Esports is massive sector within the gaming world, and the industry has the numbers to back it up. The GAM3 Awards aims to celebrate and reward the web3 games pushing this particular sector of the industry forward with their competitive PvP modes and exciting gameplay through our Best Esports category. One of the major reasons gaming progressed as fast as it did is thanks to major tournaments that gathered millions of fans to sit around and watch.

In 2019, the Esports global market was valued at $957.5 million. Over the past two years, it has grown over 10% to cross the $1B mark and reach around $1.08 Billion. These valuations aren't crazy numbers made out of thin air. In fact, they are the result of millions of people tuning in to cheer on their favorite professional playing in their favorite esports organizations competing at a major tournament in their favorite game.

To give context to the global reach a number of recently streamed tournaments have managed to accomplish, as of May 2021, Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore has been the most viewed competitive event with 5.41 Million peak viewers. In close second place is the League of Legends World Championship 2022 with 5.1 Million peak viewers. Web3 gaming has its own thriving esports sector. Although it is no where near any of the traditional games yet in terms of viewership or even gameplay, the following games nominated for our GAM3 Awards Best Esports category are proof we are taking steps in the right direction.

EV.IO

EV.IO benefits from how fast and easy it is to jump into a game. All you need to do is go to the website, click play, and you are in. The game plays directly in the browser with no downloads or installs and is designed first and foremost to be highly accessible on all desktop devices. Its gameplay makes for incredibly exciting moments, drawing inspiration from Halo and Unreal Tournament in the characters' movement style and wall-running mechanics. What makes the game suitable for being an esport title is its proactive efforts in cultivating a strong professional player base with both virtual and real-life tournaments.

EV.IO recently held a physical competitive tournament at the Web3 Esports event in Turkey, and the footage is all you need to know on where the future of web3 gaming is headed, especially in the esports category. Not only that, the game cleverly associated itself with multiple international esports organizations, including Ninjas In Pyjamas and Luminosity Gaming. This instantly brings attention from traditional gamers used to cheering on these organizations during CS:GO tournaments and other events to explore EV.IO and see what it is all about.

Metalcore

It is hard to argue against the viability of giant war machines fighting against each other as a competitive title. Metalcore brings exciting gameplay and stunning visuals, accompanied by customizable mechs that make for some heart pounding moments on the battlefield. The game offers a first-person mechanized combat game set in an expansive open world where an all-out war breaks out in a dystopian future on an alien planet. Its PvP mode pits you, alongside 50 other players, in a 50v50 all-out brawl in the Battle Zone. A rightful name to describe the action happening there.

The closest example to a successful game with similar style to achieve a massive following in the esports industry is World of Tanks. Both have the same scrappy fighting style and expansive maps with war machines just shooting missiles and all kinds of weaponry. On top of that, Metalcore shines through with its diverse mech types and allowing players to customize certain parts to enable more skill expression.

Gods Unchained

Card games will always be competitive and will forever have an esports scene as long as at least one title exists. Gods Unchained is definitely one of the oldest web3 titles overall and in the card genre specifically, as well as definitely being one of the best games available right now. Gods Unchained draws several mechanisms from Magic: The Gathering in particular. Players need to select one of six available gods, and fill out their 30-card deck accordingly depending on their choice for synergy.

With each god having a corresponding list of four special powers to choose from, and you can only choose one each game, there are enough variables to easily differentiate the casual from the professional players. The studio enables the game's competitive environment perfectly with consistent weekend tournaments with tons of $GODS on the line alongside chests and other rewards. They recently even added a daily earning mechanism, which rewards you for winning and playing consistently.

Planet Mojo

Planet Mojo is a competitive auto-battler, which probably isn't the first genre or type of games that jumps to mind whenever you think about esports. The likes of Dota Autochess and Teamfight Tactics all have their own esports scenes, with both official and unofficial tournaments being held regularly. The reason why Planet Mojo shines, and can easily overtake the aforementioned giants in the gaming world, is down to its innovative and new take on the genre. The game follows a group stage and knockout tournament style compared to the classic 100 HP round-robin formula to determine the winner.

Planet Mojo’s approach makes for much faster games that keep you on your toes at all times or else you are out. At the same time, the feeling of progressing through a knockout bracket while taking out enemies and every matchup matters adds a lot of intensity. The game continues to get better and better with every update, and with its roster of champions getting new members soon, you are bound to see Planet Mojo pop up more often in the Best Esports argument.

Spider Tanks

Spider Tanks, one of Gala Games flagship titles, offers a PVP Brawler experience where you choose between a number of Tank Bodies and Weapons in the garage, then battle it out in one of the many Spider Tanks arena maps. What makes Spider Tanks enjoyable to watch and viable as an esport is similar to the other titles we have nominated in the GAM3 Awards Best Esports category, and that's skill expression. This is enabled through giving each player the chance to customize their tank parts and abilities.

The combination of each of the four main tank parts and the two abilities you take with you into battle dictate your playstyle, and with two more members on your team alongside yourself, your tanks have to synergize well together to cover each other's weaknesses and amplify each player's strengths. Spider Tanks includes enough variety in its gameplay to make for a healthy competitive pool of maps and modes to test teams on. Add fast-paced action gameplay to the mix, and you got yourself an electric esport.

Who do you think will walk away with the GAM3 Awards Best Esports trophy? Which one do you enjoy the most? Share this article and tag us on any of our socials to let us know.

Website | Discord | Twitter | Twitch | YouTube