Esports Power Rankings August 2025: Viewership, Prize Pools & Betting Trends
August 2025 was a thrilling month for esports, packed with major tournaments, huge audiences, and buzzing betting markets. We analysed viewership numbers (peak and total watch time), participation in August tournaments, and betting market performance (share of handle and variety of prop bets). The Top 5 esports below are those that proved popular and profitable for both gamers and betting operators.
#5: PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile grabbed the world's attention in August, especially with its highlight at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. The Grand Finals hit 1.39 million peak concurrent viewers, showing mobile esports are really taking off.
With a $3.05 million prize pool, PUBG Mobile continues to offer some of the biggest rewards in mobile gaming worldwide. Betting sites had markets for match winners, eliminations, and overall standings, with lots of wagers coming from Southeast Asia and India, where mobile gaming is a huge part of life. For Nigerian players, this title offers exciting mobile betting opportunities.
The combination of high viewership, big prize money, and a mobile-first audience makes PUBG Mobile a strong contender at #5, especially for betting markets looking for fast-paced, engaging contests.
#4: League of Legends
Even though the League of Legends World Championship is later in the year, its constant presence in esports and betting is undeniable. Last year's Worlds attracted nearly 7 million peak viewers, the highest ever for the title, and 2025 is set to continue that trend.
Betting platforms consider LoL a staple. Markets for outright winners, props like first blood or total map kills, and fantasy contests across regional leagues keep players engaged. August might be quieter, but regional playoffs and Worlds qualifiers maintain betting interest, especially in Europe, Korea, and North America. Many Nigerian esports fans also follow these global leagues intensely.
As the blueprint for franchised esports, LoL secures its #4 spot with its established betting infrastructure, consistent fan engagement, and proven global appeal.
#3: Valorant
Valorant, Riot’s tactical shooter, continues to accelerate through 2025, powered by its global Champions Tour and steady growth in both viewership and betting markets.
Its blend of colorful agent designs, hero-style mechanics, and tactical depth gives bettors unique markets to engage with—ranging from map winners to first-kill props. In August, ongoing regional league action kept betting interest high, particularly in North America and Europe, with Asia’s appetite rapidly growing through mobile-driven wagering platforms.
With its combination of structure, storytelling, and prop-friendly gameplay, Valorant secures the #3 spot as one of the most attractive titles for both fans and bookmakers.
#2: Counter-Strike 2
August 2025 was another banner month for Counter-Strike 2 (CS2). The IEM Cologne Major and BLAST events delivered packed schedules and a $1 million prize pool at Cologne alone.
CS2’s audience is booming: viewership in 2025 is up more than 50% year-over-year, while the BLAST Austin Major earlier this season set a new record with over 71 million hours watched. Betting markets mirror this surge—CS2 accounted for well over 60% of global esports betting handle at the start of 2025, far ahead of other titles.
With simple, binary outcomes, global appeal, and unmatched market depth, CS2 is the bedrock of esports betting. It would easily sit at #1 in many rankings, but another title’s unique mix of prestige and complexity edges it out this month.
#1: Dota 2
Dota 2 may save its biggest moment—the International—for later in the year, but its overall impact on esports and betting in August is impossible to overlook. Its history of record-breaking prize pools, including last year’s $24 million payout, cements its prestige.
From a betting perspective, Dota’s complexity is its strength. Bettors flock to markets on map handicaps, first blood, total kills, or even hero-specific props. While August featured qualifier activity rather than the International itself, that was enough to maintain significant betting traction, especially in China and Southeast Asia, where Dota remains the cultural backbone of competitive gaming.
With its high-skill ceiling, deep prop betting ecosystem, and enduring global footprint, Dota 2 edges out CS2 to take the #1 spot for August 2025.
Cross-Game Analysis
Looking across these five titles highlights how esports and betting behaviors diverge by format:
- Viewership peaks: LoL and CS2 dominate total audience hours, but PUBG Mobile’s Grand Finals showed the rising power of mobile-first esports.
- Prize pools vs. betting weight: Dota and CS2 lead in raw prize value and betting handle, while PUBG offers a strong mix of accessibility and high stakes.
- Market maturity: CS2 and LoL have the deepest, most established betting markets. Valorant is scaling quickly, while PUBG Mobile is still highly regional.
- Regional DNA: LoL and Valorant dominate in Western leagues, PUBG Mobile rules Asia, CS2 thrives globally, and Dota remains strongest in Asia-Pacific.
Conclusion: August 2025 and the Health of Esports Betting
August 2025 underscored that esports betting is no longer a niche—it is a global, diversified market. Counter-Strike 2 remains the backbone in sheer betting volume, Dota 2 provides unmatched depth and complexity, League of Legends sustains its global machine, Valorant brings fresh energy, and PUBG Mobile proves that mobile-first esports can command both audiences and wagers.
Together, these five titles paint a picture of a thriving ecosystem. As betting operators expand offerings, and as tournaments continue to break viewership barriers, esports in August 2025 showed that competitive gaming is not just entertainment—it’s one of the fastest-growing betting markets in the world.
