Mobile esports is now a well-established part of the broader esports world. It’s not only generating revenue for companies and event organizers, but also helping the industry grow and remain sustainable. The market has consistently expanded since its beginning, and we’ve seen significant growth in mobile esports. That’s why GamingonPhone is pleased to present our Mobile Esports Year in Review for 2025.
This article feels the most well-rounded and consistent to me. I make it a yearly habit to review what we achieved, how we grew, and what we’re aiming for in the coming year. This year’s review includes some updates and improvements. Let’s take a look back at 2025 and see what we accomplished.
Record-breaking viewership and engagement
So far, 2025 has been a great year for esports, with strong numbers in viewers and engagement. However, a pattern is emerging: the most popular and successful tournaments have all been either Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or League of Legends. A recent report on the year’s most-watched esports events confirmed this, showing that these two games dominated all the top spots.
In 2025, MOONTON’s popular MOBA game dominated the top-performing events, claiming half of the top ten spots. Notably, the Indonesian professional league (MPL ID) actually outperformed the game’s most prestigious tournament.
As expected, the event broke viewership records, peaking at 488,000 average concurrent viewers. The final match was particularly exciting, drawing a peak of 4.1 million viewers as RRQ.H and ONIC competed. Regardless of the outcome, RRQ.H consistently held the spotlight throughout the event, appearing in the top five positions of every match.
Besides Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, other games also attracted viewers. PUBG Mobile, for instance, saw a significant increase in viewership, despite previous concerns about its popularity.
Mobile Esports play an important role in mobile games revenue
It’s pretty unbelievable how far mobile gaming has come. Even though the argument about whether mobile esports really counts as esports is largely over, this particular statistic just feels meaningless.
A recent report by Newzoo forecasts the global video game market will reach $197 billion in 2025, representing a 7.5% increase from the previous year. Although the report doesn’t detail mobile esports specifically, it provides valuable insight into the overall market size and potential.
Surprisingly, mobile games generate as much revenue globally as PC and console games combined. While these numbers might seem unbelievable, they’re happening now. A recent report from Mordor Intelligence estimates the mobile gaming industry will be worth $229.56 billion by 2030, with an expected growth rate of 11.19% per year from 2025 to 2030.
Esports is expected to be a major driver of future growth, and this could be even more significant if new, popular games emerge. If upcoming games, regardless of type, can successfully capture audience interest, we could see another five to ten years of exceptional growth in the industry.
Let’s be honest: esports is booming. Prize money and the overall value of the industry have increased significantly. Growth is happening quickly thanks to investments, team partnerships, the development of academy programs, and revenue from sponsorships – and so far, the industry hasn’t faced any major problems.
Free-to-play games, which make money through in-app purchases, have fundamentally altered how mobile games generate revenue. Esports have further supported this system by boosting community involvement through professional players. Ultimately, this combination increasingly focuses on maximizing profit.
As esports became more popular, it began offering financial rewards through prize pools, supporting the players involved. These larger prizes and improved conditions have created a positive cycle, benefiting both the players and the games themselves. This has led to increased attention and investment, allowing esports to expand into new regions where it previously had limited reach.
Major tournaments and competitive events in 2025: A look back
Mobile esports saw a lot of activity last year, with some games clearly outperforming others in areas like player growth, prize money, and long-term support. We’re not going to analyze why certain games succeeded or failed, but instead, we’ll quickly review the biggest mobile esports titles and their key events.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Each year, the game reveals its plans for competitive esports before the new year begins. Staying true to its community, the game announced its esports roadmap in December 2024. The success of these plans so far this year has significantly boosted the game’s popularity, setting a high bar for other mobile games.
Before the ultimate competition at M7, MLBB held two significant tournaments. These were the MSC 2025 and the EWC 2025, where Team Liquid won first place and Selangor Red Giants OG Esports finished as the runner-up.
PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile is a long-standing leader in mobile esports and has played a huge role in popularizing competitive gaming on phones. The game recently concluded its year-end championship, PMGC 2025, marking the end of its competitive season. Throughout 2025, PUBG Mobile offered a diverse range of events with a strong global presence, creating a truly impressive and expansive esports experience.
Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) was also a success. Supported by KRAFTON, the game hosted four big events – BGIS 2025, BMPS, BMSD, and the Battlegrounds Mobile International Cup 2025. These events demonstrated a strong commitment to its player base, who responded with incredible loyalty.
In 2025, PUBG Mobile kicked off the year with the PMGO, followed by the PMWC 2025. They wrapped up the year successfully with the PMGC 2025. With the 2026 esports plans now revealed, continued growth for the game is expected.
Honor of Kings
Earlier this year, Honor of Kings pledged to invest over $15 million in esports, and the game has followed through on that commitment. While China hosted a number of exclusive events, top-level competitions like the Honor of Kings International Championship 2025, KPL, and KWC were successfully held around the world.
While it’s still trying to surpass Mobile Legends: Bang Bang as the top mobile esport, the game has ambitious plans, and we’ve seen evidence of this through well-executed events around the world.
Call of Duty Mobile
As a big fan, I’ve been amazed to see how Activision brought that classic Call of Duty experience to mobile – it’s seriously impressive! While it hasn’t quite reached everyone yet, it’s not because of the competition, but more because Call of Duty Mobile had to build its own identity alongside the already huge PC and console versions. Still, they’ve done incredible things, like hosting awesome regional events and even a full-blown World Championship in 2025! It’s really exciting to see where they’ll take it next.
While the prize money for the mobile esports competition has decreased, the game remains popular. We previously suggested that Call of Duty Mobile Esports was failing, but it now appears the game could take several years to fully recover and stabilize.
Free Fire
Free Fire is incredibly popular in Asia and South America, boasting a large player base in those regions. While the game’s core audience is in Asia, its esports scene is heavily focused there as well. Though not globally widespread, Free Fire has achieved significant success within its key markets, hosting exciting events like the Esports World Cup and FFWS 2025 for its fans.
Supercell Titles
It’s been a pretty solid year for Supercell’s big three games – Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars. But the absolute highlight for me was watching Revenant XSpark from India make history at the Brawl Stars World Finals 2025! They were the first Indian team to ever reach the top four at a world championship, and honestly, it felt huge. It’s awesome to see them succeed when other teams are having a tough time.
Atlanta recently hosted a fantastic celebration of Supercell’s popular games. As many expected, Mohamed Light took home the win at the Clash Royale League 2025 World Finals. At the same time, fans cheered on the success of Clash of Clans, where Tribe Gaming once again proved their dominance by winning the World Championship 2025.
Pokemon Unite
Pokémon Unite is steadily gaining popularity. The Pokémon UNITE World Championship 2025 recently began, and the game has seen improvements in quality and overall performance, especially in the esports scene. It’s been a strong year for the game competitively.
Esports is not limited to a few titles; the list is becoming longer
Mobile games are leading the way in esports, and we’re seeing other popular titles join in. For instance, the eFootball Championship 2026 will feature both mobile and console esports competitions. Fortnite is also expanding its FNCS 2026 to include mobile esports for the first time, offering a $1 million prize. Partnerships like the one between Gameloft and Ferrari are creating even more opportunities for esports to grow and reach a global audience.
Esports is set for significant growth in 2026 with exciting new events and increased support. The EWC Foundation will launch the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) that year, and Magic Chess: Go Go (MCGG) will host its inaugural international tournament, Rising Stars. Essentially, 2026 will see the introduction of both the ENC by the EWC Foundation and the Rising Stars tournament for MCGG.
Beyond these games, several other titles are also making waves in the esports scene. Just a few months ago, KONAMI hosted the Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship 2025 in Paris. They’re already planning a major event for 2026, focused on Tokyo. The Strategy RPG Summoners War World Arena Championship (SWC) 2025 also drew significant interest, and Delta Force is now entering the competitive gaming world. These games are joining esports because there’s a real opportunity for rewards and recognition, which clearly shows that esports is continuing to grow and succeed.
An expansion across continents
Professional esports is fundamentally about making money. Teams sign players and run events with the primary goal of attracting viewers to stay financially viable. Often, this viewership is concentrated in specific geographic areas.
Mobile esports, like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), initially gained popularity mainly in Southeast Asia. After careful consideration, the game’s creators decided to expand its reach. The Esports World Cup in Riyadh proved to be a major turning point, significantly boosting the game’s success and establishing it as a leading title in the mobile esports scene.
I’ve been incredibly impressed with the performance of PUBG Mobile teams from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) this year. It’s not just about winning tournaments; their dedication to growing esports in the region is truly inspiring. With increasing support from regional authorities, these teams and organizations are showing remarkable progress and a real belief in their potential.
China’s strong performance in esports internationally has become less overwhelming. It seems that competition within China itself isn’t driving as much innovation anymore. While Chinese teams still compete well on the world stage, their previous level of dominance has lessened. This shift is actually positive, as it’s helping to create a more diverse esports landscape and improve the overall health of the industry.
A place among the conventional sports
Competitive video gaming, known as esports, has been growing in popularity for years, even gaining recognition as a medal event in traditional sports. It’s been consistently developing since its beginnings, but to further boost its growth, the first Olympic Esports Games are scheduled for 2027. While still a year away, this announcement clearly signals to the world that esports is becoming a mainstream sport.
The main competitive season for Mobile Legends esports in 2025 has finished. Only the M7 World Championship remains, and it will be held in January. Because of changes to how players qualify for tournaments throughout the year, the championship had to be scheduled for January to complete the season.
A quick take on 2026’s esports plan
Several games recently revealed their plans for 2026, hoping to generate excitement. This increased competition among leading esports titles is good for the industry’s growth and will likely create opportunities for new players to emerge. As esports becomes more established, it’s expected to gain wider acceptance as a career, particularly in regions like Southeast Asia and South America.
Mobile esports saw major growth in 2025. Several leading players achieved remarkable success, setting new records and surpassing previous ones.
2026 promises to be an exciting and action-packed year. Game developers will be pushing the boundaries with stunning visuals and immersive experiences. We have a clear plan in place, and we’re eager to share all the latest developments with you!
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2026-01-02 04:15