Advertisement
Canada markets closed
  • S&P/TSX

    22,167.03
    +59.95 (+0.27%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,254.35
    +5.86 (+0.11%)
     
  • DOW

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7380
    -0.0006 (-0.09%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    94,716.79
    -589.71 (-0.62%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    2,124.55
    +10.20 (+0.48%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2060
    +0.0100 (+0.24%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    16,379.46
    -20.06 (-0.12%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    13.01
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6841
    -0.0002 (-0.03%)
     

League of Legends is played by a whopping 100 million people every month

League of Legends is the biggest video game in the world (Riot Games)
League of Legends is the biggest video game in the world (Riot Games)

In an interview with Polygon, Riot Games co-founder and CEO Brandon Beck announced to the world that League of Legends has surpassed 100 million monthly active players.

That’s…a lot.

In fact, it’s a number so high, we’ve never seen anything quite like it in the world of PC and console games. It’s a number so high that you’d have to look to mobile — a platform that is near-ubiquitous and easily accessible — to find numbers that even come close to comparing.

But how big is it really? How do other games stack up? Is anything else close?

Dota 2's Outworld Devourer (Valve)
Dota 2’s Outworld Devourer (Valve)

The other esports

Short answer? No.

League of Legends’ direct competitor is Dota 2. With the absolutely absurd prize pool that The International brings to the table, the second-biggest MOBA in the world has to be close in terms of players, right?

ADVERTISEMENT

Nope. Dota typically hits about 13 million active monthly users. As a certain former League of Legends player would say, not even close, baby.

The other dominant esport at the moment, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, has enjoyed a ton of attention for its growth lately. But that doesn’t mean it’s anywhere close to the size of League. According to SteamSpy, about 23 million people have purchased CS:GO, just over a fifth of the number of players that play League of Legends every month.

As for Blizzard, we know that Starcraft 2 and its expansions sold nearly 9 million copies on release, while the first installment of the series managed to move just under 10 million into players’ hands. Now, these numbers are purely copies sold, not monthly actives. Blizzard isn’t typically forthcoming with those numbers.

What about Hearthstone? Surely the biggest digital card game in the world (and arguably the most accessible esport) must come close. Again, not quite. Blizzard told us that Hearthstone has reached about 50 million people, but they declined to discuss the active monthly players. Even if each and every player that has ever signed into Hearthstone ran through a match every month, League would still be twice as big.

Finally, there’s Overwatch. Last we heard from Blizzard, their foray into first-person shooters had sold a stunning 15 million copies. That’s an absolutely incredible start, but obviously lags far behind League.

World of Warcraft peaked at 12 million monthly subscribers (Blizzard)
World of Warcraft peaked at 12 million monthly subscribers (Blizzard)

Traditional games

So League of Legends is far and away the biggest esport of all time and the biggest PC game in the world. Believe it or not, however, there are games out there that aren’t esports (</sarcasm>).

Big caveat here: League of Legends is a free-to-play game, so comparing it to traditional retail console and PC games that cost real money totally isn’t fair. But let’s do it anyway! How does Riot’s beast compare to the biggest names in gaming?

Wii Sports (the game that came packed in with the Wii) managed 82 million copies, while the original Super Mario Bros. (which came with the NES) reached about 40 million. The Game Boy version of Tetris, which established the system as a must-have, only managed 35 million.

Fellow online game World of Warcraft, considered to be one of the most successful games in history, peaked at around 12 million subscribers. Tons of cash for Blizzard, but still a ways behind League in terms of sheer monthly numbers.

Remember how everyone on Earth seemed to be playing The Sims at the same time? The original sold 16 million copies, while The Sims 2 got a significant bump, but only to 20 million. Still not close (though if you total up all The Sims releases, including expansion packs, you reach a whopping 175 million).

Call of Duty sells pretty well, right? Yes, it does, but it topped out with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which sold 26 million across all platforms. Amazing for a $60 game, but nothing close to League.

Grand Theft Auto V was the highest-selling in the series, reaching 65 million shipped (Rockstar Games)
Grand Theft Auto V was the highest-selling in the series, reaching 65 million shipped (Rockstar Games)

The closest “traditional” console game is Grand Theft Auto; specifically, GTA V. Rockstar Games shipped an astonishing 65 million copies to retailers. That number doesn’t take into account digital sales, but it likely doesn’t push it over the 100 million mark.

Finally, the juggernaut that is Minecraft. All those subscribers to Minecraft YouTubers can’t be wrong, right? Well, if you look at sales across consoles, mobile, portable systems and PC, it indeed squeaks past League of Legends with 107 million. On PC alone, it’s 24 million. But are all those people playing the game every month? Probably not.

Even the likes of Pokemon Go can’t compare. With 39 million monthly active users (according to SurveyMonkey), the cultural phenom doesn’t even break half of the user base of League of Legends. The next closest mobile game is Candy Crush Saga, with just under 10 million monthly actives on mobile devices. Again, that doesn’t take into account every place you can play Candy Crush.

The moral of the story

League of Legends is the biggest game in the world. Full stop. And it’s not close.

That’s not to say any other games aren’t hugely successful. Overwatch’s sales alone would be enough to make any developer head over heels, and Dota 2’s monthly actives three years after release (and five years after beta [and years and years in its mod form]) would be shockingly high in a world without League of Legends. Hearthstone’s success as a digital card game is unprecedented, CS:GO is killing it, and traditional games like GTA, Call of Duty, Minecraft and others still are raking in dough.

But for now — and for the forseeable future — League is king.

Taylor Cocke is waiting for the game that could dethrone League of Legends. It’s going to be a hell of an experience. Follow him on Twitter @taylorcocke.