Mobile Esports is an established genre in the multifaceted route of esports. The presence not only brings revenue to the companies and organizers, but it also strengthens the thread of existence to ensure a longer and more sustainable journey. Besides, we must not forget the market size of the industry, which hasn’t taken any pause at all since the inauguration. As we experienced an “expected” and maybe “beyond expected” growth in mobile esports, we’re bringing you another GamingonPhone’s Mobile Esports Year in Review for 2025.
I think, for me, this is by far the most consistent article in terms of content. I mean, each year it becomes a habit for me to jot down the successes, growth, and expectations for the year that passed and the year that is coming ahead. However, this year also hits the same with a slew of tweaks. Now, let’s recap the year and see where 2025 has gotten us.
Record-breaking viewership and engagement
2025 has been a massive success so far in terms of viewership and engagement. But the itching starts when all the successful tournaments are either from Mobile Legends Bang Bang or League of Legends. A report of the most-watched esports tournaments showcased the events that took place throughout the year, and all the positions are claimed by the two games.
To look at the performance of the events in 2025, MOONTON‘s popular MOBA claimed half of the top 10 positions. Among the events, the country’s professional league for Indonesia (MPL ID) performed better than the highest-tier event for the game.
Not to everyone’s surprise, the event set a record for average concurrent viewers by reaching the highest point of 488,000 concurrent viewers. The grand final was even more engaging as the battle between RRQ.H and ONIC hit 4.1 million peak viewers. Whatever the result was for RRQ.H, the team was the center of attraction at the whole event by staying in every position of the top-five matches.
Apart from MLBB, other titles managed to collect some number. For example, PUBG Mobile has returned with a great number of viewership counts, where it is thought to be a dying light.
Mobile Esports play an important role in mobile games revenue
This is probably one of the ridiculous stats of the gaming industry. Though we have gone so far beyond the debate on “mobile esports is not esports”, I believe this thing doesn’t have any gravity at all.
An analysis of the global game market by Newzoo revealed that the global games market is expected to reach $197 billion in 2025, growing +7.5% year on year. While this report does not clearly specify the mobile esports part, it certainly is enough to help us undeerstand the depth.
An interesting fact is that the global revenue of mobile games is equal to the sum of both the PC and Console platforms. The performance of mobile titles may seem unreal, but it’s happening in real time. According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the value of the mobile games industry alone is projected to reach USD 229.56 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.19% from 2025 to 2030.
And to one’s surprise, esports will definitely play a vital role in this growth. And maybe even more if a few games get into the market. Irrespective of their genres, if the games that will come into the market in the future can attract the audience well, we may see another half or full decade of unprecedented growth.
Now, let’s forget projection and do real talk. The esports scene has gone up very much in terms of prize pool and other values. The investments, collaborations with teams, academy build-up, and sponsored incomes have pushed the industry to grow at a rapid speed, without having any major setbacks.
The free-to-play model, with in-app purchases, has changed the mobile gaming monetization system. And no matter what the contribution is, esports backed the system by creating more engagement from the community with the help of esports athletes. Thus, it’s creating a tunnel, leading to only cash generation.
By the time esports grew, it also subsidized the engaged personnel by providing monetary support via prize pools. The prize is now more with a better environment for the players, acting under a better environment. This created a win-win situation for both the players and the game itself, drawing more attention and attracting additional investments. So, expansion into other regional spaces where it seemed to have little influence has now become possible.
Major tournaments and competitive events in 2025: A look back
Each of the mobile esports carriers had a notable run last year. While some titles showed complete dominance in progression, prize pool, commitment, and all, some could only achieve the primary targets. We won’t be looking at the core behind a title’s rise or fall; rather, let’s recap the major esports titles and their events.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
The title generally announces the esports roadmap before stepping into a new year. Following the commitment to the community, the game announced its esports roadmap in December 2024. A perfect execution so far this year has only taken the game to a new level, challenging other mobile titles to outperform them completely.
Apart from the regional leagues, MLBB hosted two major events before reaching the final showdown in the M7. The MSC 2025 shared stage with EWC 2025, where Team Liquid became the champion and Selangor Red Giants OG Esports pocketed the runner-up trophy.
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile is a marathoner in mobile esports and one of the biggest contributors behind the rise of esports on small screens. The game carried out its year finale event, the PMGC 2025 a few days ago and wrapped the journey for this year. Following its 2025 esports circuit, the title was the most diverse and maintained a dynamic roadmap. The number of events, along with a vast and widespread presence all over the world, is enough to provide a sudden, awe-filled immensity.
The Indian version of the game, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), also performed well. Backed by KRAFTON, it carried out four major events: BGIS 2025, BMPS, BMSD, and the Battlegrounds Mobile International Cup 2025. All of the events proved the commitment to the community, and also, in return, the fans showed loyalty second to none.
The first major event for PUBG Mobile in 2025 was the PMGO, and the next was at PMWC 2025. After the successful completion of both events, the game also closed the year with PMGC 2025. As the esports roadmap for 2026 is also announced, the journey of growth will continue for sure.
Honor of Kings
Honor of Kings made a promise earlier this year when it announced the esports roadmap. It announced the investment in esports would be more than $15 million. And, the game kept its promise, delivering a massive sum to the competitive events. Though China alone gets the biggest share by getting exclusive events for itself, the top-tier events broke out globally. Thus, we managed to witness successful events such as Honor of Kings International Championship 2025, KPL, and KWC.
Though the title is still struggling to catch the sole dominator in mobile esports, MLBB, it has quite some plans, and we know by seeing the execution of events in different regions.
Call of Duty Mobile
The console-like gameplay on a small screen has been made possible by Activision, and the company has gathered more success than it anticipated. Though the appeal is still confined to a portion of the world, the game is not behind because the competitors are tough, but because Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) had to remain in the shadow of the original title on PC and Console. However, the game completed major events like the regionals, and the World Championship 2025.
The prize pool of the esports event for the mobile version saw a decline in number, though the appeal hasn’t gone out to date. We reported earlier that CODM Esports is dying, however, it seems it will or might take some years for the game to get stabilized.
Free Fire
Free Fire dominates in the Asia and South America region in terms of player count. While most of the players are from Asia, the game plans its esports by putting the focus on this region. The global footprint is not massive, but it did quite well within its boundaries. The fans experienced events like the Esports World Cup and the FFWS 2025.
Supercell Titles
Now, the triple alliance of Supercell’s three main titles: Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars, has spent a decent year. The most exciting thing happened during the Brawl Stars World Finals 2025 as Revenant XSpark from India became the first Indian team to enter the top four in a world championship. While the teams are struggling in other disciplines, this hits just different.
Atlanta, USA, got quite a decoration this year to celebrate the drums from the main Supercell titles. I wasn’t surprised again to see Mohamed Light winning the Clash Royale League 2025 World Finals. Parallely running with the other two, fans were submerged in joy with the titles from the company. Clash of Clans awarded the same champion, Tribe Gaming, again in 2025 in the World Championship 2025.
Pokemon Unite
Yes, Pokémon Unite is quietly catching the race. With a focus on providing a clean experience to the players, the Pokémon UNITE World Championship 2025 kicked off. Later, we experienced some quality management in the game. I’m not going to be harsh, rather the game really performed well throughout the year in terms of esports.
Esports is not limited to a few titles; the list is becoming longer
Not only are these the carriers of mobile esports, but other games are stepping in. For example, eFootball Championship 2026 returns with Mobile and Console esports action. Not to mention, Fortnite expands FNCS 2026 to Mobile Esports for the first time with a $1 Million prize pool. An exciting partnership like Gameloft’s partnership with Ferrari also generated another branch of hope to see esports in more places, reaching the corners of the world.
Coming back to esports, 2026 will also feature a major upgrade in events and support. EWC Foundation announces Esports Nations Cup (ENC) to debut in 2026, and on the other hand, Magic Chess: Go Go (MCGG) will host the first official international esports tournament, Rising Stars. In 2026, EWC Foundation will introduce a new event named the Esports Nations Cup (ENC).
Apart from these games, there are more. KONAMI carried out the Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship 2025 in Paris, France, a couple of months ago. Centered on Tokyo, the 2026 plan is also ready for the title. Strategy RPG Summoners War World Arena Championship (SWC) 2025 also accumulated some attention, and yes, we should not forget Delta Force is stepping into esports. Without possibilities to gain something, these titles wouldn’t join. Thus, it is clear that esports is on the right track.
An expansion across continents
Esports, when it is on a professional level, is absolutely driven by pecuniary value. Organizations hire players, run operations, and perform other activities to grab as much viewership as possible to survive. Sometimes the audience is limited to regional stages.
Mobile esports, for example, MLBB, was limited only to the people in the SEA region. However, the game took some time to analyze and determine a possible expansion. With the help of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, the game boomed in the market and sat in the driver’s seat.
As I’ve experienced the year so far, I was equally electrified and overjoyed with the performance that MENA teams showed in PUBG Mobile. Not only for a particular title, but the commitment it showed to overall esports is also amazing. The teams and organizations started to believe, and so, with proper support from the authority in the region, the progress is remarkable.
The Chinese dominance outside its market eased a bit. Maybe the competition within the state boundary no longer offers new ideas. Though the Chinese teams performed wholesome in global events, the dominance isn’t intact like before. These great practices help diversify the esports premise and also the overall health of esports as an industry.
A place among the conventional sports
Esports has been around for quite a few years after receiving the status of a medal event in conventional sports. So, it has been running since the inauguration and performing well. However, to give it more acceleration, Olympic Esports Games is ready to host the first-ever Olympic Esports Games in 2027. Though there’s still a year left, the timeline sends a clear message to the global market that esports is becoming a conventional game as well.
The official esports circuit for mobile esports titles in 2025 is now closed, and only the M7 World Championship remains to complete the yearly round, which will take place in January. The diversified system and pathway for Mobile Legends’ esports circuit left the game with no other option but to host the event in January.
A quick take on 2026’s esports plan
As you can see, several games announced their plans for 2026, an attempt to drive attention to the games. The competition among the top esports games is healthier for the overall growth, and also a booster for more unsung heroes to join the competition. Esports as a profession will then be more accepted worldwide, especially in regions like SEA, and the SA.
The mobile esports industry experienced significant growth in 2025 in various ways. A few pioneers paved the way to claim an untouchable height by setting new records and breaking the old ones.
2026 will be more dynamic, more thrilling. The titles will try to glaze more than the others with everything they have. The roadmap is clear, the stage is set, and we’ll be bringing you the latest for 2026!
Read our other esports articles:
- 33rd SEA Games 2025 begins this December 13
- Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League (PUACL) 2026
- PUBG Mobile wins the Mobile Esports Game of the Year at the Esports Awards 2025
- Magic Chess: Go Go unveils the GO1 World Championship
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