Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas is a genre of gaming that explains itself pretty well with its name. When you’ve got teams of heroes, champions, or gods that face off against each other, it's a MOBA. However, even with such a simple premise, there is a lot of variety in the games that fall under the category of MOBA.
10. Arena Of Kings
Arena Of Kings is best described as an MMORPG MOBA. The creators wanted to create a game in which you can experience the fun MMO combat without all of the grinding. You play PVP in rounds of 3v3. You gain items that give you different perks as you play through the game.
In Arena Of Kings, you don’t select your character from an already built-in pool of characters. You create your character by choosing the class you want to play and molding him into what you want to do by using the specific items.
9. Awesomenauts
Awesomenauts is a literal translation of the MOBA genre to a 2D setting. I wouldn’t expect those two things to mix so well, but Awesomenauts is an awesome game. It’s more fast-paced than your average MOBA and it’s certainly a more lighthearted take on the genre.
The characters are neatly designed. The whole game’s art style is charming and lighthearted. The game might look simple at first glance, but each character has a balanced skillset. The game is easy to learn but hard to master!
8. Smite
Smite is a third-person MOBA. Smite features 121 Gods from 12 different religions. Like many other MOBAs, smite has a lot of classic classes you can play as (mage, tank, assassin…). The game has a very unique feel because it’s a third-person MOBA, but I think Smite’s biggest strength is the art design and the interesting characters.
You can play as your favorite God from virtually any ancient religion. If that’s not enough, the game is frequently updated and it often has crossovers with other well-established franchises. There are many Gods to master, and a few casual game modes if you don’t want to bother too much with the competitive side of the game.
7. Overwatch
Overwatch is a MOBA from the first-person perspective. The characters are split into 4 different categories (Offense, Defense, Support, and Tank). What I find most interesting about the game is the attention to detail that can be seen in every character design. Every character looks interesting and unique and you can even figure out their playstyle by looking at them.
Overwatch has always had a problem with its meta. The game isn’t well-balanced and boring strategies help you win games. I still think Overwatch is a good game that can be very enjoyable to play as long as you don’t take it too seriously and just play casually.
6. Paladins
Paladins is another first-person shooter MOBA. It’s similar to Overwatch, but it also has a lot of distinctive features that make the games look similar only at the surface level. Paladins has 55 playable champions that fit into 4 different roles you can play (Front Line, Damage, Support, and Flank).
There are a few different game modes, but the core gameplay is quite similar. The game is very fun, especially with friends and each character is unique and fun to learn and play.
5. Valorant
Valorant is a first-person shooter. It has different characters that you can select and play so it falls under the category of a MOBA. Valorant is best described as a mix between games like Overwatch and CS:GO. Valorant gets the best of both worlds, by fusing the strategic gameplay with the hero shooter genre.
There are currently 18 agents that you can play as. Every agent is made to be unique and fair. Find the agent that matches your playstyle, learn him, and dominate the ranked ladder. Or just casually try out the fun and diverse play styles that the game offers.
4. Battlerite
Battlerite is a bit faster-paced than most MOBAs. Battlerite decided to skip the part with the minions and the grinding. It focuses on drawn-out, brutal, fast-paced team battles that are extremely fun.
Each character has 9 different abilities you have to think about at the same time. That’s what makes the game interesting and fun to learn. You can see your progression with your character as you get better with them. It’s a bit harder to get into at the beginning, but it’s not that hard to grasp the game’s concept and start enjoying it.
3. Heroes Of The Storm
Heroes of The Storm is Blizzard’s take on the Moba genre. It features characters from their other popular games (Overwatch, World Of Warcraft, Diablo) and puts them in the arena. What’s interesting about this game is that you have a lot of different maps and each map has a different “event” that you work towards.
The characters are interesting and can be built slightly differently in each game. Every character has at least 2 ultimate abilities that you can choose from, and during the game, as you level up you choose which buffs you want for your character.
2. DOTA 2
DOTA 2 is technically a sequel of DOTA, which was a mod for Warcraft III. It’s one of the most influential games in the MOBA genre. There are 123 different heroes in DOTA 2 that you can play as. Unlike a lot of other MOBAs, at the beginning of DOTA 2 you will have all of the characters unlocked and available for playing.
DOTA 2 is not as popular anymore, but it still has a loyal fanbase. You can expect that picking the game up will not be easy at all, due to the game having a lot of mechanics you will need to learn. DOTA 2 is a cult game, and any MOBA fan should be playing it.
1. League Of Legends
League Of Legends is, for many, the first game that comes to mind when you mention the MOBA genre. It’s been the most popular MOBA for a while now, and rightfully so. League Of Legends has a bad reputation, but it’s overall a great game.
The game currently has 161 champions that you can play as. League has a very competitive and toxic fanbase, but once you understand the mechanics of the game, it becomes pretty fun and interesting. The League Of Legends world has amazing characters and a great world.
