The top 5 free to play esports games to get you started

Esports is the fastest growing industry. According to Newzoo’s research, the annual growth of esports will be about 14% by 2021. They also predict that this year, the revenue of industry will reach about $1 billion. This is mirrored by the fact that the industry saw two of the biggest tournaments in the history of esports world this year: Fortnite World Cup with a prize pool of $30 million and The International 9 (Dota 2) with a prize pool of $35 million. The world of esports can seem daunting at first, but it is easier to get into than most of the traditional sports. Now you might argue that you will need a completely decked out PC, but that isn’t the case. Most of the esports titles can run pretty decently on low spec machines, including laptops. And the best games are free. Let’s have a look at our picks for best free to play esports titles

5. Apex Legends

This offering from EA and Respawn came out of nowhere. There were no announcements. The game just dropped one fine day, and everyone was checking it out, and every top Battle Royale streamer was playing it for days. It broke records within 48 hours of its release, and within a week it had 25 million players. 

It is set in the world of Titanfall, and takes inspiration from PUBG, Overwatch and Fortnite. There are 10 characters for now, each with their own special abilities. But the main focus, like any other BR game, is on shooting. 

The game still isn’t esports ready though, with cheaters plaguing the game. Which means the game has also declined significantly in its popularity. But it is still worth checking out. 

 4. Fortnite

This game right now is the most popular free to play game around the world. Thanks to the celebrity status of streamers like Tfue and Ninja, and celebrities like Marshmello and Drake. This is one of the first Battle Royales, and looking at the fate of other BRs, it is a bit of a surprise that this game hasn’t died down. 

But Epic has put in the hard work, kept the game fresh update after update and kept cheaters at bay. As already mentioned, Fortnite world cup had a $30 million prize pool across various competitions, and winning the series made the 16 year old Kyle Bugha $3 million richer. 

 3. Counter Strike: Global Offensive

I am sure everyone is aware of the OG esports title from their college time. Back then, CS 1.6 was the deal. But since then Counter Strike has come a long way and Global Offensive has become one of the world’s leading esports title. 

With CS:GO competitions happening now and then, the total prize pool for the game in the first half of 2019 was $8.7 million. The game used to be paid before, but in December last year Valve made it free to play. 

2. League of Legends

One of the biggest MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) there is. Riot reported that this year in August they saw 8 million peak current users daily. That is more than the top 10 games on steam combined. 

The game is easier to get into than Dota 2 and is much more accessible. Even though the game is free, it has in game payments for new heroes. But if you have a bit of patience, they can be unlocked through gameplay. 

 1. Dota 2  

The Big Daddy of esports and one of the first free to play esports titles in the truest sense.  The prize pool for the International increases every year, and this year it jumped from $25 million to $35 million. It’s popularity has exponentially grown since the last year due to the story of OG at TI8. The story is that of betrayal and friendship and it would actually make for a great movie. Actually, there is a documentary called Against All Odds that OG’s title sponsor, Red Bull did on them and it is very well done.  

Their story made ripples throughout the industry and the game saw a big rise in popularity. Be warned though, this game has a very steep learning curve, but it is also quite addicting once you get the hang of it. 

That concludes our list of the top free to play esports titles . If there are any more games you would like to see on our list, let us know in the comments.