The rise of multiplayer online battle arena games, or MOBAs as they are more commonly known, over the last 15 years has been impressive. The genre started as a simple modification (also known as a “mod”) for a popular strategy game, before a a massive wave of standalone iterations started to battle it out to become the top MOBA games in the world. Now, many of the challengers have fallen away, failing to compete with the giants who made it to the top and continue to boast millions of players every month. For many years MOBAs were the most popular games in the world and even now are only challenged by the top battle royale titles. But even with some of the challengers falling by the wayside in recent years, finding the best MOBA for you still isn’t an easy task if you don’t know where to look.
What Is A Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Game?
A MOBA is an online game that pits two teams, usually of five players, against each other in a strategic battle to destroy the opponent’s base using unique player-controlled characters. Typically played on PC or mobile devices, MOBAs are some of the most popular games in the world thanks to their difficult-to-master gameplay.
The MOBA genre started as a mod for Warcraft III, a popular strategy game with a large modding scene. Defence of the Ancients (DotA) is widely credited as the first MOBA, and despite being a mod became a major game in its own right. Then some of the team working on the mod left to build their own MOBA, which became League of Legends and was an instant hit. Valve, developers of the Steam games platform, then scooped up members of the original DotA team to build Dota 2, a competitor to League of Legends. This started a long period where every major publisher was trying to build their own MOBA, but most failed to gain traction.
Top MOBA Games
Over the years there have been hundreds of MOBAs released across a variety of platforms, some of which turned into the biggest games in the world and others that were forgotten within months. The top MOBA games of today are ones that have stood the test of time with a large and loyal audience.
To be considered one of the best MOBAs a game has to bring something unique to the table or capture an audience that sticks with it for years. It’s no surprise that two of the biggest MOBAs in the world are well over 10 years old and continue to innovate in a genre that has seen a lot of copycats. The games on this list can be considered the best of the best, ones that you can still jump into today and have a great time and that have received critical success from experts in the field.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is the direct sequel to the mod that started off the MOBA genre, keeping a lot of the original spirit while making it a more accessible option for most players. For over 10 years it has been one of the most popular games on Steam, and continues to push the genre forward.
While technically released in 2013, Dota 2 was available in 2011 in beta form. Developed by Valve with the mysterious Ice Frog, the lead developer of the original DotA mod, joining the company to create Dota 2, it retains a lot of what the original MOBA offered but has morphed into a very different beast over the years. Map changes, new characters to play and a constant stream of balance changes mean Dota 2 looks very different now compared to years past, but it still retains the core of two teams of five fighting across a three-lane map to take down the enemies Ancient to win the game.
Dota 2 is considered by many to be one of the most complex games in the world. Compared to other MOBAs it features more variables in every match and has mechanics that can take thousands of hours to master. Even players who have sunk incredible amounts of time into the game will happily admit there are areas they still don’t fully understand. If other MOBAs have proven too easy, then Dota 2 is the ultimate challenge. It’s also entirely free to play, with the only payments being optional microtransactions for cosmetic items.
League of Legends
League of Legends is the biggest MOBA on the planet, with over 100 million monthly active players, and its success changed the entire industry. Initially released in 2009, its popularity started the MOBA craze, and caused every company to want to make its own LoL clone. However, it was the original that stood the test of time.
Developer Riot Games was founded by a handful of devs from the original DotA mod who wanted to spin off and make a standalone game. However, their vision was different from what that mod had become, with LoL aiming to simplify some of the more complex aspects of DotA and make it more accessible for newcomers. What resulted was a slightly less complex version of the MOBA format that kept the basic three-lane map with teams of five fighting to destroy the other team’s base, but removed some of the more complex but less crucial aspects.
For those looking for a full MOBA experience on PC then LoL is a great starting place, and can now be accessed through the Epic Games Store as well as the Riot Games client. It’s also free to play, although you will need to unlock or buy some characters. Many will likely get hooked and stick with LoL as their primary MOBA, as millions have done before.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Despite the terrible name, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang takes the classic MOBA formula and makes it work on mobile devices. While many see it as a mobile clone of League of Legends, which did result in some legal disputes with Riot Games, it’s one of the best ways to experience a full MOBA on mobile.
Initially released in 2016 by Moonton, MLBB quickly gained popularity in Southeast Asia and then spread across the world. It was one of the first games to distil the full 5v5, three-lane MOBA experience onto a mobile device, taking heavy inspiration from LoL to the point where many would confuse it with an official mobile version of Riot’s game.
It has a simplified control scheme, shorter matches and offers a more bitesize MOBA experience for those on the go, making it a great fit for those who don’t have the time to invest in a PC MOBA or longer mobile options. Its low system requirements also mean that many older iOS and Android devices can still run it, making it even more accessible.
Honor of Kings
Another player in the mobile space is Honor of Kings, which was known as Arena of Valor for a while in the West. Much like MLBB, it takes the standard MOBA format to mobile and is also very similar to LoL, although it was created by Tencent, the parent company of Riot Games.
Honor of Kings initially launched in 2015, but was only available in China, becoming one of the biggest games in the country, and was even partially responsible for the restrictions the country imposed on young people’s playing time. A Westernized version called Arena of Valor arrived in different locations throughout 2016 and 2017, but was eventually replaced with a global version of Honor of Kings in 2023.
While Honor of Kings and MLBB do have a few differences, most notably slightly longer games in the former, at the surface level they are very similar games and the choice between the two will likely come down to personal preference or where your friends play. Honor of Kings is also available on iOS and Android and works on a lot of devices, giving you further freedom to choose between the two.
League of Legends: Wild Rift
The last of the big three mobile MOBAs is League of Legends Wild Rift, the official mobile version of League of Legends. While technically a different game from its PC counterpart, if you want to play with the characters you already know then this is the best option.
Much like the two other mobile MOBAs, the actual act of playing Wild Rift isn’t all that dissimilar to the others, with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Honor of Kings taking obvious inspiration from Wild Rift’s older sibling. However, if you are already a LoL player on PC then Wild Rift gives you the chance to keep playing the game you know, with the same characters, terminology and lore, while on the move.
Wild Rift launched in 2021 for iOS and Android, and while console versions were announced, these have yet to materialize. If they do, then Wild Rift could become one of only a handful of MOBAs available on consoles, but for now this is the option to LoL fans who want to play on mobile devices.
Bottom Line
MOBAs are complex games that take thousands of hours to master, but it’s this complexity and constant requirement to learn that makes them so loved by millions. At first, they can seem inaccessible, but stick with them and you can find some of the most rewarding games ever made.
