Esports games establish the grey area between sports and gaming. The term is used to refer to video games that are highly competitive and organized. They include first-person shooter games, battle royales, multiplayer online battle arenas, and digital versions of physical sports like basketball and soccer. Learn about the top esports games to add to your favorites on Xbox, their tournaments, prize pools, and key features.

The rise of esports has increased the percentage of young people involved in sports in some form. The concept of esports games began in South Korea with the creation of the Korean Esports Association, the first governmental body to regulate competitive video games.

The first two esports games were Starcraft and DOTA 2. Since their release, many other esports games have been launched and played. The development of TV stations and online streaming services also contributed to the growth of esports events and games. The esports experience resembles that of traditional sports.

You can watch esports game matches as you sit in an audience or on your living room sofa to watch physical sports. What’s more, you can also bet on these games. A betting esports website is the best for this. Esports betting works similarly to betting on regular sports. You watch the video gamers compete with each other and hope the results favour your wager.

Where Can I Play Esports Games?

One thing the development of the esports industry has brought about is accessibility. You can participate in esports tournaments using your phone, laptop, tablet, PlayStation, Switch, or Xbox One. This article focuses on Xbox esports games, and some of the best you can find are:

1. Halo

The Halo game series consists of shooter games that brought life to the Xbox platform. The franchise was launched alongside Microsoft’s Xbox in 2001. It comprises 13 games across different genres, each improving on its predecessor. With each game in the series, the developers have attempted to make their multiplayer modes as seamless as possible.

This led to the development of Halo Infinite, a game that combines elements of the previous Halo games but in multiplayer mode. The Halo Infinite multiplayer shooter game features classic weapons reminiscent of old Halo games.

The Halo series has always been popular in the esports scene, but Halo Infinite had its debut just last year. The Halo Championship Series for Halo Infinite had a prize pool of $1,000,000 in 2022.

2. Smite

Smite is a free third-person multiplayer online battle arena game produced by Hi-Rex Studios. It has roleplaying elements where you play divine characters participating in battles using special abilities. This brings us to the religious theme. Smite combines characters from seven religions, such as the Greek god Zeus and the Norse god Thor.

The 5 vs. 5 cross-platform games are made up of teams of minions and gods fighting to eliminate each other and kill a major figure in each team, the Titan. It also features daily quests, six game modes, and a Match Of The Day feature.

Smite World Championship is Smite’s major esports event on which you can bet. The last one was held in January 2022. In Smite tournaments, several teams participate in a series of playoffs. After eliminations, the best six teams are chosen to compete in the final games.

3. FIFA 22

FIFA 22 is a football simulation game. It starts with a 15-minute story that leads you into PSG’s stadium. The story also helps to familiarize you with the game mechanics. It is the latest edition of the FIFA games, and this means it takes into account all the errors in previous editions and offers solutions.

Player control is increased as AI interference has been reduced, and the matches are more competitive than ever. In January 2022, FIFA organized a championship within the European Super League. The tournament was open to 15 players and only available for Xbox accounts of users connecting from Europe.

4. Battlefield

Electronic Arts’ Battlefield Series is a first-person shooter video game series. The multiplayer battles feature squads, soldiers, airplanes, tanks, and other battle-themed elements such as dog tags. Battlefield games have a class system in which a unique weapon is assigned to each class.

The first eSports tournament for Battlefield took place in December 2022. It comprised sixteen teams and was playable on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The prize pool was $50,000 in cash.

5. Overwatch

Overwatch from Blizzard Entertainment is another classic hero game available on Xbox, PlayStation 4, and Windows. It is a first-person shooter where players are grouped into teams with specific duties. The teams include support, defense, and offense, and the players combat teams with similar duties. The game modes include Assault. Hybrid and Control.

Overwatch offers variety in its gameplay and features. Although simple to learn, it may take a couple of games to understand the basics. It also has 16 maps featuring different futuristic locations and 25 characters with distinct stories and abilities.

The Overwatch League was the first global esports league with city-based teams. The 2022 edition was the fifth season. It took place from October 30th to November 4th.

Conclusion

Although the esports industry is growing rapidly, most games are still exclusive to PC. Developers keep introducing features to make thor games more suitable for the esports space, one of which is cross-platform availability. Thanks to this feature of esports games which helps with accessibility issues, more players can compete in and watch tournaments.

There are many free esports games on Xbox. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has also increased the variety of games available on the Xbox platform. Activision Blizzard Media is a leading developer and publisher of interactive games, including your favourite franchises such as Call of Duty and Spyro.