10 Best Esports Moments of 2023

eSports has brought us exciting moments this year with an array of teeth-grinding tournaments. Players from all over came forth to showcase their incredible teams, gameplay tactics and characters. Each with a dream to have fun and bag some trophies and available winners' awards.

These competitions keep growing, attracting a bigger audience and player pool each year. From ML: BB to League of Legends to Valorant, specific teams and players stunned the audiences, making our days incredible. With a lot of dedication to making each eSport event memorable, here are the best overall moments in 2023

10. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang: Indonesia Season 11 Playoffs

The most notable moment in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (ML: BB) was the Season 1 playoff between EVOS Legends and Rex Regum Queon (RRQ) during MPL Indonesia Season 11. Interestingly, the match got over 660,000 viewers despite being a lower-bracket semifinal playoff. While the vast turnout may have been due to the game’s popularity in Indonesia, the match was thrilling nonetheless.

The best-of-five series match went the distance as both EVOS Legends and RRQ brought out their best skills. In the end, EVOS Legends emerged as the winner of the tournament.

9. Valorant Champions Tour 2023: Cloud9 Dropping Vanity & Yay

Valorant enthusiasts know that Yay is the best player in the world. In the same light, Vanity is also regarded as one of the game’s best players. Ideally, the two players should have been the tip of the spear at VCT 2023. This is why it was a surprise when Cloud9 dropped both players after getting eliminated from the second round in the LOCK//IN event. However, the risky decision paid off as the team’s performance improved at the VCT Americas.

8. League of Legends World Championship Swiss Stage

The Swiss Stage of the League of Legends 2023 World Championship experienced a few memorable moments as various teams fought for the ultimate prize. Notably, Cloud9 had a great start when it beat the MAD Lions. However, its success was short-lived, as it proved to be no match for FNATIC and LNG Esports. Moreover, it suffered another loss to South Korea’s T1 during their face-off in the Groups category.

Interestingly, T1 dominated the fixture, ending the Swiss Stage in the shortest record time (22:25) and establishing a 6,000-Gold lead. However, North America’s NRG eventually emerged as winners when Juan Arturo Garcia deployed Jarvan to beat G2 Esports, despite the latter putting up a good fight.

7. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: IEM Katowice Grand Finals

Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) is one of the most popular and longest-running tournament series. Unsurprisingly, several noteworthy moments highlighted the 2023 IEM season, especially for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans. Notably, a high-profile match between G2 Esports and Heroic in the IEM Grand Finals had thousands of viewers streaming.

Overall, viewers watched about 634,000 hours, accounting for about 40% of the entire broadcast’s viewership despite it being an off-season. Both teams brought out their games, and G2 Esports eventually clinched a 3-1 victory over Heroic.

6. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Paris Major: Round 5 of the Legends Stage

CS: GO fans experienced another noteworthy moment at the BLAST Premier Paris Major. It came during Round 5 of the Legends stage in a match between FNATIC and Into the Breach. Notably, it was a high-profile match, considering that the loser would be eliminated while the winner would move on to the Champions Stage.

The match between FNATIC and Into the Breach was a best-of-three. Notably, FNATIC dominated the first game, managing an AMA of over 241,000 throughout the match. However, Into the Breach returned strong in the second and third games, clinching a 2-1 victory against FNATIC.

5. Valorant Champions Tour 2023: Bleed Esports Crazy Clutch

The VCT 2023 season experienced one of the best clutches of all time in a match between Bleed Esports and Scarz. Unsurprisingly, the crazy clutch came from the 24-year-old prodigy Nutchapon Matarat, famous for his immense clutch potential.

The best aspect of the clutch is the creative four-part sequence in which it played out. First, Matarat secured two quick kills from the Garage Window. Second, he stole the bomb from right under two enemies’ noses, using Omen’s ultimate right in an odds-defying move. Third, he planted the bomb at the last second, beating the clock. Finally, he ended the round with an incredible Ace. Overall, the crazy clutch earned Bleed Esports victory in an otherwise unwinnable round, making it one for the books.

4. League of Legends World Championship: T1 vs. JD Gaming

South Korea’s T1 faced off against China’s JD Gaming in the semifinals, attracting over 4.31 million viewers and making it the most popular match among Chinese and Korean audiences. The most notable thing about the match was how easily T1 beat JD Gaming.

Notably, JD Gaming was the region’s current champion, while T1 struggled through the Group stage. To this end, JD Gaming was expected to emerge victorious. However, T1 easily beat their Chinese rivals in a 3-1 win.

3. League of Legends World Championship: T1 Beats WBG

T1 beating WBG was one of the best moments of the League of Legends 2023 World Championship. Notably, WBG managed to keep up with T1’s wins at the start after adding Bard, Kennen, and Azir to their draft. However, T1 deployed Akali, an unkillable demon, scoring a stunning triple kill and putting WBG out of commission. Interestingly, T1’s strategy was so efficient that the game ended in only 25 minutes.

Notably, it was the first win for the star player after attending eight World Championship tournaments. However, it was the fourth World Championship win for T1, further cementing their position among the game’s best teams.

2. Valorant Champions Tour 2023: FNATIC vs. LOUD

An intense rivalry between FNATIC and LOUD highlighted the VCT 2023 season. Interestingly, the rivalry formed during the Grand Final, raising the stakes and making the action even more exciting.

FNATIC started the round strongly, blowing LOUD off the servers in the first two maps. However, LOUD pushed back and turned the tables against FNATIC, emerging victorious in the next two maps. Moreover, they dominated the final map at first, securing an 11-3 lead against FNATIC.

However, FNATIC brought out their best game, pushing it into overtime and using the precious time to overtake LOUD’s lead. Overall, it was a disappointing loss for LOUD, considering how close they came to clinching a win on their home turf.

1. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M5 World Championship: ONIC vs. AP.Bren

The Grand Final match between AP. Bren and ONIC at the M5 World Championship was one for the books. Notably, the event attracted over 5.07 million viewers, becoming the first ML: BB event to set a record for five million concurrent viewers. AP. Bren, a collaboration between AP Esports and Bren Esports, beat ONIC, becoming the M5 World Championship winners and earning a $300K cash prize.

So, what’s your take on our picks for the best esports moments in 2023? What other notable moments do you think we should have featured on the list? Let us know on our socials here.