Indonesia’s ONIC Esports have capped off a stellar year by claiming the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang title at the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025, delivering a commanding performance in the tournament’s decisive final.

The MLBB competition, powered by ADNOC, concluded after six days of elite level action in Abu Dhabi, bringing together top teams from across the international scene. When it mattered most, ONIC stood above the rest.

A Six-Day Showcase of World-Class MLBB

This year’s Games of the Future once again blended traditional sports concepts with top tier esports competition, creating a unique global stage for MLBB. The tournament highlighted just how much preparation, discipline, and strategic depth are required to succeed at the highest level.

From the opening matches through to the finals, consistency proved decisive, and ONIC showed it in every phase of play.

Grand Final: ONIC Overpower Aurora Gaming

The championship match saw ONIC face Aurora Gaming, a side that had impressed throughout the event. Aurora entered the final battle hardened after a tight semi final against DianFengYaoGuai, while ONIC arrived full of confidence following a clean semi final sweep.

Once the series began, ONIC never looked back. With crisp drafting, disciplined rotations, and near flawless execution, the Indonesian powerhouse secured a convincing 3–0 victory to lift the trophy in Abu Dhabi.

Reflecting on the win, ONIC support player Nicky Fernando “Kiboy” Pontonuwu said the team’s steady improvement throughout the event was key, praising their hero picks, teamwork, and overall performance on the international stage.

Prize Money Breakdown

ONIC Esports did not just lift the MLBB trophy at Games of the Future 2025, but also secured the largest share of the tournament’s total USD 900,000 prize pool.

As champions, ONIC walked away with USD 315,000 in prize money, roughly equivalent to NZD 525,000, underlining the scale of the event and the significance of their victory on the international MLBB stage.

Third Place Play-Off: Aurora Gaming PH Finish Strong

Earlier on the final day, Aurora Gaming PH locked in third place with a dominant 2–0 win over DianFengYaoGuai. Aurora Gaming PH set the tempo early and maintained control across both games, denying their opponents any real chance to recover.

Jan Dominic Iv “DOMENGKITE” Del Mundo impressed throughout the series, while Dylan Aaron “Light” Catipon’s consistency earned him MVP honours. Despite narrowly missing the grand final, Aurora Gaming PH ended their campaign on a positive note.

Final Standings at Games of the Future 2025 MLBB

At the close of competition, the final standings were confirmed as follows:

1. ONIC Esports
2. Aurora Gaming
3. Aurora Gaming PH
4. DianFengYaoGuai

The result further cements ONIC’s status as one of the strongest MLBB teams in the world, and reinforces Indonesia’s reputation as a global force in the Mobile Legends competitive scene.

Fans looking to catch up on the action can find full match replays and exclusive behind the scenes content via the official Games of the Future platforms.

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The global esports landscape in 2025 was shaped by three familiar giants, League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. When viewership across all major tournaments and platforms is combined, the results paint a clear picture of where fans spent their time this year.

According to aggregated livestream data published by Esports Charts, the most-watched esports teams of 2025 once again came from these dominant ecosystems. PC, console and mobile titles all sit side by side in the same rankings, creating a far tougher comparison than game-specific lists. Battle royale titles and Chinese streaming platforms were excluded from the data.

While the top spot remained unchanged, the rest of the leaderboard saw noticeable movement, especially from Counter-Strike, which matched League of Legends with four teams inside the top 10 for the first time in years.

Korean League of Legends teams set the pace

For the fourth year running, T1 finished 2025 as the most-watched esports team in the world. The Korean organisation generated just over 196 million hours watched, outperforming second place by roughly 65 percent.

What makes T1’s dominance even more remarkable is how uneven their domestic season was. In the LCK regular season, fourth place was their highest finish. Once again though, T1 delivered when it mattered most. At the League of Legends World Championship, they powered through the tournament from its earliest stage and secured a third consecutive Worlds title, cementing their reputation as the ultimate big-match team.

Image Credit: Riot Games

Behind them, Korean League of Legends remained heavily represented. Gen.G claimed second place overall after another highly consistent year, winning the LCK Season, the Mid-Season Invitational and the Esports World Cup. Their run ended in familiar fashion at Worlds, falling to T1 in the semifinals.

Further down the list, Hanwha Life Esports placed sixth after a fast start to the year that included lifting the LCK Cup 2025 and winning their first international title at the First Stand Tournament. KT Rolster rounded out the Korean contingent in seventh, boosted by a surprise run to the Worlds grand final that significantly lifted their overall viewership.

ONIC overtake RRQ in Mobile Legends viewership

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang once again proved its global pulling power, especially in Southeast Asia. Two Indonesian teams finished inside the top four overall, underlining Indonesia’s status as the core market for MLBB esports, where major events regularly attract millions of concurrent viewers.

The highest-ranked MLBB team of 2025 was ONIC Esports, who finished third overall. ONIC enjoyed a flawless domestic year, winning both MPL Indonesia Season 15 and Season 16. Internationally, they remained competitive, placing fourth at the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2025 and reaching the later stages of several Snapdragon-sponsored events.

Image Credit: MOONTON

In a rare shift at the top of the MLBB scene, RRQ Hoshi finished just behind ONIC in fourth place. Despite remaining one of the most recognisable brands in mobile esports, RRQ struggled to turn popularity into trophies. Their strongest results came early in the year with runner-up finishes at MPL Indonesia Season 15 and the ESL Snapdragon Pro Series: Mobile Masters 2025.

The second half of the season was tougher. RRQ placed 5th to 8th at the MLBB Mid Season Cup and failed to reach the playoffs in MPL Indonesia Season 16. The dip in results ultimately saw them overtaken by their domestic rivals in total hours watched.

Counter-Strike sees a new hierarchy emerge

Counter-Strike enjoyed a major resurgence in the 2025 rankings, matching League of Legends with four teams inside the top 10. The highest-ranked CS team was Team Vitality, finishing fifth overall.

Vitality delivered one of the greatest seasons in Counter-Strike history. The team won back-to-back Majors, lifted nine tier-one trophies and consistently reached the latter stages of elite events. From a viewership perspective, it marked the strongest overall performance for a Counter-Strike team since NAVI’s peak in 2021.

Image Credit: HLTV.org

Positions eight to ten were filled by Team Spirit, MOUZ and Team Falcons, highlighting just how much depth and turnover the scene experienced this year.

Team Spirit enjoyed a solid season with several trophies and regular playoff appearances, but frequent roster changes disrupted their consistency. MOUZ, meanwhile, produced one of their strongest years in recent memory, stacking top-four finishes and looking increasingly well-balanced after the arrival of Lotan “Spinx” Giladi. Team Falcons remained one of the most closely watched projects in Counter-Strike, showing clear progress despite falling short of major titles.

Top 10 most-watched esports teams of 2025

Image Credit: EsportsCharts

What the rankings tell us about esports in 2025

The 2025 rankings underline a familiar truth. A handful of blockbuster titles continue to dominate global attention, with League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang accounting for the vast majority of viewership. At the same time, the movement inside the top 10 shows that competitive success, roster stability and regional fanbases all play a critical role in shaping esports popularity.

As 2026 approaches, the gap at the very top remains steep, but the chasing pack is closer than ever.

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The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup 2025 has just made esports history, becoming the most-watched event in the Esports World Cup so far. During the Knockout Stage Quarterfinals between RRQ Hoshi and Selangor Red Giants Esports, the match peaked at a staggering 3.06 million viewers, a first for any EWC event.

NEW #EWC SERIES RECORD 🥳#MSC2025 reaches 3M Peak Viewers during @teamrrqofficial vs @selangorfc.@OGesports

See how this @mlbbesports_en event broke the record
👉 https://t.co/4g1DhFWYyS pic.twitter.com/E5afppwME4

— Esports Charts 🇺🇦 (@EsportsCharts) August 3, 2025

The sparking showdown pitted two popular fan-favorites against one another: top MLBB club RRQ Hoshi from Indonesia and Malaysia’s reigning powerhouse side, Selangor Red Giants. With RRQ as a presence, it was little wonder that ratings soared. Their global appeal ensured a big turn-out — and this was just another occasion to present evidence for it.

For Selangor Red Giants Esports, this wasn’t just a big match, it was their most-watched game ever, thanks in part to the sheer interest RRQ brings wherever they go. Hitting over 3 million peak viewers is no small feat, and it’s a milestone that underlines how fast the mobile MOBA scene is growing.

This record-breaking viewership stat was tracked by Esports Charts, which monitors live viewing data across multiple platforms. It’s worth noting that their technology carefully filters out anomalies, such as sudden spikes from host raids, to give an accurate picture of genuine audience engagement.

Image Credit: Esports Charts

Whether this new record will hold by the end of the event remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: MLBB continues to dominate the mobile esports scene in a big way.

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The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup or MSC, part of this year’s Esports World Cup (EWC), has taken the spotlight, pulling in a staggering peak viewership of nearly 1.9 million.

Just short of 1.9 MILLION@teamrrqofficial vs @auroraggmlbb sets a new #MSC2025 peak!

LIVE @mlbbesports_en stats:
🔴 https://t.co/0Q7dwmEwRF pic.twitter.com/9o82XjUqI5

— Esports Charts 🇺🇦 (@EsportsCharts) July 27, 2025

Already a household name in South-East Asia, MLBB consistently pulls massive crowds online. Its global fanbase helped the Mid Season Cup outperform heavyweights like Valorant and League of Legends, making it the most-watched tournament at EWC so far.

Have You Heard About MLBB yet?

Even though MLBB is one of the most popular esports games in the world, it is still unknown in places like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s rarely promoted through mainstream esports channels there, and as of now, only one pro player from the UK has earned prize money from the game, according to Esports Earnings.

In contrast, countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia dominate the competitive scene. Filipino teams, in particular, are EWC favourites, in terms of performance.

Originally launched in 2016 and published in China, MLBB now boasts a monthly player base between 45 to 75 million.

MLBB Viewership Leaves Others Behind

According to Esports Charts, MLBB’s Mid Season Cup peaked at 1,898,116 viewers, outperforming even League of Legends, which only reached 1.2 million, well below its 3.4 million peak just a week earlier at the MSI.

Top Matches from July 2025, Week 4

🥇 @teamrrqofficial vs @auroraggmlbb
🥈 @onic_esports vs @teamliquidph
🥉 @onic_esports vs VirtusProhttps://t.co/ZqGD6clqds pic.twitter.com/ERVbrBfAsl

— Esports Charts 🇺🇦 (@EsportsCharts) July 29, 2025

Meanwhile, A widespread boycott of the mainstream caused Valorant to suffer, and fans turned to creator watch parties to express their disapproval of Saudi Arabia’s role. Though still far below MLBB’s astounding viewership, other shows, including Honour of Kings, set records despite the controversy, attracting over 650k peak viewers.

Even the Women’s Scene is Soaring

Additionally, the EWC x MLBB Women’s Invitational was not overlooked. Its peak viewership of 467,988 surpassed even the official Valorant event, demonstrating MLBB’s broad appeal.

MLBB Women’s Invitational 2025 at #EWC2025 peaked at 467.9K viewers!

Top Matches:
1. @GaiminGladiator vs @VitalityMLBB
2. @GaiminGladiator vs @TidalLegends
3. @VitalityMLBB vs @TeamLiquid

Full breakdown: https://t.co/5jKVwD6DnT pic.twitter.com/kgdmA18ed9

— Esports Charts 🇺🇦 (@EsportsCharts) July 30, 2025

Final Thoughts

More than merely remarkable, MLBB’s performance at the Esports World Cup is historic. With a devoted fan base and exciting weekly matchups, it’s obvious that MLBB is spearheading the mobile esports revolution, and the rest of the world may want to follow suit.

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