Top Esports Games in Japan (2023)

Esports in Japan has garnered millions of players online to compete against each other in exciting combat.

Video games with fast-paced action and spectacular moves have received a phenomenal response from gamers in Japan in 2023. There are dozens of top professional esports teams and players emerging from Japan to win international tournaments and collect grand prizes that are worth thousands of dollars.  

Have a look at the top esports games in Japan that you can play in 2023. 

League of Legends

League of Legends is a massively multiplayer game. Gamers can enter 5v5 battles in League of Legends (LoL) to collect gold, kill their opponents, destroy enemy turrets, and ultimately mitigate the Nexus. There are more than 140 unique characters in LoL that present a wide range of tactics that can be applied as a team. 

You can strike minions in 3 lanes to earn gold and buy items to strengthen the attributes of your LoL champions. Players can hit monsters in the jungle to gain bonus experience before roaming the map for fresh kills. Mighty dragons exist within League of Legends that grant amazing abilities to teams after being defeated. 

AXIZ, Burning Core, V3 Esports, and Crest Gaming Act are among the biggest LoL esports teams from Japan. Tournaments like the 2023 World Championship, Sigma Cup 2023, and Elite Series Benelux Masters 2023 attract the brightest talent from across the globe to compete in LoL matches every year.  

Dota 2

Dota 2 is a strategy game with enhanced gameplay mechanics. It is free-to-play on Steam and has an extensive roster of heroes. You can choose carry heroes to lead your team to victory, support heroes to heal your allies, and tank heroes to sustain incoming damage from enemies during battles. 

Each game of Dota 2 can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to win. Players can purchase plenty of items in Dota 2 to increase their kill counts, amplify spell damage, and raise their gold per minute. From casting abilities that affect multiple enemies to turning invisible at will, Dota 2 heroes can perform quite a few stunts to keep esports players coming back for more. 

The developers at Dota 2 release constant updates to the game that can modify the outcome of matches. You can unlock and equip accessories for your favorite heroes to improve the visuals of battles in Dota 2. The best Dota 2 esports teams, such as Team Secret, Tundra Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, and TSM have a dedicated Supporter’s Club in Dota 2 to enrich the interactions and grow the online community. The International 2023 is one of the most anticipated esports events in gaming and offers a prize pool of over $3,000,000 to Dota 2 teams. 

Street Fighter 6

Street Fighter 6 is a brutal fighting game from Capcom. Action sequences in Street Fighter 6 are extremely satisfying to perform in front of live crowds. Popular characters from the Street Fighter franchise like Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Cammy, and Dhalsim have revamped their appearances for the latest installment of the game. 

The cross-play feature of Street Fighter 6 allows players to connect to a global network of competitors on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The Battle Hub mode of Street Fighter 6 invites esports players to beat up their rivals and become a master. You can also spectate online matches through a Battle Cabinet to learn new moves to challenge stronger opponents. 

Genbu Temple, Old Town Market, Colosseo, Bathers Beach, and King Street are battle stages that are frequently picked in Street Fighter 6 competitions. The CPT 2023 Online Event and Battle Coliseum 2023 are international Street Fighter 6 tournaments that have elevated the esports industry. Street Fighter 6 will be hosting the Capcom Cup X in January 2024 with a prize pool of $1.7 million. It has sold over 2 million copies to date.  

Valorant

Valorant is a shooter game with 2 distinct game modes. People can enter Valorant matches in Deathmatch or Plant/Defuse mode to score points. Getting 40 kills in Deathmatch mode will help you win games in Valorant. You can plant spikes in the enemy base or diffuse spikes planted in your base to win in Plant/Defuse mode. 

Primary weapons in Valorant include Spectre, Bucky, Judge, Phantom, Marshal, Odin, and Ares. A majority of these weapons can be shot through walls to deal damage to enemies on different maps. The mode of fire, size of the magazine, and reload speed can significantly impact the number of kills you get per game. 

You can select from over 21 Agents who have special abilities to hunt down enemies on various maps in Valorant. Agents like Brimstone can launch grenades to deal damage to multiple opponents. He can cloud the vision of his enemies with Sky Smoke to give his team an advantage. 

There are 10 amazing maps in Valorant that can be fun to explore. Sunset was released recently in Valorant and has been successful in luring new players to the action game. Valorant esports teams such as Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, and Paper Rex have earned over $1 million through tournaments. VCT 2023 and Liquid Open 2023 have dozens of esports teams from Japan and other countries participating in the competition.