Esports 3.3B hours watched in 2025; Counter-Strike and mobile lead

Esports Charts reported that live esports consumption reached 3.3 billion hours in 2025, excluding mainland China, a 1.5% increase from 2024. The organization said engagement exceeded levels seen during the COVID‑19 peak.

Broadcasters and tournament organizers expanded distribution models in 2025, with co‑streaming by independent creators becoming a common approach. Nearly every tier‑1 title used creators to host alternative streams; in League of Legends, Marc “Caedrel” Lamont’s costreams sometimes surpassed the official broadcast in peak viewers by pairing in-depth analysis with a watch‑party atmosphere.

Mobile esports accounted for more than 25% of total live viewership. Esports Charts identified Battlegrounds Mobile India, Arena of Valor, Honor of Kings and Clash Royale among the fastest-growing mobile titles.

New PC and console releases also added viewership. Marvel Rivals became the second-fastest-growing title by hours watched, Delta Force launched a global tournament circuit, and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves was included in major events such as the Esports World Cup. PUBG: Battlegrounds introduced additional streaming formats and reached its highest audience levels since launch.

Counter-Strike was the largest contributor to overall growth. Hours watched for the title rose 33% in 2025. Esports Charts attributed the increase to higher investment from tournament organizers and sponsors in the gambling and betting industries, a denser competitive calendar, more events and a larger field of top teams and headline co‑streamers. The title’s gains offset declines across the six most-decreased games in the dataset.

Total prize money in esports exceeded $272.6 million in 2025, a 15% increase from 2024. Counter-Strike’s prize pool increased by more than $9 million, surpassing Dota 2 as the game with the largest total payouts. League of Legends prize pools rose by over $5 million after organizers doubled rewards for the World Championship and the Esports World Cup. Valorant also posted prize-pool gains.

Esports Charts has tracked live viewership since 2016 and provided the data referenced in the 2025 figures.