5 most-watched mobile games in 2021 revealed, BGMI and Free Fire both on list

Mobile gaming has been experiencing exponential growth over the past few years. Both Free Fire and PUBG Mobile in particular have dominated the scene, generating millions in revenue.

Esports Charts, a data analyst site, published a report about the most-watched mobile esports in 2021. The rankings are determined by the total hours watched.

Free Fire, MLBB, and more in Esports Charts’ top 5 most-watched mobile games of 2021

5) Battlegrounds Mobile India

In July 2021, BGMI was launched exclusively in India as a rebranded version of PUBG Mobile, which was banned in the country in September 2020. The title has amassed more than 19.3 million watch hours, with over 1.1K hours of airtime.

The game’s launch party, an influencer event, touched 547k peak viewers while the recently-concluded BGIS 2021 touched 460k viewers. The fact that BGMI, despite being an India-exclusive game, made it to this global list shows just how popular the game is in the country.

4) Arena of Valor

The game is a rebranded version of one of the most successful Chinese games, Honor of Kings. The MOBA title was at the top in 2019 but is fourth as of 2021. The title gained 82.1 million hours watched, which is 12% less than in 2020. Tencent plans to expand the game further to new regions in 2022.

3) Free Fire

The most-downloaded game of 2021, Free Fire is in third place with 142.2 million hours watched, a 7% year-on-year. The Free Fire World Series 2021 set a world record with 5.4 million peak viewers, beating League of Legends Worlds. The game is inherently popular in SEA, India, Latam, and EMEA. The FFWS will return for a new season in May 2022.

2) PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile, the most popular esports title in 2020, slipped to second place this year. However, it experienced an increase from last year. The viewers have spent 216.7 million hours watching broadcasts of its esports matches. According to sensor tower, the title was the highest earning game of 2021.

1) Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

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MLBB, a MOBA mobile game by Moonton, became the most popular mobile esports title of 2021, with more than 386.8 million hours watched, which is 2.5 times more than in 2020. The third edition of the MLBB World Championship touched 3.1 million peak viewership, which came during the battle between RRQ and ONIC Esports. The tournament was won by Philippines team Blacklist International.