Esports World Cup 2025: All Confirmed Games
The next Esports World Cup (EWC) season is almost here. As it draws closer, the EWC is revealing which games will feature in its tournaments. Next year's lineup will include console titles, mobile games, battle royales and more — let's explore all the titles the Esports World Cup has confirmed for competition in 2025.
What is the 2025 Esports World Cup?
The Esports World Cup is a prestigious international competition featuring "the most popular esports titles across all major gaming genres" and "the largest prize pool in esports." In 2024, the tournament offered a combined prize pool of over 60 million USD and included a "calendar of on-the-ground activations, live entertainment, and competitions for fans."
The EWC was founded in 2024 by the Esports World Cup Foundation, a non-profit that receives investment from the Saudi Arabian government. It was previously known as the Gamers8 Festival, which ran in 2022 and 2023.
ESL FaceIt, an esports group known for Counter-Strike tournaments, will co-host the 2025 event. It will feature 25 games, but we currently only know seven. The prize pool for the 2025 Esports World Cup is currently unknown. The organization has also not yet announced the event's venue.
The Esports World Cup will continue to confirm event titles for the next 35 days. The organization has announced five events so far. Here's everything we know about the first five titles that will officially become 2025 Esports World Cup events and what fans can expect.
The 2025 Esports World Cup: Location and Dates
The 2025 Esports World Cup will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will occur from June 2025 to August 2025.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the first COD title and first game overall the Esports World Cup has announced for its 2025 lineup. Black Ops 6 is a 2024 release and the newest game in the Call of Duty franchise. It is a fast-paced shooter that is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has a story mode set during Operation Desert Storm but is most well-known for its multiplayer PvP format and its cooperative Zombies mode. At the Esports World Cup, teams will compete exclusively in PvP.
Related Article: Every 2024 Esports Awards Winner
Honor of Kings
Honor of Kings, a Chinese Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game, is the second title the Esports World Cup has confirmed for 2025. It is published by Tencent Games in 2015 and is a mobile game title available on Android and iOS. Honor of Kings has a 5v5 structure and includes a variety of heroes from classes such as Mage, Marksman and Support. It is the most popular mobile MOBA worldwide, especially in China and the Asia-Pacific region.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Call of Duty: Warzone is the second Call of Duty title the Esports World Cup has confirmed for its 2025 season. Activision published the game in 2020. It is primarily a shooter with a first-person playstyle. Call of Duty: Warzone has a Battle Royale and Plunder modes. Players can participate in several squad sizes: Solos, Duos, Trios and Quads. Uniquely, some Warzone game modes allow players to respawn and contest for control of map space. Players can also utilize custom loadouts.
Free Fire
Free Fire is the second mobile title in the 2025 Esports World Cup season. It is a shooter game published by Singaporean developer Garena International and available on Android and iOS. Mobile titles like Free Fire and Honor of Kings have surged in popularity in recent years and are becoming much more common in pro settings.
Free Fire is a Battle Royale with a format similar to Fortnite. The title's Google Play description states that "each 10-minute game places you on a remote island where you are pit against 49 other players, all seeking survival". Players can experiment with different weapons (snipers, shotguns and more) and explore a vast map using vehicles and other interactable mechanics. It also includes several game modes like 'Fast and Lite' 4-man squads and 4v4 'Clash Squads'.
Street Fighter 6
Released in 2023, Street Fighter 6 is a fighting game produced by Capcom. The title will headline an event in the 2025 Esports World Cup. The Street Fighter franchise is a favorite among fighting games fans and has existed since 1987.
Street Fighter 6 is available on multiple platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation and Windows. It includes two multiplayer modes: Fighting Ground and Battle Hub. Most pro-Street Fighter 6 competition takes place in Fighting Ground, which the game's webpage describes as "the pinnacle of fighting games" and "a highly evolved combat system." Players can choose from 26 unique fighter characters, each with unique abilities and battle with in-game martial combat.
DOTA 2
DOTA 2 is the second MOBA title confirmed for the 2025 Esports World Cup season. The game is a sequel to the Defense of the Ancients mod for World of Warcraft. The DOTA 2 community has been active for over a decade, and the game was released by Valve in 2013.
DOTA 2 is a 5v5 game where players compete in a laned arena to farm resources and destroy the enemy team's "Ancient" structure in their base. It features over 126 unique characters, each with separate abilities. The game is available on Windows and Linux.
Rainbow Six Siege
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is a first-person shooter. The game will feature in the Esports World Cup as a 2025 event. In Rainbow Six Siege, players battle in several modes for objective control, hostage rescue and bomb plant/defusal. It is a team-based game with intense environmental interaction — players can shoot through walls, bust down barriers and open windows and doors. Rainbow Six Siege is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Windows and Google Stadia.
