Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games (MOBAs for short) are the kind of genre that you only truly understand once you’ve poured an ungodly number of hours into them. It can make them a bit offputting to newcomers, but there are games out there that can ease you in before you dive into the true heavy hitters.
We’re taking a look at all the different types of MOBAs, from the ones any newbie can drop into, to the ones you realistically need a tutor to properly understand. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find the best MOBA games for you, no matter your skill level.
Clash Royale
Clash Royale is so easily approachable because it’s on the border of even being a MOBA at all. This 1v1 game is part-deck builder and part tower defence. Based on Clash of Clans, you’ll be sending out waves of units to fight in the arena and eventually push to take down your opponent’s base. It’s an addictive game in its own right, but it can be a good gateway into MOBAs too.
Vainglory
Most MOBAs tend to stick to either mobile or PC/console play, but Vainglory is one of the few that treads into crossplay territory. It makes things a little looser and rough around the edges than a game specialized for one platform, but that can also make it more accessible. Either way, it’s certainly quite a pretty game.
Demigod
Demigod is a bit of a double-edged sword. In the era where League of Legends and Dota were finding their feet and taking off, Demigod stumbled a bit and didn’t quite make it. That said, it’s still playable in 2023, and it’s worth checking out if you’re interested in the history of the genre at all. It probably won’t enter your regular play cycle, but it’s a nice alternate take on the kings of the genre.
League of Legends: Wild Rift
A sneaky way for League of Legends to get on this list twice, Wild Rift is the mobile-only version of the game. It’s not a simple port though, as care has been paid to make it more accessible for a mobile audience. Matches are shorter, and the whole process of building characters during matches has been streamlined.
Heroes of the Storm
While Blizzard, unfortunately, stopped active development on the game in 2022, it’s still worth any MOBA fan’s time to stick their head in on Heroes of the Storm to see what it’s all about. It sold itself on the idea of unique battlegrounds and maps that all feature unique quests and objectives that you can fulfill to power up during a match – something other MOBAs ever truly latched onto for their core loops.
Pokémon UNITE
Like all genres, it was only a matter of time before Pokémon got in on the action, and while Pokémon UNITE will never threaten for the crown, it’s a solid title that just about anyone can pick up an play. It utilizes evolution in matches to give it some unique Pokémon charm, and the gameplay has a much smoother learning curve.
Smite
The main difference you’ll immediately notice about Smite is that you play from a third-person perspective rather than top-down. It doesn’t revolutionize the genre, but it does alter tactics somewhat when your perspective is so dramatically altered – it also makes the action feel a lot more involved and thrilling when it’s happening right in front of you. It’s been going strong ever since its 2014 launch and is worth a go.
Awesomenauts
If you want something a bit more casual and lighthearted, then Awesomenauts is one of the best MOBAs to play. Using a side-scrolling 2D perspective, you can play as a big cast of colorful characters all with flashy and unique ability sets that make it a joy to play. You can be a cowboy that unloads dynamite in people’s faces or a toad with a sticky tongue and stealth powers – it has it all.
Dota 2
Now to get into the true heavy hitters of the genre. To do a true in-depth breakdown of the differences between the two would require a separate article twice the length of this one, so to keep it brief, Dota 2 is more for players who like to see and control every little detail of their strategy. It’s an extremely dense game, making it very rewarding to master, but it can be more off-putting to newcomers.
League of Legends
League of Legends, meanwhile, goes more the other way. It still has plenty of depth (and gets more with every update), but it’s also much more approachable to newcomers with flashy champions that have clearly defined roles in battle, plus it does a little more of the intense number-crunching and min-maxing for you. Whichever style you prefer, prepare to have your weekends disappear in an instant once you start playing.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
