As the popularity of esports continues to surge, many gamers have begun to question which games will be most popular in the future. While there’s no way to know with complete certainty, there are some factors that can help give a clear picture of where the gaming industry is headed.
Fortnite
Epic Games ‘Fortnite’ is already one of the most popular games on Twitch. Now, it could be the most popular sport as well. Epic Games vice president of marketing Scott Jorgensen believes that if Epic releases Fortnite 2’ with the same level of polish as the original, ‘Fortnite’ could become the world’s most popular sport by 2022.
PUBG
It’s already the most popular game in South Korea, and with another year of ‘PUBG Mobile releases, it could become one of the most popular esports games in the world as well. ‘PUBG’ has all of the essential components of a major export.
There are regular competitions, a growing fanbase, and a major influencer in the form of a popular streamer like Ninja. There’s also the potential for the game to generate a large amount of revenue through merchandise and game sponsorships.
League of Legends
The original ‘League of Legends is still one of the most popular games in the world, and there’s every reason to believe that ‘League of Legends’ will still be one of the most popular esports games in 2022.
The game has evolved significantly over the last few years with the addition of ‘LoL: Widow’s Shadow’, ‘LoL: ARAM’, and the soon-to-launch ‘LoL: Wayside mode. Now that ‘League of Legends is free-to-play, it has the opportunity to attract a massive new audience and generate further revenue through subscriptions and microtransactions.
With the second anniversary of ‘League of Legends coming up in October 2022, it could also get another boost as an annual event.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth and Overwatch League
If you were to choose two games that would dominate the esports scene in 2022, these two would be at the top of your list. First, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is set to release in August 2022, and it will likely be one of the most popular games in the world that year.
The next ‘Overwatch’ season will also be one of the most popular esports events in the world. In addition, Blizzard has already stated that it has plans to continue supporting ‘Overwatch’ well into the future.
It would appear that one major aspect of success for ‘League of Legends is that it has become a major part of Blizzard’s portfolio.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
Pikachu is the most popular Pokemon in the world, but that doesn’t mean that ‘Pokemon Go’ will be one of the most popular esports games in 2022. There are a number of games that are just as popular, including ‘PUBG’.
In fact, ‘PUBG’ could be even more popular because it’s entering the esports scene just as ‘Fortnite’ is dominating Twitch. ‘PUBG’ also has another unique selling point in that it’s one of the few games that has been supported by major hardware manufacturers like Samsung.
As long as it has a consistent release schedule and continues to receive updates, ‘PUBG’ could be one of the most popular esports games in 2022.
CS: GO
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is already one of the most popular esports games in the world, but it could become even more popular in 2022. There are a number of factors that could contribute to this increase in popularity.
First, ‘Counter-Strike’ is one of the most popular games on Twitch, and the next ‘CS: GO’ Major will be one of the most popular esports events in the world. Moreover, Valve has continued to support the game and release major updates, and it has a growing fanbase in the form of ‘CS: GO’ content creators.
While ‘Counter-Strike’ is a game that’s easy to pick up, it’s also one that’s easy to play competitively. With the right combination of updates, ‘CS: GO’ could be one of the most popular esports games in the world in 2022.
Rainbow Six Siege and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
The popularity of individual esports games can fluctuate significantly over time. However, one thing that virtually all of these games share is that they’re likely to remain fairly popular in the years ahead.
In fact, one of the most popular games in the Western world, ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’, is also one of the oldest esports games. The popularity of these games could also be boosted by the increased popularity of ‘Battle Royale games like ‘PUBG’ and ‘Fortnite’.
The Call of Duty World League could also benefit from the Black Ops 4 release as it continues to gain momentum and become one of the most popular esports games in the world.
Street Fighter 5 and Smash Bros. Ultimate
Two of the most popular esports games of all time could also be some of the most popular games in 2022. ‘Street Fighter 5’ recently had its ten-year anniversary, and the ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate release could propel it to even greater heights.
One major advantage that ‘Street Fighter 5’ has over ‘Super Smash Bros.’ is that it’s available on every major gaming platform. This means that while ‘Super Smash Bros.’ is primarily played on the Nintendo Switch, ‘Street Fighter 5’ should still be fairly popular when 2022 rolls around.
The Future of Esports?
It’s important to remember that no one can predict the future with certainty. However, the data that we’ve looked at here makes a compelling case for the continued popularity of several major esports games. With so many factors working in their favor, it’s likely that at least one of these games will be one of the most popular esports games in the world by 2022.
