Esports only increased in popularity in 2025, with the number of people watching and prize pools growing to match. However, it has slowed slightly in growth since the industry is now becoming more mature.
This article explores the esports stats that shaped the year 2025, breaking down the numbers that make up its popularity.
TL;DR
- The vast majority of global esports followers (80%) live in the Asia Pacific region, with China and the Philippines each making up 20% of these viewers.
- Interest in esports among 18-29-year-olds grew steadily from 27% in Q1 2021 to 31% in Q2 2024.
- Counter-Strike had the largest 2025 prize pool at $28.5 million, followed by Dota 2 and Honor of Kings (each $20.2 million).
- League of Legends recorded the highest peak viewership of 2025 at 6.7 million for Worlds.
- Sponsorship growth eased to 7% in 2025, compared with the 18% increase from 2017 to 2018.
Esports viewership by region
Esports viewership statistics by region show a very uneven picture (YouGov, 2023).
The Asia Pacific stands out as the main home of esports fans (80% of global esports followers live there), with other regions as follows:
- 8% live in the Americas
- 7% live in the Middle East/Africa
- 5% live in Europe
Many countries in the Asia Pacific region also have high shares of people who watch esports regularly:
- China: 20%
- Philippines: 20%
- Indonesia: 16%
- Vietnam: 16%
- Taiwan: 16%
This puts Asia in the centre of global esports viewership, both in audience size and in day-to-day engagement, while outside Asia, the numbers drop. South Africa leads in the Middle East/Africa (14%), Hungary leads in Europe (7%), and Brazil leads in the Americas (6%).
Esports fanbase and viewership split
Recent esports statistics from YouGov show that esports popularity has stayed steady, even when there were a lot of changes happening in the industry (YouGov, 2024).
Interest among people aged 18-29 has grown slowly over the past few years:
- 27% of this age group were interested in esports in Q1 2021
- It rose to around 29-30% through 2022 and 2023
- Reached 33% in Q1 2024 and 31% in Q2 2024
Regular viewership also stayed steady:
- 10-12% of 18-29 year olds said that they watched esports between Q1 2021 and Q2 2024
- Among all age groups, 5-6% said the same
Prize pools across esports tournaments
Prize money is a clear way to see how active esports tournaments 2025 were, and the latest numbers show a strong competitive scene (Esports Charts, 2025).
Here were the top esports games 2025 by total prize pools:
- Counter-Strike: $28.5 million
- Dota 2: $20.2 million
- Honor of Kings: $20.2 million
- League of Legends: $14.4 million
- Fortnite: $10.7 million
- PUBG Mobile: $9.7 million
- Valorant: $9.6 million
- Rainbow Six Siege: $8.3 million
- Rocket League: $6.6 million
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang: $6.3 million
These figures show how both PC and mobile titles are dictating esports trends.
Most popular esports games 2025 by viewership
Recent esports viewership statistics show that several titles stood out in 2025 (Esports Charts, 2025b). The most popular esports games 2025 included both PC and mobile titles, each attracting large live audiences for events in different regions.
Much of this activity is measuring using peak viewers, meaning the highest number of people watching a broadcast at the same time.
Here’s the peak viewership for top esports games 2025:
- League of Legends (Worlds 2025): 6.7 million
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MPL Indonesia S15): 4 million
- Dota 2 (The International 2025): 1.7 million
- Counter-Strike (Austin Major 2025): 1.7 million
- Valorant (Champions 2025): 1.4 million
- PUBG Mobile (World Cup 2025): 1.3 million
Sponsorship revenue changes
Sponsorship and advertising continue to play major roles in the esports industry, but growth has slowed down (Statista, 2024). The market still grows each year, but the gains are now smaller, highlighting an important part of esports industry trends 2025.
Here is how much revenue grew from one year to the next:
- 2018: +18% compared with 2017
- 2019: +20%
- 2020: +20%
- 2021: +19%
- 2022: +16%
- 2023: +13%
- 2024: +10%
- 2025: +7%
These numbers reflect that the market is still growing, even if it’s growing more slowly than it used to.
Top earning esports teams in 2025
Prize money gives a clear view of how teams performed in esports tournaments in 2025, and the latest esports statistics show a competitive year (Esports Earnings, 2025).
Here are the top earnings by team in 2025:
- Team Vitality: $3.2 million
- Team Spirit: $3.1 million
- Team Falcons: $3.0 million
- Team Liquid: $2.5 million
- Tundra Esports: $1.8 million
- Gen.G Esports: $1.5 million
- PARAVISION: $1.3 million
- All Gamers: $1.3 million
- BetBoom Team: $1.1 million
- Karmine Corp: $1.0 million
Conclusion
The 2025 esports landscape shows steady interest, with prize pools and audience numbers showing a market that’s growing (even if at a slower pace than in previous years). Ultimately, these esports stats highlight a global ecosystem shaped by both PC and mobile games.
FAQs
What is the #1 esport in the world?
League of Legends is often seen as the top esport because of its large audience. Worlds 2025 reached 6.7 million peak viewers, reflecting the game’s strong esports popularity.
Is esports growing or declining?
Esports is growing, just at a calmer pace than before. Esports trends show a stable, maturing industry.
What are esports charts?
Esports Charts is a platform that tracks data on esports, like viewership. In this article, their numbers are often used to understand the esports industry trends for 2025.
What are the most popular esports games right now?
The most popular games are League of Legends, Mobile Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, Valorant, and PUBG Mobile (when considering the number of people watching).
REFERENCES
- Charting the global landscape of esports viewership (YouGov)
- Is interest in esports waning amid industry transformation? (YouGov)
- Esports – Worldwide (Statista)
- Top esports games in 2025 by prize money (Esports Charts)
- Mapping 2025’s biggest esports events around the world — Game by game (Esports Charts)
- Top Teams of 2025 (Esports Earnings)
The post Esports stats 2025: Full year in numbers and trends appeared first on Esports Insider.