There global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has prompted governments all over the world to issues lockdown measures in order to stop the spread of this serious illness. This means that most of us cannot do the things we love, including spending time with our family and friends. However, there is the eSports genre that you can play online with your friends.
If you are interested in learning which eSports games you should try during 2024, this article has got your back! The text below is going to feature a list of some of the most popular franchises that you should opt for trying. But, let’s first take a look at what the eSports genre actually is:
eSports: Explained
Thousands of new games are released every year, hence, why aren’t all of them called eSports? Well, that is mostly due to the fact that it needs to meet specific requirements to qualify in the eSport genre. There are some basic rules and guidelines that make it an eSport franchise including:
- How Popular It is – in order to qualify, a particular franchise needs to be extremely popular. Why? Well, if it is not, there would be no point in organizing competitions, there would be no prize pools, and the tournaments would not have viewers.
- The Skills Needed – of course, most of these are easy to operate, however, the developers behind such pastimes often include specific skills that people can utilize for separating themselves from bad ones.
- The Experience Needed – the most important part of this category is the experience, especially the one revolving around leagues and tournaments. The viewing experience needs to be high, otherwise, it makes no sense.
There are also popular eSports genres including:
- MOBA – feature RPG elements that allow you to control other characters within the battle arena.
- FPS – where you control a character and battle other individuals with your weapons.
- Sports – where you opt for a team and compete against a different one.
- Battle Royale – where you compete online against characters that are controlled by other people.
The Most Popular eSports Franchises to Try in 2024
As mentioned earlier in the article, thousands of new games are released every year, including hundreds of eSports ones. Naturally, some are not as popular as the others, but, the most popular ones that you can try playing online with your friends, family members, or complete strangers are:
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“CS: GO”
Counter-Strike has been around for a long time, however, CS: GO is one of the most loved and popular multiplayer FP shooting franchises that you can find. While playing it, you’ll need to expect to come across various situations including defusing bombs or you can be outnumbered and try to survive the match against other people.
As a player, you’ll need to have good skills, especially if you actually want to win against other individuals. This means that you’ll need to improve your shooting skills, as well as your ability to use the environment as a cover while taking fire. It is an incredibly successful franchise, one that is here to stay.
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“Valorant”
Valorant is a strategic shooting franchise that incorporates 2 teams each made from five people. Each match has 25 rounds and the team that wins 13 of the first is considered the winner of the game. You’ll be able to opt for your character at the beginning of the game and if you are a complete beginner, fear not you can learn more about the weapons and abilities you can purchase online.
Similarly to other games in this genre, Valorant can be downloaded for free. However, it is only available on computers that run on Windows, but, the developers behind the game are thinking about expanding it to other devices and operating systems as well. Keep in mind that you won’t find it on Steam, instead, you’ll need to look for it on the official website.
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“Rocket League”
Although this particular franchise might not be as popular as the other ones on this list, it is still worth mentioning it, especially since it is completely accessible. It is an incredibly fun game and it is quite easy to learn how to operate it. Basically, you can think of it as soccer, but with cars, and its minimalistic features are what people love about it.
The game is slowly – but surely – becoming increasingly popular, especially since the developers behind it opted for adding a wide range of features, customization opportunities, as well as tournaments, which is probably one of the reasons why Rocket League is becoming increasingly popular.
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“Fortnite”
Most people are already familiar with “PUBG”, however, did you hear about a battle royale franchise that is called “Fortnite”? Well, if you did not hear about it before, you should know that it is one of the most played games over the last 3 years. It has 3 basic modes that you can opt for, including battle royale, creative, and save the world.
Depending on what you choose, you’ll be placed in a different setting. For instance, choosing ‘save the world’ will mean that you need to work with other people in order to defeat zombie-like enemies, however, you’ll also need to build objects to defend yourself. The ‘battle royale mode’ is already quite understandable, but what does ‘creative’ mean?
Well, to be completely honest, it is one of the most fun aspects of the game. Why you might ask? It is quite simple when you access the ‘creative’ mode, you’ll be able to completely customize the world you are in, you’ll be able to build arenas, all while having complete freedom to do what you want to. This is why most people recommended that players should try all options first.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, these are the top online games that you can play with your friends, family members, or complete strangers during the time you spend social distancing. So, now that you know what you can opt for, head to YouTube, watch some professionals play the game and determine which one might suit your needs, skills, and experience.
