New figures put Dota 2 vs LoL vs CS:GO Majors head to head to head. The League of Legends World Championships, also known as Worlds, is one of the biggest spectacles in esports. However, with the biggest prize pool in esports, The International is just as prestigious. Meanwhile, CS:GO Majors also have a huge, dedicated fanbase. So which is the biggest?
New statistics from ESCharts.com compare the three major esports tournaments in 2018 viewership, with some interesting findings. All three shine in certain areas, but which is the best and biggest esport overall?
Dota 2 vs LoL vs CS:GO Majors 2018 – Which is the Biggest?
According to the figures, LoL Worlds 2018 was bigger than the CS:GO FACEIT London Major and TI 2018 by far.
The League of Legends World Championships 2018 hit a peak viewership of 1,958,619. This excludes Chinese views, which are largely considered to be inflated. The Chinese peak viewership was 203,389,444 while the English peak was 936,601.
Not only did it attract a huge viewership on Twitch and YouTube, but LoL Worlds 2018 also sold out cinemas for the Grand Finals. Chinese team Invictus Gaming took home the trophy.
“We have waited seven years for this moment. To be able to enjoy this moment of glory, everything was worth it.”
🎥 Watch “Eyes on Worlds: The Year of the LPL”: https://t.co/Xa8PEv648N pic.twitter.com/atEMvC8B58
— lolesports (@lolesports) November 9, 2018
The International 2018, Dota 2’s annual major, amassed 1,195,309 peak viewers (excluding Chinese). It also got a peak Chinese viewership of 13,805,985 and an English peak of 659,915.
The win went to OG Esports in a Grand Finals match against PSG.LGD.
Against all odds, we stood united, fought until the very end and became your #TI8 Champions!
The Dream is now real. @OG_BDN0tail @7ckngMadDOTA @iamJERAX @TopsonDota @anadota99 #DreamOG pic.twitter.com/cDc6CGvKyW
— OG (@OGesports) August 26, 2018
Meanwhile, the CS:GO London Major 2018 racked up peak views of 1,084,126. The English peak was 767,513, beating Dota 2’s, while the amount of Chinese viewers is unknown.
The win went to long-running world #1 team Astralis in what many considered a straight-forward tournament with no major upsets.
Dota 2 vs LoL vs CS:GO Majors – Biggest Prize Pool
While LoL Worlds 2018 may have far outweighed CS:GO and Dota 2 in viewership, the prize pool is another matter.
LoL Worlds 2018 had an overall prize pool of $2,250,000. Invictus took home a Grand Prize of $843,750 between them. Astralis’ win in the FACEIT London CS:GO Major netted them $500,000 from an overall prize pool of $1,000,000.
Of course, The International comes out on top in terms of prize money. Dota 2 has long been the highest paying esports game, and TI 2018 had a prize pool of $25,532,177.
OG Esports won a whopping $11,234,158. The International’s prize pool is the biggest in esports, largely thanks to it being funded by in-game purchases of the Compendium each year.