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What Esports Events Will be at the Olympic Esports Games 2025?

Over the last few months, we’re hearing quite a bit of talk regarding Olympic Esports Games 2025. During the 142^nd IOC Session, on July 23^rd to be more precise, the IOC announced the brand-new Olympic Esports Games competition. It’s set to replace the current Olympic Esports Games framework, with the first OEG iterations set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia in 2025.

On this page, we’ll talk you through the basics of esports Olympics, show you the current Olympic Esports Games list and go through the esports titles that are likely to be added for the 2025 Saudi Arabia EOG. So, if you’re interested in what the future of digital Olympic Games has in store for us, grab yourself a hot beverage and enjoy the ride!

About the Olympic Esports Games

The movement behind Olympic Esports Games is much more than a mere fad. It’s been around for quite a while. More precisely, the Olympic Movement started taking interested in digital sports somewhere around 2007. Back then, we had the first proper look at what a competitive esports stage could become with the 2007 Asian Indoor Games.

There weren’t that many discussions on the Olympic Esports Games until the International Olympic Committee (IOC in short) decided to host the Olympic Virtual Series in 2021.

The event had the sporting industry’s attention, especially since most other competitive sports were halted due to COVID.

Soon after that, in November 2022, the IOC announced their plans on hosting Olympic Esports Series annually, with the first one in Singapore in 2023.

Turns out, the IOC went ahead and skipped 2024 without much consideration, only to announce the Olympic Esports Series are going to be replaced by the Olympic Esports Games in 2025.

The event is going to be held in Saudi Arabia for the next 12 years, after which it’s likely to move to different locations all across the globe.

Olympic Esports Games List

The list of Olympic esports titles isn’t that large. The 2023 Esports Series had great success and featured 7 games, 11 disciplines in total. The list of games was quite problematic, though, as it didn’t really feature any of the already well-established esports titles.

At the moment, there are 9 Olympic esports games which are set to be played in Saudi Arabia next year. However, IOC is already eyeing additional games to add to the list.

Word of advice – if you haven’t been following the news regarding Olympic esports games, chances are you’ve only heard about a single game from the list – Gran Tourismo 7.

Here’s a look at all 9 Olympic esports games for 2025, 7 of which were featured on the 2023 Singapore event:

• Tennis Clash
• Gran Tourismo 7
• Virtual Regatta
• Virtual Taekwondo
• Tic Tac Bow
• WBSC eBaseball Power Pros
• Zwift
• Chess.com
• Just Dance

Keep in mind that the number of games is likely to be even larger for the 2025 Saudi Arabia Olympics.

However, not all esports titles are a good fit for the Olympics. No worries, we’ll explain everything in more details in the following couple of paragraphs!

What Games Are a Good Fit for the Olympics?

The first question that ought to pop into gamers’ minds is – what kind of games are these and where are the most popular esports like CS2, Valorant, LoL, and Dota 2?

Well, there’s a good reason why some of these games aren’t currently scheduled for the Olympic Esports Games.

First-Person Shooters are Off Limits

Some of the biggest esports titles belong to the FPS (first-person shooter) genre. I’m mainly referring to FPS games like Counter Strike 2, Call of Duty, and Rainbow 6 Siege. Unfortunately, these games will not be a part of the Olympic Esports Games list 2025 because they’re violent.

Let’s face it – these games are all about killing. Yes, they have a high skill cap, they’re highly competitive, and they require great teamwork ability… but at the end of the day, they’re all about killing other players which goes against everything the Olympic Games stand for.

So, as harsh as that might sound, we’re never going to see these games featured on an Olympic Esports events. On the bright side, all these games have massively popular competitive circuits, so it’s not like they’re going to suffer because of the lack of Olympic exposure.

FC

I was shocked to see FC (formerly FIFA) not a part of the 2023 Olympic Esports Week. EA’s football simulations (though many will argue with that one) are the epitome of competitive digital sports. It’s digital, it’s highly competitive, and it’s a sports game. What more could the IOC want?

No matter what angle I look at this, I can’t seem to find a reason why FC hasn’t been announced for the OEG. That said, I want to believe it’s going to be a featured title for the 2025 Olympic Esports Games. I guess we’ll have to wait a few more months to see.

One thing is certain – if FC, one of the world’s most popular (and active) esports, isn’t in the mix, one should really start questioning IOC’s motives here. Do they want this project to succeed or is it destined to fail?

League of Legends / Dota 2

MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games require unparalleled mechanical skills and equally developed teamwork and cohesion. While LoL is typically labeled as the easier game, both Dota 2 and LoL belong to the uppermost echelon of competitive gaming. That’s why I strongly believe they’d be the perfect fit for the Olympic Esports Games 2025.

Plus, they both have well-developed competitive ecosystems and millions of active viewers who tune in every week to watch the action live. It doesn’t take a genius to understand the majority of these fans would tune in to watch the Olympics too.

The only problem is – the IOC might not want to add MOBAs to the mix because they’re violent. Well, you do go around killing minions and other players. Technically, it is violence. But, it’s fictional, fantasy violence so it should be okay, right? I mean, it’s not like judo, wrestling, and boxing aren’t violent?!

Whatever the case may be, I can’t imagine the next OEG without either LoL or Dota 2. If the event is to succeed, it’s going to need the most popular esports… otherwise, it’s doomed to fail.

NBA2K

Just like FIFA, the esports community was shocked to see NBA2K fail to make it onto the 2023 Olympic Esports Week in Singapore. It had games like Virtual Regatta, Tic Tac Bow, and Zwift, neglecting much more popular non-violent titles like FIFA, NBA2K, and Madden.

That said, if the IOC wants their Olympic Esports Games to succeed, they’ll have to partner up with big game publishers and work together with professional esports event organizers to figure out the best new additions. NBA2K, seeing as it’s the closest thing we have to playing real basketball, is a no-brainer.

Rocket League

Let’s face it – Rocket League is the perfect game for the OEG. It’s a non-violent, highly competitive esports title that combines the essentials of football and racing… as crazy as that might sound.  

Rocket League Championship Series, more commonly known as RLCS, is the game’s premier competitive circuit. RLCS has spectacular viewership and has been running since 2016. Why are we telling you this? Because the best RLCS players are bound to be interested in proving their worth in Rocket League on the Olympic scale.

Fighting Games (Tekken, Street Fighter)

Let’s not forget about fighting games. Unlike FPS games, fighting games actually do comply with the IOC vision. Yes, they’re violent, but so are some of the more physical Olympic disciplines too. 

Games like Tekken and Street Fighter are likely to be the first real candidates, simply because there aren’t that many highly competitive fighters out there. Yes, Super Smash Bros could get in there too.

However, take everything with a pinch of salt because there’s still no official confirmation from the IOC. If any of these games appear on the 2025 Olympic Esports Games, they’re bound to attract massive viewership and highly competitive esports athletes.

Can You Bet on the Olympic Esports Games?

Of course you can! Nowadays, the majority of big esports competitions are available for betting. Online bookmakers have long realized the potential of esports betting, and they’re no longer afraid to show it.

Some online sportsbooks even had betting options for the inaugural Olympic Esports Week back in 2021. Considering the growth of the esports betting industry, you can count on the 2025 OEG to have massive coverage on bookmakers like Thunderpick and BetOnline.