When it comes to English-speaking audiences, which mainly consist of the Western world, it is clear to most long-time/hardcore fans which games and their competitive segments rule the roost. Names like Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Apex Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Dota 2. They all have created special spaces for themselves among fans from these regions.
This relationship reflects how English audiences react to and follow different disciplines, players, and tournaments across the globe throughout the year. For example, when it comes to leagues and competitions in CoD or Fortnite, they are the main markets and are guaranteed to invest more than a hundred percent in terms of their support for teams or players.
All viewership statistics listed in this article are taken from data based on English broadcasts from Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, SteamTV, Trovo, Kick, Facebook, and AfreecaTV.
With so much that has come to pass this competitive season. Including record-setting tournaments and matches, it is always fun to reflect on what transpired as we ready ourselves for the new year. Sticking with the language theme, here are the ten most popular esports competitions from 2023 among English-speaking audiences. The entries below are taken baked on Peak Viewers, which denotes the highest number of viewers watching a content unit, game, channel, etc. simultaneously.
#10 – IEM Cologne 2023
The IEM Cologne 2023 takes the tenth place on this list thanks to the Grand Final between G2 Esports and ENCE. Which the European side won 3:1. Their series notched 443.3K Peak Viewers. As viewers from across the continent and the Atlantic tuned in to see who would prevail in this $1M CS2 event.
English viewers played a major part in helping CS:GO’s main event of the summer end as the second most popular competition in the discipline this year. It also surpassed all previous championships held in Cologne when looking at total Hours Watched and Average Viewers on all the broadcasts.
#9 – The International 2023
Next is The International 2023, whose most popular match among English viewers was the Grand Final between Team Spirit and Gaimin Gladiators at 457.4K PV. This clash of two Dota 2 heavyweights saw the Russian side win 3:0 to become only the second-ever two-time Aegis winners (the first was OG, who were victors in 2018 and 2019).
Unfortunately, this season finale saw a viewership decline, finishing as only the fourth most popular in the series after falling by 18% compared to last year’s edition. Most worryingly, this Dota 2 event ranked only 12th among championships by Peak Viewers this year, falling behind even regional tournaments of other disciplines.
#8 – M4 World Championship
Eighth is the M4 World Championship, whose Grand Final between ECHO
and Blacklist International
saw 477.1K PV. This all-Philippines clash was a major reason for this MLBB competition
breaking records by becoming one of the most popular tournaments in esports history. The main English-speaking viewers for this event were also SEA viewers who were from places like Malaysia, Singapore, and Myanmar.
Most crucially, it emerged many times more popular than the previous iteration across all indicators of viewer activity (watch time increased by 27% and both peak and average viewership by 33%). In fact, when looking at the maximum simultaneous audience, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s most prestigious tournament outperformed major series like The International and LoL’s Worlds between 2019 and 2021.
#7 – Mid-Season Invitational 2023
The Mid-Season Invitational 2023 ranks seventh after achieving 492K PV during the Upper Bracket Final between T1 and JD Gaming. This clash between Asian heavyweights South Korea and China saw the latter prevail, coming back from 1:2 down to win 3:2 before going all the way and winning the entire thing.
With this being JDG’s first major victory in the international arena, the viewership numbers of this LoL competition saw several series records, including for total Hours Watched and the Peak Viewers. With active community casting also playing a significant role, the MSI 2023 became the series’ best tournament by all key metrics.
#6 – VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo
The best of the rest in this top ten table is the VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, which hit 493.7K PV during the Fnatic versus LOUD Grand Final. The English side clinched a nail-biter 3:2. During which it gave away a 2:0 lead before finally sealing the deal in overtime 14-12 in the decider.
The Brazilian side’s run to the summit clash in front of an adoring home crowd helped this Valorant event reach several milestones. It became the second most popular tournament by PV in the history of Valorant esports, although English did see a fall of 18.1% in its overall share of the watch time compared to the previous competition, the VCT 2021 Reykjavik.
#5 – M5 World Championship
Coming in fifth is the M5 World Championship, which set quite a few records for mobile esports and the competitive scene in general, with 500K PV. The most popular match viewed by English audiences was the Grand Final between ONIC Esports and Bren Esports, which the latter edged 4:3 to bring joy to the home fans.
Despite the absence of RRQ, the most popular side in the discipline globally, the home side’s fairytale win helped this MLBB competition become the most popular one in the series. It also became the number-one event in the discipline by peak viewership and the first to cross 5M PV.
#4 – LCK Spring 2023
The LCK Spring 2023 garnered a maximum of 528.5 PV courtesy of the Grand Final that saw Gen.G Esports ease past T1 3:1. Two of the biggest names in the Korean LoL scene going head to head was bound to raise sparks, and the latter’s win continued a run of near misses for Faker and his team.
With their now iconic rivalry seeing another chapter unfold. Thousands of fans tuned into the action to help the competition become the most popular one in league history (at that time). They would meet in the summit clash yet again at the next split. Helping break the same record and make it the top name by Peak Viewers.
#3 – VALORANT Champions 2023
The first name in the top three is the Valorant Champions 2023. Which registered 690.2K PV when Evil Geniuses faced Paper Rex in the Grand Final and won 3:1. Despite the North American team becoming the new Valorant world champion, the event turned out to be less popular than its previous iteration and the VCT 2023 LOCK//IN when considering the overall viewership.
The tournament winner also avenged its 1:2 Upper Bracket Final loss to the Singaporean side. Intriguingly, only two matches at this Valorant event crossed the 1M concurrent viewers mark, with both involving the competition finalists.
#2 – BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023
Second is the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 that garnered 908.5K PV during the Grand Final between Team Vitality and GamerLegion. The dominant French side eased to a 2:0 victory to remain unbeaten through this tournament and win a second straight S-tier series after the IEM Rio 2023.
The last-ever CS:GO Major entered the all-time top fives for most watched and popular events in the series. And set some language records along the way, giving the game a fitting send-off to the legendary title. It was also a special event for dupreeh, who nabbed a fifth career Major to become the richest and most decorated pro ever in the discipline. He is also the only pro to play at all 19 Majors Valve organized.
#1 – 2023 World Championship [Worlds 2023]
Topping this leaderboard, unsurprisingly, is the 2023 World Championship [Worlds 2023] — the new monster in the competitive jungle — with 1.6M PV. The summit clash featuring T1 and Weibo Gaming saw the South Koreans end a seven-year wait to win the world title.
Home fans at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul were ecstatic as they finally saw their hero, Faker, gain redemption and end a turbulent year on a massive high. T1 also won this competition in 2013, 2015, and 2016. It is the only side to have won arguably the most coveted trophy in all of esports more than twice.
It has to be remembered that this milestone event saw the largest audience for Korean, English, and Vietnamese broadcasts in all of esports. So the peak viewership mark was achieved despite a 39.6% fall in English’s watch time from the previous iteration. Proving how invested these audiences were in the journey of Faker and T1. Even though only one representative from the Western world made the Knockout Stage.
This event has definitely set the benchmark for all other tournaments and disciplines. To achieve come the new season and further enhanced the pretty open view that LoL and its world championship are the gold standard when it comes to the esports industry. Whether the event can continue to grow and break records when it heads to London in 2024 remains to be seen.
