The title of ‘best MOBA game’ is a hotly contested one, and often reduced to two warring champions: League of Legends and Dota 2. But, despite being the most popular in the genre, these two games may not necessarily be the MOBA for you. Thankfully there are several fantastic choices out there, meaning there’s almost certainly a MOBA that you’ll love.If you’re new to the genre, you may not know that this 5v5 game style was born as a mod for Warcraft III, and has since transformed into a full-blown gaming revolution.

Without a doubt, this is one of the two most talked about MOBA games available for PC. Known as “LoL” by its fans, League of Legends is a competitive game with many players going well beyond hobbyists. It’s currently a top title for professional eSports gamers, and some colleges and universities have even developed eSports programs for.

Developers across the world have sought their slice of the battle arena pie, and the fierce competition has meant that only a few have emerged victorious. When we live in a world where the DC comics MOBA failed to take off, you know that the games that did succeed must be special indeed.So what are the MOBAs that have found success and are now home to a huge community? There are many out there, so it’s no wonder you’re asking the big question: which one is right for me? PCGamesN can help with that conundrum.

Join us as we play a game of eenie, meenie, miney, MOBA. Many games in this list are influenced by ancient mythology, but Smite takes the gods of old as its direct inspiration.

Each player takes on the role of one of the Smite gods and battles it out across a three-lane arena. Ever dreamed of a muscle-bound head to head between Thor and Zeus? Here’s your chance to make it happen.Smite’s esports scene is thriving, featuring regular tournaments and a world championship at the annual Hi-Rez Expo.

Despite not having the prestige of League of Legends or Dota 2, Smite still commands international recognition on the sporting stage, with massive multi-million dollar prizes.Unlike its contemporaries, Smite is played from a third-person perspective. As a result long-range skillshots and maintaining awareness of immediate surroundings can be more challenging. Group engagements are often chaotic.

However, the added dimensionality does have its advantages: the spider goddess Arachne can crawl above her opponents, and Thor can launch himself far up into the sky to then crash downward with his hammer. Smite’s viewpoint lends it the feel of an MMO but with the mechanics of a MOBA.Heroes of the Storm. Defense of the Ancients was originally a Warcraft III mod, so, of course, Blizzard couldn’t resist creating their own fully-fledged MOBA. Heroes of the Storm heroes are characters plucked from across the StarCraft, Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch universes and dropped into an ‘all star’ mash-up. One of the youngest MOBAs on the scene, Blizzard is expanding the hero roster at a terrifying rate.

It already sports 80 heroes and that line-up will continue to grow.After a slightly awkward first couple of years, Heroes of the Storm was revamped as Heroes 2.0, featuring a brand new progression system that takes Overwatch’s loot box system and further improves it. You’re guaranteed to get items that are relevant to your heroes every few boxes, and if you’re unhappy with your loot you can re-roll the box for a small fee of in-game gold.Unlike League of Legends and Dota 2, Heroes features no items.

Instead, players choose upgrades to their abilities as they level up, allowing them to focus on utility, hardiness, or damage. Each hero also features two ultimate abilities, of which only one can be activated during a single match.Also, unlike its competition, Heroes hosts a variety of maps which feature unique objectives that can turn the tide of battle. One sees players fight for dominance of temples that fire lasers at opposing fortifications, another asks each team to collect plants that spawn a giant controllable flower monster.Blizzard have gone to great lengths to keep the focus on combat and objectives rather than number crunching – you’ll find no one boasting about their high attack damage ratios or critical strike chance here. Games are also significantly shorter, generally clocking in at the 30-minute mark.

However, what is sacrificed in depth is made up for in sheer polish.League of Legends. League of Legends (or LoL to its many, many friends) is the big daddy of the genre, and by far the most popular game in the world. League of Legends boasts hundreds of millions of unique players every month of the year, and has become the vanguard of esports.League of Legends is to MOBAs as Quake III or Unreal Tournament are to the arena shooter: the now-recognisable blueprint that became a phenomenon, laying the groundwork for more unusual flavours. Several maps and game modes exist, but the 5v5 battles on Summoner’s Rift form the bedrock of the game and are by far the most popular.

Matches across the three lanes last between 30-50 minutes.Despite using a very traditional MOBA formula, League of Legends certainly isn’t lacking depth. You’ll need to find the best League of Legends champions from a roster of 141 playable characters, upgrade them with optimal item builds, and choose the perfect moment to take objectives that are key to victory. For most players, League of Legends strikes the perfect balance between tactical play and twitch skills for an experience in which anyone can find their niche.Dota 2. Valve’s own take on Defense of the Ancients – the original Warcraft III mod and progenitor of all MOBA games – is Dota 2. Yup, it’s pretty much the official sequel to the mod that started it all. Despite that prestigious title, its player numbers pale in comparison to League of Legends.

Yet a strong 13 million players per month secures it second place in the MOBA race. The Dota 2 esports scene is thriving, particularly in the West where the yearly International world finals gathers a multi-million dollar prize pool.Dota 2 follows the same formula as League of Legends – you still start by choosing one of the best Dota 2 heroes, and 5v5 battles takes place on a three-lane map – but Valve have added layers of complexity. For instance, it’s possible for players to kill their own creeps (minions) in order to prevent their opponent harvesting gold, a tactic known as ‘denying’. Players can also ship items to themselves across the map using a courier instead of having to return to their base.Most agree that Valve’s creation is the most impenetrable MOBA out there for newcomers – knowing effective item builds is totally non-negotiable.

However, if you’re willing to commit to learning its intricacies, the rewards are plentiful. Its sizeable roster of 115 heroes and deep tactical experience are bound to suck in those with the patience to persevere.Strife. Many recent MOBAs have launched and then quickly shut their doors. But Strife has persisted.

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It’s the smallest game on this list with just 34 champions but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. It’s got heritage – developer S2 Games made Heroes of Newerth, which was big back in the day – and it’s said to be a ‘second-generation MOBA’. Fancy!Three lanes, towers, and creeps all feature, but Strife differentiates itself by one key objective – a giant gorilla monster by the name of Kratos. If players secure his assistance, he tumbles down the middle lane, destroying everything in his path. This monkey is a tough nut, and taking him down will take the assistance of several team members, leaving other lanes vulnerable to attack.Strife also claims to host a less toxic community than its peers – a common problem that both Dota and League of Legends have continually struggled with over the years.We know that three lanes can be a way of life for many people, so hopefully our roundup of these fine MOBAs will help you select the one that fits your style perfectly.

Not sure that nukers, carries, and junglers are for you? Perhaps something like Overwatch or Paladins is more your thing.

You can find games like those over in our collection of the. That’s everything for now, though. We’re just going to recall back to the homepage now. Meet you there, yeah?