The Game Awards have announced their five nominees for the Best Esports Game in their 2023 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!

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

• Best Esports Athlete
• Best Esports Coach
• Best Esports Event
• Best Esports Game (this article)

And the nominees are…

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Valve. It is the successor to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), and was released on September 28, 2023.

CS2 features the same core gameplay as CS:GO, with two teams competing against each other to plant or defuse a bomb, or to rescue or eliminate hostages. CS2 has a thriving esports scene, with tournaments being held all over the world. The biggest CS2 tournament are the Majors, which features a prize pool of $1.25 million.

In 2023, CS2 had a good first year in esports. Some of the biggest CS2 tournaments of 2023 included Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023, CS Asia Championships 2023, and the yet-to-come BLAST Premier World Final 2023.

Dota 2

DOTA 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Valve. It is a sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), a Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos custom map.

DOTA 2 features two teams of five players competing against each other to destroy the other team’s base. Each player controls a hero character with unique abilities. Players must work together to kill the other team’s heroes, destroy their towers, and finally destroy their base.

The biggest DOTA 2 tournament of 2023 is The International 12, which was held in October. The prize pool for The International 12 was $3.2 million USD. It was won by the CIS region’s Team Spirit after a hard fought win over the Gaimin Gladiators.

League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Riot Games. It was released in 2009 and has since become one of the most popular esports games in the world.

LoL features two teams of five players competing against each other to destroy the other team’s nexus. Each player controls a champion character with unique abilities. Players must work together to kill the other team’s champions, destroy their towers, and finally destroy their nexus.

The LoL esports scene is one of the largest and most competitive in the world. LoL had a successful year in esports in 2023. The biggest LoL tournament of 2023 is the World Championship 2023, which is currently underway. The grand finals is set to be T1 vs. Weibo Gaming with $2.2 million USD on the line.

PUBG Mobile

PUBG MOBILE is a battle royale game developed and published by Tencent Games. It is the mobile version of the popular PC game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. In PUBG MOBILE, up to 100 players compete to be the last one standing by landing on an island and scavenging for weapons and supplies.

PUBG MOBILE has a growing esports scene, with major tournaments like the PUBG MOBILE Global Championship, which has a prize pool of $3 million. The PUBG MOBILE esports scene is especially popular in Asia, but it is also growing in popularity in other regions.

Some of the biggest PUBG MOBILE tournaments of 2023 included the PUBG MOBILE Global Championship 2023 that is ongoing, PUBG Mobile World Invitational 2023, and the Peacekeeper Elite League Spring & Summer leagues.

VALORANT

VALORANT is a first-person tactical shooter game developed and published by Riot Games. It was released in 2020 and has since become one of the most popular esports games in the world. In VALORANT, two teams of five players compete to plant or defuse a spike. Each player controls an agent with unique abilities.

VALORANT’s esports scene is booming, with major tournaments like the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) offering prize pools over $4 million spread across multiple events.

In 2023, the major VCT events were:

• LOCK//IN São Paulo, where Fnatic started their dominance
• Masters Tokyo, which Fnatic again shined in with a victory
• Champions, where Evil Geniuses took home $2,250,000 USD
• Game Changers Championship, which will see the top women team compete