5 esports games to look out for in 2026

As 2025 comes to a close, it’s no exaggeration to say it’s been an incredible year for gaming, especially for indie games, which have shone in both sales and at the awards shows. Still, it hasn’t been the strongest for new esports games, even if pre-existing titles have done immensely well, particularly the stalwarts, such as League of Legends. 

While everyone can continue in their comfort zones, there are some signs that 2026 will have some new titles to look forward to for esports fans. The Fighting Game Community is set to receive more love than it probably knows what to do with.

So, let’s take a look at five esports games to look out for in 2026, beginning with a list of honourable mentions.

There are more than five esports games to look out for in 2026, and those that have not made our list, for numerous reasons, will get a mention here. A few haven’t got a top five mention because of the uncertainty around how its esports scene will look, or because of competition being more likely to succeed. Here are our honourable mentions:

Since its initial reveal at the Nintendo Direct for The Switch 2 in April, little has been revealed about The Duskbloods, other than that it is a PvPvE title with extraction mechanics. While being a Switch 2 exclusive will likely harm its esports potential, The Duskbloods drew a lot of attention during its announcements for two reasons: One, it’s a FromSoftware title, and two, it shares a lot of art design principles with Bloodborne.

Being a FromSoftware title is the reason why The Duskbloods has a chance at being an esports title, however. FromSoftware is one of the hottest names in game development, and while it has never invested in its competitive PvP side, Dark Souls and Elden Ring have shown off how popular it is. As a dedicated PvP game, perhaps the Duskbloods will be FromSoftware’s first proper foray into esports gaming.

Invincible VS is one of many IP spin-off tag fighting games, and it’s clear that Skybound Games isn’t here just to make a quick cash grab. The game looks great from material shown thus far, bringing some of the most iconic moments from the show and comics to the character roster’s movesets. 

A big reason why Invincible VS is likely to succeed is because of how hot the IP is at the moment, with Amazon’s seemingly endless pool of cash behind it. With every season of the Amazon Prime show, it will give Invincible VS additional advertising, especially if newly introduced characters are added to VS’s roster. For fans of esports games in the FGC, Invincible VS is worth keeping an eye on. 

It isn’t known when Deadlock will release in 2026, but it is likely that the game will launch in that year, or at least have an open beta at some point. Either way, as a Valve title, blurring the line between hero shooter and MOBA, the likelihood is that it will be an esports success story, and one well worth getting into.

Despite the strange way Valve is currently getting players into Deadlock, it has already had some astounding player numbers. Given that it’s Valve, which cultivated the Counter-Strike and Dota esports successes, Deadlock is the surest bet as one of the most popular esports games, although it isn’t known if the game will truly hit its stride in 2026. With expressive characters and a unique take on both hero shooters and MOBAs, it will be worth checking out.

2XKO was made playable in late 2025, but is looking at a full release in 2026. Much like Valve, Riot Games is a company that knows how to cultivate an esports scene, with League of Legends and VALORANT being two of the most popular titles around. It also helps that the LoL character roster is at its most popular after Arcane’s explosive success, and a fighting game lends itself well to the world of Runterra.

Being free-to-play and soon to be on PC, there aren’t too many reasons why 2XKO won’t succeed, especially because of the positive reception of its early access. It won’t run out of characters to pull from League of Legends any time soon, assuring longevity with updates, and with Riot being behind it, 2XKO’s success as one of the top esports games seems more likely than not.

Of all the IP-driven fighting games coming to 2026, it feels like Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has the greatest chance of succeeding. Having the juggernaut that is the Marvel IP helps, and the backing of PlayStation Studios means that funding isn’t an issue. More than that, Marvel Tokon has grabbed the most well-regarded fighting game studio around, Arc System Works, which has previously worked on Dragon Ball FighterZ, proving that handling big IP isn’t an issue.

Arc System Works games have always had successful esports tenures, with Guilty Gear Strive being the most recent example. Marvel Tokon also feels like the spiritual successor to the cult classic Marvel VS Capcom series, which is seemingly immortal in the FGC. Even without Capcom, a game like Marvel Tokon has been asked for repeatedly, and with unique four-person teams, it’ll offer something other fighting games can’t.

While the usual suspects of League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and VALORANT will continue to be the dominant 2026 esports games, there are plenty of new titles on the horizon. Fighting game fans will be eating well next year, especially because titles like Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 are still going strong.

Esports title aside, if 2026 matches 2025, it will be a spectacular year for the gaming industry, at least from a consumer point of view. Here’s hoping that new esports games get a bit more love in 2026 than 2025, though.