities would gather on themed servers and host custom games, first for fun, then for small rewards like in-game currency, and occasionally, cash prizes. I am really glad to have witnessed this period of mobile esports development. Of course, much was hidden at the time, but comparing past years with 2024, the progress is truly enormous. The hard work of the esports department, tournament organizers, and regional teams, along with developers, has opened up the opportunity to showcase talent and compete.

• What challenges did you face when organizing the first esports tournaments?

Before joining the CIS team, I was one of those enthusiasts who decided to become a tournament organizer and gained invaluable experience. The main problem was a lack of information. I had to come up with a tournament system, point distribution, brackets, and registration. At that time, I lacked knowledge, so I immersed myself in PC esports and watched current tournaments in mobile disciplines. Thanks to the information I learned, I was able to create my own system. Another problem was forming teams; I had to search for servers and after many rejections, negotiate mutual tournament promotion. The most pressing issue was conflicts between participants. I remember my first private tournaments, where players did not pay attention to discipline or ethics, and the captains' chat turned into a battleground of harsh arguments. Players demanded punishment for others, even though both sides were at fault. Without experience and clear regulations, I had to make significant concessions, which often left people dissatisfied, even though it was a mistake. Now, my motto is that "regulations are everything," and it’s essential to always follow the rules.

Conclusion

The trend of mobile esports development has significantly risen by 2024, and many tournaments are generating a great deal of excitement in the community. The mobile esports world that many dreamed of has become a reality, attracting more organizations and players. What will mobile esports look like in 2025, and what surprises do they have in store for the community? We’ll find out soon.