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3 Best Competitive Esports Games 2025

You think you are a pro player and can take down any opponent who dares cross your path? Well, give it a second thought because everything changes when you step into an eSport title.

As such, in the realm of eSports games, you get to meet the unexpected, face the unknown, and test your limits beyond their capacity. The pounding heart, trembling fingers, and jittery mouse movement are the most common things you experience while playing eSport games.

If you think you have what it takes to enter the Hall of Champions and make a name for yourself, then you must try out these best competitive eSport games at least once in your lifetime.


Table of Contents

1. Guilty Gear Strive
   
2. Eternal Return
   
3. Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel
   

Guilty Gear Strive

Figure 1-1. Guilty Gear Strive Cover Art

Topping our charts, get ready to say hi and rock out with the most epic fighting video game ever released: Guilty Gear Strive! Developed by Arc System Works and played from a third-person perspective, Guilty Gear Strive is a 2021 2.5D action fighting game and is currently available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, as well as Windows.

Guilty Gear Strive is not any ordinary fighting game. It is a well-polished genre-defining eSport fighting game that takes the cinematic action up to a whole new level. With features like “Wall Break”, “Roman Cancel”, “Psych Burst” and “Overdrives”, the battleground in Guilty Gear Strive heats up real-quick, long before you know it.

Figure 1-2. Guilty Gear Strive Gameplay

In addition to its jaw-dropping gameplay mechanics, the game also requires the mastery of one’s quick reflexes as well as the knowledge of each in-game fighter. Presently, there are 25 distinct characters each with their own personal, style, and abilities. Don’t even think about stepping into a Guilty Gear Strive arena unless you know your opponent well. If you don’t, you’ll be dusted in the blink of an eye!

Figure 1-3. Guilty Gear Strive EVO 2023 Tournament

Additionally, many organizers often hold regular tournaments of the game, both globally as well as locally. Over the internet, you can find tons of GG:S tournaments of all sizes. Just to give you an idea, the game recently held a $25K prized tournament at EVO 2023.

Eternal Return

Figure 2-1. Eternal Return Cover Art

Eternal Return is yet another unique distinct title that promises to deliver a state-of-the-art battle royale gameplay experience. As of now, Ultra Rumble I refuse to accept any game ranking list that talks about strategy and tactics but does not include Eternal Return. Eternal Return is a cult-classic video game title that seamlessly merges elements of survival, crafting, and battle royale genres.

Developed by Nimble Neuron in 2020, Eternal Return is a 2.5D video game played from a top-down perspective. With stunning visuals and satisfying gameplay mechanics, Eternal Return puts players on a deserted island of Lumia, where they compete to be the last one standing.

Figure 2-2. Eternal Return Gameplay

And because the game has 60+ characters, each with its own unique abilities and powers, Eternal Return effectively makes it possible to have an almost infinite number of gameplay strategies and tactics. This, in turn, makes Eternal Return a highly coveted eSport title.

Figure 2-3. Eternal Return Masters 2023

Just now, at the time of writing, Eternal Return Masters 2023 Season 1 Phase 2 registrations are open and promise a prize pool of $6K! This tournament is just the tip of the iceberg. It is but only a mere part of the Eternal Return Season 9 tournament that runs for the duration of the season and promises big rewards!

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel

Figure 3-1. Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Cover Art

Although Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel takes third place on our list, don’t let this card game fool you into doubting its competitive nature. Developed by Konami in 2022, Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel is a state-of-the-art competitive eSport card game that is available to play for free on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and even Switch!

This sheer number of platforms should be enough to give you an idea of this card game’s global popularity and gigantic player base. And just like its wide variety of platforms, Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duels allows players to build and customize their own decks using over 10,000 different cards that come about from various Yu-Gi-Oh! Series.

Figure 3-2. Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Gameplay

To make things strategic and tactical, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel categorizes its cards into 3 distinct types: Monster, Spell, and Trap. As such, each card has its own use and comes with unique effects and attributes. Competitive plays don’t necessarily need to be flashy, dangerous, or take some a huge space like arenas. These can also be done on mere tables, using the unpredictable power of human minds!

Figure 3-3. Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Millenium Series

This is the core idea behind Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel gameplay and is one of the primary reasons for its iconic popularity. Consequently, many regular prized tournaments are held on a day-to-day basis where you can also participate and make a name for yourself! For instance, the Millenium Series Cup S3 Finale featured a $30 cash prize and was just held a week ago.



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