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Compared to traditional entertainment spectacles in sports and music, esports events often go under the radar. However, you’d be amazed to know that esports tournaments these days easily outnumber many popular events by a long margin, if not all. With the arrival of streaming platforms like Twitch and Discord, not to mention the ever-present YouTube, esports has seen a massive explosion in the number of viewers. This phenomenon also arrives due to it being free and easily accessible.
Esports tournaments have seen historical figures for the number of viewers worldwide breached time and again. Therefore, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most viewed online gaming events of all time, taking peak viewership into account.
Note: This list has been updated to the year 2022, and doesn’t take into account the esports events held in 2023.
Here are five momentous esports events that bagged the biggest audience
5) 2020 League of Legends World Championship – 3.88 million viewers
The 2020 Edition of the League of Legends World Championship faced many difficulties due to the worldwide situation.
Despite these obstacles, this particular League of Legends World Championship was carried out successfully from Shanghai, China. Overall, the event brought together over 4 million international spectators. It was also memorable as Korean team DAMWON Gaming beat LPL at its own home ground and lifted the Summoner’s Cup.
4) 2019 League of Legends World Championship – 3.9 million viewers
The 2019 League of Legends World Championship, held in Europe, was a thrilling spectacle that featured emerging regions in the Play-Ins. The event also saw the downfall of North American teams and the LMS and featured memorable clashes such as G2 vs SKT and FPX vs Invictus Gaming.
The grand finale, which saw FunPlus Phoenix dominate G2 Esports with a 3-0 victory, was the most-watched matchup in League of Legends history in the last decade, with nearly 4 million viewers tuning in to witness China's continued dominance in the competitive MOBA scene.
3) 2021 World Championship [Worlds 2021] – 4.018 million peak viewership
League of Legends is arguably the most-watched esports title globally, with the 2021 World Championship ranked third in viewership numbers as of 2022. The global event was scheduled to be held in China. However, it was later moved to Reykjavík, Iceland, given the COVID situation in the Asian country.
With a $2.25 million prizepool, the tournament attained a peak viewership of 4.0187 million to become the most-viewed LoL event until it was surpassed by the next entry on this list. Viewers witnessed the top 22 sides from around the world fight for the Summoner’s Cup, and in the end, EDward Gaming reigned supreme.
2) 2022 League of Legends World Championship – 5.1 million viewers
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship is definitively the most popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game right now. It was the most-watched event in League of Legends Championship history, with 5.1 million peak viewers. Furthermore, it fell slightly short of becoming the most-watched esports event in history by a mere thousand views.
Held between September 29 and October 4 at the Arena Esports Stadium in Artz Pedregal, Mexico City, 24 teams competed for the ultimate crown. In the end, it was team DRX from South Korea who came out on top in League of Legends' most-watched event to date.
1) Free Fire World Series 2021 – 5.4 million viewers
Who would have thought four years ago that Free Fire would emerge as the top dog in the battle-royale scene? That’s how tumultuous the completion is these days in the shooters and battle-royale genre.
With a staggering 5.4 million views, the finals of the most recent edition of the Free Fire World Series have managed to break all records and expectations and become the most-viewed esports event ever.
The spectacle was held in the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, and saw 18 teams duke it out for an equally extravagant grand prize of $500,000 USD. In the end, it was the Phoenix Force who came out on top by securing four out of six victories in the finals.
However, don’t be surprised if some new emerging title breaks the record of organizing the most-watched esports event ever.
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