[AnimeGamer]

6 Best Solo Esports Games 2024

There are 2 types of team coordination: bounded and unbounded. While bounded team coordination bounds an eSport player to one team indefinitely, unbounded team coordination gives casual eSport gamers the freedom to join any team they want.

While bounded team coordination in eSports is crucial, it doesn’t have to be like that 100% of the time.

Many eSport games, like Valorant and CS2, have you sign contracts so that you stay in that one team for a fixed time period. However, the good news is that there exist some of the best solo eSport games that promise the same thrill of competitive gameplay but with unbounded team coordination.
Let us look at a couple of them below!


Table of Contents

1. Dragon Ball FighterZ
   
2. Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duels
   
3. Pokémon Unite
   
4. Star Maidens Chronicle
   
5. Trianga's Project: Battle Splash 2.0
   
6. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2
   

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Figure 1-1. Dragon Ball FighterZ Cover Art

First and foremost is Dragon Ball FighterZ. This iconic game broke the world record of the most concurrent online players for a fighting game back when it was launched IN 2018. Developed by Arc System Works, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a 2.5D action fighting game that is available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, as well as Windows.

To date, the game has a diverse cast of 40+ fighters, all hailing from the Dragon Ball Universe. This character roster periodically gets enlarged with each Game Pass. Dragon Ball FighterZ is best known for its epic battle cinematics that effectively tap into the inner primal instinct for dominance of human players. It provides the ideal environment for players to unleash their best tactics and prove their dominance.

Figure 1-2. East Coast Throwdown Tournament

You can join any of its gameplay modes, such as story, arcade, versus, and tournament modes. The actual gameplay is not too complex to comprehend. You basically select 3 fighters and your opponent does the same. While there are some universal battle moves, know that each fighter has their own unique skill set. The “Assist” feature further makes that gameplay more strategic where you call in your other fighter during a 1V1 brawl and get to pull off some unique combo.

As such, Dragon Ball FighterZ tops our charts for the best solo eSport game to play in 2024. Many tournaments frequently pop up, such as the $1.3K East Coast Throwdown tournament which took place in Stamford, Connecticut, early this year.

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duels

Figure 2-1. Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duels Cover Art

Next on our list comes the go-to game for gamers who like to pull strings from the shadows instead of blowing everything up on the battlefield. Yu Gi Oh Master Duels is a top-notch card duel game developed by Konami in 2022. Presently, it is available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Windows, and even Android and iOS platforms!

The sheer number of its supported platforms should alone give you an idea of the card game’s popularity. This is not surprising given that YGO Master Duels support cross-play between platforms. As for the gameplay, it is played using cards that represent one of the 3 categories: monsters, spells, and traps. In any game match, each player starts with a deck of 40 to 60 cards, and can only have up to three copies of the same card in their deck.

Figure 2-2. Dkayed Meta Weekly #88 Tournament

While YGO Master Duels sticks to the principles of the traditional YGO trading card game, the ultimate goal is to reduce the opponent’s life points to zero, or at least make them unable to draw a card from their deck. Consequently, this renders a lot of room for strategic thinking and tactful maneuvers, especially when there are over 10000 cards to choose from!

This makes YGO Master Duel one of the best solo eSports games to play in 2024. Many tournaments regularly take place, such as the $50 prize Dkayed Meta Weekly #88 tournament which just concluded today, as of writing.

Pokémon Unite

Figure 3-1. Pokémon Unite Cover Art

Last but not least is Pokémon Unite. It is a very creative and challenging game for all types of gamers. Pokémon Unite is basically a 5V5 MOBA game developed by TiMi Studio Group in 2021 and is currently available to play on Switch, iOS, and Android devices.

For players not familiar with the franchise, Pokémon Unite can be complicated to get hold of in the beginning. However, the gameplay process is quite easy to understand. 

You start by choosing a Pokémon of one of the following types: attacker, defender, speedster, supporter, and all-rounder. You then enter a map, which is divided into 2 halves, and then start engaging Wild Pokémons scattered throughout. Defeating these Wild Pokémons gives your Aeos Energy, which, in turn, allows you to score points by dunking them into the enemy’s goal zones.

Figure 3-2. Pokémon Unite Tournament on Start.gg

As such, Pokémon Unite is a creative game and requires one to make optimal use of their selected Pokémon. The game makes use of rich in-game physics that further elates one’s experience in this MOBA title.

Pokémon Unite is one of the best solo eSport games to play in 2024. Many tournaments regularly take place on Start.gg, such as the $500 prize Lotus 8 eSport Unite tournament.

Star Maidens Chronicle

Figure 4-1. Star Maidens Chronicle Cover Art

While I should have stopped above, I couldn’t help myself but write more. Thus far, we have covered Fighting, TCG, and MOBA genres; let’s now expand our repertoire with more solo eSports over diverse genres. We start with Star Maidens Chronicle, our best bet for solo 1V1 eSport game for RTS fans that is currently available on Steam for players to download and play.

Star Maiden Chronicles, like many classic RTS games, takes place in a fictional medieval setting set in a universe that is shared by all Star Maiden players. In the game, you are tasked with building up your empire from scratch and aim to top the leaderboards by becoming the strongest stronghold in the region.

Figure 4-2. AEG War Tournament Flyer

There are many different types of units available that you can master and deploy strategically in your quest to become number one. Plus, the variety of game modes, such as the ability to play with and against up to 6 players, ensures that Star Maidens Chronicles caters to RTS fans of all tastes.

Therefore, owing to its rich gameplay mechanics and diverse units, this RTS game by Project YNP holds regular eSports tournaments. One such is the AEG War 2024 which featured a decent $600 prize pool.

Trianga's Project: Battle Splash 2.0

Figure 5-1. Trianga's Project: Battle Splash 2.0 Cover Art

Where Dragon Ball FighterZ in the article above allows for fast, flashy, head-on 1V1 physical action, Trianga’s Project: Battle Splash 2.0 is exactly the same except that there are now weapons equipped instead of relying on one’s raw power alone. As of writing, this FPS game is currently available on Steam for players to download and play.

Trianga’s Project: Battle Splash 2.0 is not your regular FPS experience. This game by Dranya Studios boasts anime-style graphics and mimics the gameplay action of the world’s currently famed FPS games like Valorant and Overwatch. Speaking of mimicking, Battle Splash 2.0 also draws a lot of inspiration from the original Quake 3 Arena game of the late 1990s. Critical hit Quake 3 Arena mechanics, such as launching a rocket launcher into the ground near your legs and flying using elasticity, can be found in this FPS game as well!

Figure 5-2. AEG Waifu Wars Championship Flyer

Since the game attracted many players soon after its launch, devs were quick to add and further refine several gameplay modes like Single-Player, Online PvP, LAN PvP, Online Co-op, LAN co-op, and even Steam Cloud! The provision of a seamless experience is what has led this FPS game to hold regular prized tournaments just like the recent AEG Waifu Wars Championship that featured a decent $600 prize pool.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2

Figure 6-1. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Cover Art

Chances are that even if you have not played any video game yet in your life, you would have definitely heard about the globally successful “Tetris” game. And if you are from the Eastern part of the world, especially Japan, then the Puyo Puyo puzzle game series also adds to the list. Well, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 by SEGA is the second mega-hit collaboration between the two classic franchises and is currently available on Steam for players to download and play.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 takes out the best gameplay elements from both games and combines them into one. The devs did a great job in making Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 conform to modern gaming standards in terms of visuals and online connectivity. While the core gameplay mechanics are the same as before, everything from game modes and characters to competitive and co-op play has been revamped in this game.

Figure 6-2. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Tournament

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is both easy to learn and master; but still, there is a dedicated section for a tutorial in case you need a quick revision of basic gameplay rules. Although you can play this game offline, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 also supports online 1V1 PvP mode.

There is an official Puzzle League of the game and regular tournaments pop up every now and then. WPL Puyo Puyo Tetris Open #9 is one such example where a decent prize pool of $110 was featured.