The most watched esport of 2023 was League of Legends. The export saw a slight decline in viewership overall but set a viewership record with the Worlds 2023 Grand Final, making it the most-watched esports event ever, according to Esports Charts.
Worlds 2023 peaked at 6.4 million viewers. Only Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was even close to that number, bringing in 5.07 million peak viewers for one of its M5 World Championship matches.
The next most-watched esports of the year include Counter-Strike at No. 3, Dota 2 at No. 4 and Valorant at No. 5.
All five esports are considered in the top tier of esports in terms of competition and audience engagement, albeit with Mobile Legends leading more with an Eastern Audience.
Counter-Strike and Dota 2 are two legacy titles that are usually always in the top views-wise, while Valorant is a newer esport that Riot Games is pushing to the top of the charts. Riot has also said that, with an emerging Chinese audience for the esport, Valorant has potential millions of uncounted viewers that bring even more value to the broadcast.
With 2024 getting off to a roaring start in League of Legends, the esport looks to be in a position to lead the industry in viewership once again.
