The diversity of game genres available today makes the world of video games more exciting. These genres compensate for the interest of various players in what they prefer to play, be it aiming and shooting enemies with shooting games, doing missions and quests with role-playing games, or solving mind-boggling puzzles through puzzle games.
But one game subgenre among the strategy games that defined an entire generation is the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA). The genre involves players competing against each other while on a predetermined battlefield in a battle between two teams. Usually it happens in a 3v3 or 5v5 environment with specific goals such as destroying the opposing team’s base through attacks and skills used by the player characters.
Esports became popular due to the innovation of the MOBA subgenre to allow multiple players to team up against another team. You could somehow compare a five-on-five MOBA game to a five-on-five game of basketball where each player has a role to play to win. We know how far basketball has come in terms of popularity, and it’s somehow the path MOBA esports games are taking these days as well.
Here’s our list of the 10 best MOBA games of all time, ranked by gameplay, commercial and critical success, and overall impact on the community.
Best MOBA games, ranked
10) Heroes of Newerth
Developed by S2 Games (and later passed on to Frostburn Studios), Heroes of Newerth (HoN) was one of the earliest MOBas to ever exist, borrowing most of the gameplay components and mechanics from Defense of the Ancients (dota 1). It then became one of the first games to establish an esports scene.
HoN achieved commercial and critical success, with notable nominations as Best Online Game and Best MOBA for the Mashable Awards and RTSGuru’s PAX East Awards respectively. Although players may not be able to play the game at this point after the developer decided to quit HoN in June. Still, HoN was one of the games that paved the way for the continued popularity that MOBAs have built over the years.
9) Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Currently defined as the most popular MOBA mobile game in Southeast Asia, Moonton’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) quickly grew into a legitimate esports title thanks to its fast-paced MOBA gameplay, as well as the continuous additions of heroes, which are well diversified based on their skills, design, and stories. MLBB offers other game modes in addition to the traditional 5v5 nine-tower MOBA setup, such as the all-mid Brawl mode and the game version of Magic Chess.
But during the first days, MLBB was involved in several controversies, with Riot Games accusing Moonton of copyright issues, especially with how some of the game’s heroes resemble the champions available in League of Legends. Although they have already settled the lawsuits, MLBB remains a true phenomenon for mobile MOBA gamers today.
8) Arena of Valor
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang may be Southeast Asia’s popular mobile MOBA title, but when we talk about the mobile MOBA that has already achieved worldwide success, it should be Tencent Games Arena of Valor (AoV). Released in 2017, this game enjoyed huge commercial success, especially when it hit the 200 million download mark in 2018.
AoV also grew to become one of the largest mobile esports titles in the world. In fact, it was featured as an official game event for several sporting events such as the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and will still be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games. -integrations, AoV is also fun to play, with the ability to use Batman, Superman, The Flash, and other DC heroes and villains as official in-game heroes.
7) Pokemon UNITE
The first MOBA title from the pokemon franchise, Pokemon UNITE features some of our favorite Pocket Monsters engaged in five-on-five MOBA matches with a twist. Instead of the traditional tower and base destruction mechanic seen on most MOBA titles available, Pokemon UNITE integrates scoring as part of the core gameplay.
The Pokemon used by players acting as their heroes with skills and abilities, must score points by killing other scary Pokémon on the map. Then the scores on different bases must be submerged on the map for the team to own. The team with the highest total score at the end of the time limit wins. Pokemon UNITE is a fresh take on the well-known formula established in MOBA games. And of course it’s a treat to watch Blastoise or Venusaur refuel as they deal damage in a MOBA match.
6) heroes of the storm
One of the most popular MOBAs, heroes of the storm, combined some of the most popular characters from almost all of Blizzard. This game is a crossover of faces from some of the studio’s most popular titles, such as warcraft, starcraft, diabloand overwatch. These heroes are available in the strange world of Nexus, where different universes collide.
The game also had its fair share of esports tournaments and competitions, which became popular with fans, especially from 2015 to 2017. Sadly, it started to wane, especially when Blizzard announced that it would. heroes of the storm entered maintenance mode in July. Still, the game has been truly iconic at one point, with Blizzard giving fans a refreshing take on the MOBA scene after dota 1.
5) Vainglory
Developed by Super Evil Megacorp, Vainglory is considered to be the first MOBA game available for mobile platforms. With its 3v3 or 5v5 matchup modes, players can use a hero of their choice to destroy the enemy team’s towers, base and jungle monsters on the map. It may seem like the same old formula for MOBAs, but being the pioneer to bring it to mobile, made Vainglory a successful game.
It also allowed players to use the cross-platform feature, allowing them to play Vainglory from their phone or PC. The override feature, which allows players to unlock skill adjustments during a match, also helped the game to have its unique gameplay elements. Vainglory, however, does not currently receive any new content from the developer. But the legacy it left as one of the best MOBAs, especially for mobile, will live on forever.
4) To beat
To beat can have the usual MOBA setup and formula, the characters that make it stand out in the subgenre. Players can choose from a pool of 120 gods with different skills and designs. It also has a third-party presentation that is unique from other MOBA games available today.
The game is also eager to collaborate with other franchises, be it other games, movies, or cartoons. Collaborations such as with Avatar: The Last Airbender and other various shows from Nickelodeon all came about To beat. The esports scene is also quite stacked, especially from 2014 to 2016. But still, To beat remains one of the most popular MOBA games to date.
3) Defense of the Ancients
The MOBA subgenre wouldn’t start without Defense of the Ancients (dota 1). This custom card from Warcraft III: Frozen Thronethat should be some kind of minigame became a worldwide phenomenon and changed the course of gaming over the years. dota 1 paved the way for one of the greatest gaming and esports genres of all time.
dota 1‘s gameplay objective is quite simple. You just need to destroy the enemy team’s towers and base to win the game. But the process of doing this makes every match interesting and unique. The heroes used, the skills set by each team and the map objectives contribute to the worldwide success that the MOBA genre has achieved. And it wouldn’t take place if it weren’t for this custom card-slash game mode from Blizzard.
2) dota 2
Having a sequel to a game that became so popular and acclaimed could be a risk. It can sometimes be worth it that it can even be better than the original, or it can be compared as a cheap bootleg to its predecessor. although dota 2 may not be a direct second access to the original dota 1 because it was created by a completely different developer, it became one of the most beloved titles of esports and changed the MOBA subgenre as a whole.
dota 2 retained and enhanced the heroes of dota 1, giving them a new lease of life in terms of graphics, design, and overall presentation. New heroes have been added to the ever-growing number of playable characters in the game, bringing dota 2 a lot better than its predecessor while retaining the original MOBA formula established by the older game.
And speaking of the esports scene, dota 2 will always come out as one of the greatest competitive games in the world. Last year’s iteration of the game’s most prestigious tournament, The International, delivered the largest prize pool in esports history, worth up to $40 million.
1) League of Legends
dota 1 may have been the alpha, but League of Legends (LOL) took the MOBA subgenre to the next level, meaning MOBAs can be considered one of the untouchable subgenres in gaming history.
Riot Games even risked a free-to-play business model for the game, but it paid off then League became so popular that servers even crashed at one point due to the number of players wanting to play the game.
League became popular in the West, but it became an esports sensation when it reached Asia, especially South Korea and China. It became the biggest game during its peak years, beating all other esports titles in the world. The champions, the cards and pretty much everything was so defined and natural to the game. And, of course, the greatest honor a player can achieve is to win the Summoner’s Cup and be hailed as a world champion. Indeed, League has become a culture for most players and gamers around the world, making it the best MOBA game ever.
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