Games That Are Actually Esports

You probably think of League of Legends or Counter-Strike when someone mentions esports, but some of the most unexpected games are actually esports too. Games that are actually esports span roguelike shooters, gacha games, and even spreadsheet competitions. The esports landscape is far wider—and weirder—than you might imagine, with thriving competitive scenes in places you'd never expect.

Take Risk of Rain 2, a roguelike third-person shooter that shouldn't work as a competitive format. Yet the game's Loadout racing scene thrives with weekly matches where players compete to defeat the final boss as quickly as possible on Eclipse 8 difficulty. The random item distribution and permanent difficulty modifiers mean success hinges on real-time decision-making rather than pre-planned strategies. Risk of Rain 2 esports features active communities across Discord and dedicated websites, making it easy to jump into races yourself.

Killer Queen Arcade's 5v5 Team Battles

Killer Queen arcade is a 5v5 team-based game with three paths to victory: military (kill the enemy Queen three times), economic (fill your hive with berries), or snail (ride the snail to victory). Originally designed as a social experience at festivals, the arcade format creates intense team coordination moments that resemble rival gangs going to war. Bumblebash tournaments bring players together annually for in-person competition, cementing Killer Queen as a legitimate esports title.

Honkai Star Rail's Competitive Draft Format

Honkai Star Rail is a turn-based gacha RPG that spawned an esports scene through its Memory of Chaos mode. Content creators launched PVP tournaments where teams compete to complete the hardest stages fastest, with a character draft system that prevents pay-to-win dominance. The scoring system assigns point values based on character power levels, balancing competitive play across teams with different roster strengths. This gacha esports tournament structure has produced multiple prize pools exceeding $4,000.

GeoGuessr Went From Meme to Mainstream Esports

GeoGuessr sounds absurd as an esport—players guess their location using Google Street View—but elite competitors have memorized geographical infrastructure worldwide. The competitive GeoGuessr scene exploded during the pandemic, leading to the inaugural World Cup in 2023 with 70,000+ peak viewers. Regional qualifiers now determine who competes annually in Stockholm for the title, proving that even location-guessing games can become serious competitive pursuits.

Microsoft Excel: The Spreadsheet Championship

Yes, Microsoft Excel has a World Championship. Every year in Las Vegas, 24 of the world's best Excel athletes compete in timed spreadsheet challenges streamed on ESPN. Players execute functions in seconds that most people don't even know exist. It's accounting meets athletics, and it's genuinely impressive.

These examples prove esports isn't limited to traditional video games. Watch the full video for deeper dives into each community, tournament structures, and how you can get involved yourself.