The craze for online gaming is limitless and there are multiple genres to play online games. The most popular way to play these games is through gaming consoles like Nintendo gaming machines, PlayStations, Xboxes, and PCs that we used to play at home.
But a recent study shows that online gaming is the next big thing and the future of the video game industry. Not only internationally but also in India we have apps like MPL, India’s leading online gaming, e-sports and Fantastic Cricket Platform that offers more than 60 games of different game genres.
Here in this article, we look at the 10 most popular online games in 2021.
List of the 10 most popular online games in 2021
#ten. Lonely
Lonely One of the most classic card games of all time can be played online. The goal is to sort the cards in descending order, color the board, and as you sort them, place them into four basic piles, from Ace to King. The game requires strategy, planning and luck. There are others Popular variants like FreeCell Solitairewhere almost any game can be won and you can use four open cells to sort your cards and place them in the board.
#9. Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy XIV is a multiplayer role-playing game. The game was developed and published by Square Enix. The game has been released worldwide on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3 since launch. FF14 is the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. It was released after Final Fantasy XI (FF11). This role play includes games such as organizing your home and talking with friends.
#8th. DOTA 2
The DOTA 2 game is the upcoming sequel to Defense of Ancients, which is developed by Blizzard Entertainment. DOTA 2 is played online between two teams of five players each. However, the game’s mission is to defend its distinct base map. Each of the ten players controls their own fascinating character called a “Hero”. Each hero in DOTA 2 has unique game rules, powers and gameplay.
As you can see, DOTA 2 has a sporting background with global teams in various competitions and clubs participating across the world in major DOTA2 esports tournaments. Here. The game was developed by Valve Corporation and has 5 million active players since its launch in 2015.
#7. Hearth
HearthStone – an online digital collectible card game – was a small experimental project from Blizzard Entertainment, but has now become a well-known game. Hearthstone is a two-player turn-based card game that uses custom 30-card decks along with a chosen hero with a unique power.
The game was developed by the popular Blizzard Entertainment and launched worldwide in 2014. It has 29 million active players worldwide.
#6. Minecraft
The best-selling video game of all time, developed and published by Mojang. It is a 3D sandbox game with no specific objectives to achieve, giving users complete freedom to do whatever they want. There is both a first person perspective and a third person perspective.
It also allows the user to create electrical circuits and logic gates to form more complex systems. The game consists of five game modes: Survival, Creative, Hardcore, Adventure and Spectator. The game was developed by Mojang Developer Company in 2011 and has 91 million active online players worldwide.
Related – Will there be an international eSports tournament for Battlegrounds Mobile India?
#5. League of Legends
League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer online battle arena game. It is almost twelve years old and yet it is one of the most played online games and the favorite of its players due to its spectacular fashion scene, great graphics and excitement at every level and in every game.
In this game, teams work together to achieve victory by destroying the main building (called a nexus) of the opposing team’s base, which is protected by defensive structures called turrets or towers. Developed by the famous Riot Games, it was launched in 2009 and still has nearly 67 million active players worldwide.
#4. Counter Strike: Global OffensesI have
It is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game and the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series. It can be played online and offline. In the game, two teams face each other: terrorists and anti-terrorists. Both camps aim to eliminate each other and accomplish separate missions. The terrorists’ objective is to secure a location to plant a bomb and the hostages.
On the other hand, terrorists must either prevent weapons from being planted or defuse them and rescue the hostages. The developer of the game is Valve Corporation. They launched it in 2014 and have an active player base of 32 million active players worldwide.
#3. Fortnite Battle Royale
There’s no shortage of 100-player Battle Royale games, but even in this popular genre, Fortnight Battle Royal stands out with its vibrant colors and exceptional free-form building system. Fortnite Battle Royale is a free-to-play online multiplayer battle royale video game and is perhaps the most popular among top online players, with around 5 million concurrent players.
The main feature that sets this game apart from other Battle Royale games is the game’s building elements that allow players to build walls, obstacles, or other structures using collected resources. There are three different mode versions: Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite Battle Royale, and Fortnite Creative.
Respawn Entertainment produced this game in 2017 and has an active user base of 125 million players in just 4 years, which is commendable.
#2. Apex Legends
Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It is a multiplayer game and is in its fourth season. In this game, up to 20 squads of three land on an island and search for weapons and supplies to defeat all other players in combat.
Each player must keep moving to avoid being caught outside the playing area. The last team still alive wins the corresponding round. Apex Legends takes place in the same sci-fi universe as Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall and Titanfall 2. The developers of the game are Respawn Entertainment in 2019, which had 50 million players in the first month of its release. This game will also have a mobile version very soon since the game is in alpha testing phase.
#1. PUBG
PUBG is the most realistic online multiplayer battle royale game and one of the most popular and played online games in the world. This game is so unpredictable that no two games are the same and that is why it has taken the internet by storm. It is a player versus player shooter in which up to a hundred players compete in a battle royale, a sort of large-scale deathmatch in which players fight to reach the end of the match and stay alive.
Players can decide whether they want to participate in a game alone, in pairs, or with a small team of up to four people. The last surviving player or team wins the game. It can be played on both a computer and a mobile phone. Although the mobile version is banned in India, they are launching a new game called Battlegrounds Mobile India for Indian players.
The game was developed by PUBG Corporation and released worldwide in 2016. The mobile version was released in 2018. It has over 400 million active players, which is simply huge.
Valorant (honorable mention)
Valorant is a team-based tactical first-person shooter set in the near future. Players take on the role of one of many Agents, characters designed around different countries and cultures around the world. In the main game mode, players are assigned to either the attacking or defensive team, with each team consisting of five players.
Like Valorant and CS:GO have almost the same concept of 5v5 gameplay where one team tries to plant the bomb. It has attracted many professional CS:GO players. The game was developed by Riot games It was released in 2020 and is still celebrating its 1st anniversary.
It should be noted that video games like those on our list, although very popular, have faced competition from casino games over the past 10 years. Their way of attracting players is similar, but the results can be very different. Demo versions are the ones accessed first, so future gaming sessions won’t be uncharted territory.