Are you new to the esports world? As a huge video game fan, you’ve spent your whole life playing games solo or with friends. Little did you know there was an entire scene dedicated to watching the best gamers play games. The esports industry is in the process of blowing up, so we’re going to help you begin your journey. 

Here are the four best esports titles currently out, and the best ones for you to watch as a newbie: 

VALORANT

We have to start with VALORANT as this tactical shooter from Riot Games recently won the Esports Game of the Year Award for the third successive time. Few games have enjoyed such immediate success; when launched back in 2020, VALORANT immediately claimed a huge player base and saw loads of esports pros switching from other titles to play this one. 

After deciding to adopt a partnership system in 2023, VALORANT now gives you 4 international top-level leagues to watch: 

• The Americas
• EMEA
• Pacific
• China

Each league features 11 teams for 2024 and there’s more than enough matches to watch. Games are currently live-streamed on Magic Win or other betting sites if you don’t have a Twitch or YouTube account. All the teams try to qualify from their respective international leagues to make Masters events before finally battling it out at Champions in August. 

What makes VALORANT such a good esport to watch? The gameplay is a mixture of slow and methodical meets fast and fluid. Teams have different styles and there are loads of personalities. There’s just enough unpredictability in the game to make crazy things happen – you almost always see an unexpected team go on a crazy run. Last year, one of the most memed teams at the beginning of the season – Evil Geniuses – went on to win Champions and be crowned the best team in the world. 

Oh, the game itself is also free to play, so it’s easy to jump into this after watching the pros battle it out. 

League of Legends

League of Legends is an icon in the world of gaming. Another title by Riot Games, this one launched in 2009 and has gone from strength to strength. It amassed a ginormous player community and firmly established itself as one of the most exciting esports to watch. 

Everyone gets excited for Worlds at the end of each year – even if you don’t play League, you can’t help but get roped into the storylines. The game itself is much easier to watch than play, and the casters and presenters make it an immensely enjoyable experience. 

Those of you who might get into this esport in 2024 will benefit from knowing a few players to get behind. Here’s a list of the top 5 pros currently going at it, and the teams they play for: 

• Faker – T1
• Ruler – JD Gaming
• Keria – T1
• Knight – BLG
• Chovy – Gen.G 

Chinese and South Korean teams dominate this esport, and if you had to pick one team to cheer on, we’d suggest T1. They’re the modern GOATs when it comes to League of Legends and you’ll always have fun watching them. 

Counter-Strike 2

CS:GO was a fabulous esport that flew the flag for the tactical FPS genre. It spanned many years and created some of the scene’s most iconic personalities. The likes of Tarik, Shroud and S1mple may not be known today were it not for CS:GO. 

Unfortunately, Valve shut down the CS:GO esports scene in 2023. Don’t let this worry you too much as it introduced Counter-Strike 2! This newer version of the game features all the old maps, plus a few new ones, and the same talented players in the esports scene. 

If you’re a fan of shooter games, CS2 is a must. It’s got a very high skill ceiling and can be challenging to play, but watching the esport is mesmerising. There are some new talents on the scene this year, with young star donk already making a name for himself with a historic performance against FaZe to win IEM Katowice for Team Spirit. 

Rocket League

It’s funny how the best esports have no connection to traditional sports at all – apart from Rocket League. This unique game launched in 2015 and became a roaring success. It combined two things most people love: soccer and cars. You’re pretty much playing a soccer match, only driving cars to hit a huge ball. 

The concept was so cool and it immediately got picked up as a top esport. This is comfortably one of the best esports in terms of skill levels. It’s actually crazy seeing what some of the pros do if you’ve played the game yourself. With all the other games on this list, the skill disparity between pros and regular players isn’t that much. There’s a gap, but it’s nowhere near as wide as the one between pro Rocket League players and the general player base. 

If you’re keen to get into this esport, we recommend clicking here for the full Rocket League esports schedule in 2024. 

We’ll seal this article with a few honourable esports mentions. Here are some other games that also produce promising esports scenes: 

• DOTA 2
• Rainbow Six Siege
• EA Sports Football Club
• Overwatch

Esports is only just beginning, so we reckon it’s the perfect time to get involved and pick a few games to follow. You won’t regret it in a few years when esports moves even closer in scale to traditional sporting events.