The 6 most important esports games releasing in 2024

2024 will have a hard time competing with 2023 in terms of quality of game releases, especially in the esports space. Following a year that saw the release of Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1, Counter-Strike 2, and many other classic single-player titles, what exactly is there to look forward to in 2024?

Luckily, the wheel of game development never stops turning, and esports-adjacent games are continuing to be released in droves despite the onset of esports winter. Here’s our list of the most important esports games releasing in 2024

Tekken 8 is set for release on January 26, 2024. The 3D fighter will take a swing at the likes of Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1, who took the FGC by storm in 2023. The eighth mainline entry in the Tekken franchise, Tekken 8 is set to push the graphical boundaries of fighting games, just like we expect from the series. Expect the classic formula in a shiny new package with some new faces too!

While naysayers will say that the RTS genre is dead and buried, Stormgate is set to buck the trend by reviving the classic feel of titles like Warcraft III and StarCraft II. A free-to-play RTS that blends fantasy and sci-fi, Stormgate will scratch the itch for a new esports RTS title not named Age of Empires or ‘Craft. With creators like Nick “Tasteless” Plott and Back2Warcraft already sold, it’s just up to Frost Giant Studios to deliver.

We’ve already seen a lot of gameplay footage and a limited beta. Now all we need is a hands-on experience. 2024 could be another big year for Riot if Project L’s release lives up to its hype

While Stormgate is perhaps the better known the RTS-revival movement, ZeroSpace is incredibly promising. Developed with competitive StarCraft II players, this title is focused on the esports scene, with a more grounded and balanced approach to its factions and gameplay. A 2024 release seems slightly unlikely, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

While Riot Games’ upcoming MMO has no firm timeline, we expect to see more from the title in 2024. Whether this takes the form of limited playtests or an actual release is open to speculation. MMOs take years and years of development, but whatever is going on, we expect big things from this new entry to the title.

Rumors and teases have all but confirmed that Respawn Entertainment, the developers behind Apex Legends, are working on a new game. The most common theory is a new single-player game set in the Apex Legends/Titanfall universe. We expect to see and hear more about this in 2024.

And those are some of the most important esports titles launching in 2024. Stay tuned to esports.gg throughout the year for coverage on these games and much more besides!