The Game Awards have announced their five nominees for the Best Esports Game in their 2025 event.

The Game Awards is the biggest night in gaming, where the best games of the year are honored and new games are revealed. It’s a must-watch for any fan of video games, happening on December 7 this year.

You can vote for your favorite games in over 30 categories now at The Game Awards website. Let your voice be heard and help decide who wins the biggest awards in gaming!

There are three esports-focused awards and we at Esports Kingdom have brought you a look in to each of the nominees.

• Best Esports Athlete
• Best Esports Team
• Best Esports Game (this article)

And the nominees are…

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is the modern iteration of Valve’s long running tactical first-person shooter franchise, following on from the hugely popular CS:GO. It remains centred around 5v5 matches, round‐based bomb plants/defuses, and high‐skill precision play. As a product it supports a global esports ecosystem of Majors, S-Tier tournaments and a strong professional scene built over many years.

In 2025 the CS2 scene has seen a significant uptick in major events and prize-pools. One of the standout tournaments was the Esports World Cup 2025 (CS2 edition) held in Saudi Arabia, with a $1,250,000 prize pool and 16 of the best teams all offline.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is Valve’s flagship MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game, known for its deep strategic complexity, massive international tournaments like the The International 2025 (TI 14) and passionate global scene. Its esports ecosystem is characterised by regional leagues feeding into Major events and culminating in TI each year with huge viewership and stakes.

For 2025, Dota 2’s major headlines include TI 14, which became one of the most-watched Dota 2 events ever with over 1.7 million peak viewers. Additionally, the Esports World Cup 2025 for Dota 2 featured a $3 million prize pool and high production value in Riyadh. The competitive calendar is active and global, with organisations touting upcoming 2025/26 EPL (ESL Pro Tour) seasons.

League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL) is one of the most influential esports titles of all time — a five-vs-five team MOBA developed by Riot Games, with iconic annual global tournaments such as the 2025 World Championship (“Worlds”) and a mature ecosystem spanning many regions. It remains a foundational pillar of competitive gaming.

In 2025 LoL esports is marked by a refreshed season format and global expansion. The Worlds 2025 event (Oct-Nov) carried a $5 million prize pool and is expected to be one of the largest esports events ever. Additionally the mid-season event, the 2025 Mid‑Season Invitational (MSI) was held in Vancouver, Canada and featured the “Fearless Draft” format for the first time. The global roadmap, viewership scale and reform of regional formats all point to 2025 being a major year of evolution for LoL esports.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is a mobile MOBA from Moonton, hugely popular in Southeast Asia and beyond. Its esports ecosystem features regional leagues (MPL), international cups and increasingly large mobile-first events. As mobile esports continues to grow, MLBB is a major driver of that trend.

2025 has been a landmark year for MLBB esports: the game’s developer released its 2025 esports roadmap, which included the new MLBB Mid‑Season Cup 2025 (MSC) held mid-July to early August and the postponement of the world championship (M7) into January 2026. Furthermore, MLBB broke new mobile esports viewership records — for example, hitting over 3 million peak viewers at MSC and over 50 million hours watched, reflecting a +73% year-over-year growth.

Valorant

Valorant is a tactical hero-shooter from Riot Games combining precise gunplay with unique abilities. Since its launch, it has built a global esports circuit (the Valorant Champions Tour 2025 – VCT) and is now fully established among elite competitive shooter titles.

In 2025 Valorant esports is in its biggest season yet: the 2025 VCT circuit was announced in August 2024 and runs with regional Kickoff events, Masters events (e.g., Masters Toronto, Masters Bangkok) and culminates in Champions 2025. There were format changes, new teams earning promotion across regions, and a refined global structure in play. The combination of format evolution and regional expansion makes 2025 a key growth year for Valorant esports.