Biggest Upcoming MOBA Games

MOBAs are one of the most popular genres on the planet, and despite there being a few heavy favorites like League and Dota 2, there are always new names trying to break into the space and have just as much impact. The formula itself is pretty similar across all the different games, sending players to a large map consisting of several different lanes or paths that are often dictated by role or class. From there, it is a tug-of-war battle to push back the enemy, take new ground, and ultimately, destroy their base, but despite the simplicity of the general game style, there are still plenty of different kinds of MOBAs that all try to do something innovative.

Over the next few months, players will be able to get their hands on large-scale magic-driven fights that flip a lot of conventions on their head, tactical PvE matches with a big focus on cooperative play, alongside a few utterly bonkers ideas that might just work in the end. Like any genre, there is innovation coming in from all sides, and only time will tell if these upcoming games manage to make a dent in such a hotly contested space and be able to show that with enough good ideas, even the best can be dethroned.

Spellcasters Chronicles

It’s All In The Magic

Details:

• Spell synergy shapes team fights
• Tactical lane and objective control

Spellcasters Chronicles is crazy and absurd in all the right ways. Rather than the traditional top-down perspective, players get to fully immerse themselves in the action, flying across the map as one of several magic users who all come with different abilities, summons, and combinations that can be used to outplay and take down the other team.

The biggest differences come in the form of the deckbuilding mechanics and the ability to create entire armies out of nothing to suit the player’s playerstyle. They can equip supportive spells or damage-dealing ones to fit their needs, and then take to the skies, summoning everything from skeletons to giants, turning an already tactical and strategic gameplay loop into something far more complex. MOBA players will feel right at home, but the game looks to be pretty accessible for everyone, making it the perfect chance to try out the genre and see if it is as addictive as everyone makes it out to be.

March Of Giants

Conquest On A Grander Scale

Details:

• Army and hero coordination
• Evolving battlefield over the course of a game

March of Giants takes the concept of commanding an army and turns it into something entirely new. Players take on the role of a giant with a specific skillset and list of abilities, and their goal is to lead their troops to victory, pushing back the enemy and deploying various structures like bunkers and trenches known as Battleworks.

There is a big emphasis on the characters and their different rallying strategies, but the ways in which players use their units are just as important as their own ability usage. And, because of the sheer number of different mobs on screen at once, the battles feel much more chaotic and epic, bringing a different feel to a genre that was otherwise dominated by basic minion vs minion gameplay.

EverSiege: Untold Ages

Fighting For Control Together

Details:

• PvE focus
• Territory control matters just as much as kills

EverSiege: Untold Ages removes all of the PvP stress that makes MOBAs so divisive and replaces it with cooperative roguelike action that sees players fighting mobs, leveling up, and progressing across an evolving procedurally generated world. The lack of players may seem like a strange change, but the mobs and bosses provide more than enough challenge to keep even diehard fans invested right until the end of a run.

The world itself aside, players get to choose between a range of different classes known as Wargears, each offering a strength that can drastically alter how the run plays out. Some go for stealth, others range, but the weapon types only form part of the player’s arsenal, as they are also able to deploy over a dozen different structures and troops to help them in their fight against evil.

Golden Tides

Wider Battles, Wider Range Of Chaos

Details:

• Neutral resource points take precedent
• Teamwork over individual prowess

Golden Tides is a MOBA on paper, but as the devs themselves say, it is far from a traditional one. The game has players sailing into action with their team, letting them instantly jump into the fun parts of the genre like the teamfights and ability combos, without much of the tedious waiting around in between.

The combat is heavily reliant on skill, and good players will be rewarded heavily by paying attention to openings and punishing mistakes that will no doubt exist in every encounter. What’s more, the world and map play out in a very different way, being much more dynamic and unpredictable, as one minute, teams could be fighting over an objective, and the next, firing canons at one another on the waves, removing basically every convention of the genre and turning it into an all-out war for domination and glory.

Last Flag

Fast And Fund Shooter Mayhem

Details:

• Spin on capture the flag
• Multiple Viable playstyles

Last Flag takes CTF in a whole new direction, switching an otherwise basic game mode into a fast and thrilling battlefield where the only limit is the player’s imagination. The map is still split into three distinct lanes, but there are many different locations and points of interest to fight over to improve the team’s chances of winning rather than just straight-up kills.

Mobility plays a big role in the matches, and the characters themselves have plenty of different abilities and options to allow them to traverse the map and create new opportunities to grab the flag. It’s got automated turrets, invisible ninjas, flying snipers, and so much more, demonstrating how a classic gameplay loop can be reinvented in a brand new way.

Honorable Mention: Deadlock

Still A Long Way Out

• Big investment from Valve
• Insane mechanical complexity

Valve isn’t exactly new to the MOBA genre, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying again with their next big game, Deadlock. There is a lot to unpack, and the game isn’t even fully available, yet there is already so much substance and interest from the community that makes it look like it could be the big competitive MOBA on the block.

Combining third-person shooting, classes, build combinations, and some insane movement tech, the skill ceiling might genuinely be higher than any other game on the planet when it drops. However, as intense as it looks, there are still different playstyles and approaches to suit any player, from support to tank to DPS, allowing more players to learn and enjoy a game that may very well take over the world.