The second quarter of 2025 brought another wave of impressive milestones for the global esports scene. From mobile titles dominating the charts to classic PC heavyweights holding their ground, top-tier tournaments drew millions of fans from around the world. Ten different events surpassed the 1 million peak viewers mark, a sharp rise from just six in Q1. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular tournaments and the standout moments that defined Q2.
Most popular esports games in Q2 2025 by PV
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang claimed the title of the most popular esports game in Q2 2025, drawing more than 4.1 million concurrent viewers. The viewership spike came during the grand final of MPL Indonesia Season 15, where ONIC edged out RRQ Hoshi in a thrilling 4:3 showdown. That match made MPL Indonesia Season 15 the #1 tournament in the league’s history, and the seventh most popular esports event of all time by peak viewership.
League of Legends secured the #2 spot for peak viewership in Q2 2025, drawing 1.96 million concurrent viewers. That surge came during the LCK Road to MSI 2025, particularly the decisive match between T1 and Hanwha Life Esports for the final Mid-Season Invitational slot. T1 swept the series 3:0 in commanding fashion, and as of now, LCK Road to MSI 2025 stands as the third most popular tournament of the year.
Read more: LCK Road to MSI becomes the most popular desktop esports event of 2025
Valve’s Counter-Strike 2 claimed the third spot in Q2 2025 with a peak viewership of 1.78 million, driven by the grand final of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, where Team Vitality delivered a win over The MongolZ. The Austin Major currently stands as the most popular CS2 tournament of 2025 and ranks fourth all-time among all Counter-Strike tournaments.
Valorant landed in fourth place and was the final title in Q2 2025 to break the 1 million peak viewers mark. The main driver behind those numbers was VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025, a major tournament that happened to run concurrently with the BLAST.tv Austin Major. While the Paper Rex vs. Fnatic matchup delivered plenty of excitement, it was the Counter-Strike final that ended up drawing the bigger crowd.
Read more: BLAST.tv Austin Major outshines VCT Masters Toronto across all key viewership metrics
Just like last quarter, Arena of Valor held onto the fifth spot in the rankings, but this time with a much stronger showing. The game hit a peak of 872,000 concurrent viewers at Arena of Glory Spring 2025 finals, which concluded in May. In a thrilling 4:3 showdown, Saigon Phantom pulled off a dramatic comeback win against Team Flash. The tournament set a new all-time viewership record for the Arena of Glory series, beating the previous milestone by nearly 33%.
Top esports tournaments in Q2 2025 by PV
Several tournaments featured in the current rankings are still underway and will carry over into Q3 2025. We're expecting even stronger peak viewership numbers from these events — and there's a good chance they’ll make an appearance in next quarter’s top charts as well.
Beyond the tournaments already mentioned, both ESL Snapdragon Pro Series: Mobile Masters 2025 and MPL Philippines Season 15 deserve a spotlight of their own as each event broke viewership records for its respective series. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang continues to grow in popularity with every season, and in terms of viewership, some of its regional leagues now draw audiences several times larger than Majors or World Championships in other esports titles.
Read more: MPL Philippines Season 15 reaches new viewership record for the region
Overall, the competitive landscape hasn’t shifted much. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike remain the dominant forces in esports. Valorant continues to hold a steady spot in the top 10, though typically only during major events like the Masters. Meanwhile, tournaments for Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile, Fortnite, and Battlegrounds Mobile India rounded out the top 20, showing the growing influence of mobile and battle royale titles.
