For the past few years, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has been on the rise, and has quickly become one of the top dogs of mobile esports. 2025 in particular, though, may go down as one of the most defining years of the scene. And it’s not just about the raw numbers that the game pulled — in 2025, MLBB continuously broke its own records time and time again.

This was most evident at the Esports World Cup (EWC), where MLBB became the undisputed centerpiece. It dominated peak viewership stats by a landslide. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. The EWC dominance, while an impressive capstone achievement, was simply the culmination of everything MLBB built throughout 2025.

Regional Dominance

MPL Indonesia Season 15 (MPL ID) kicked off 2025 with a big statement. It proved once again why the region is considered the beating heart of MLBB esports. The grand finale between ONIC ID and RRQ Hoshi, a major match between two fan favorites, accumulated 4.1 million peak viewers, according to data from Esports Charts, which narrowly surpassed the already massive record set in the previous season. Season 16 peaked at around 3.1 million viewers, which isn’t quite as high, but still impressive by any other metric.

A similar phenomenon happened with MPL PH Season 15. Its opening season for 2025 peaked at 1.8 million viewers during the grand finals match between ONIC PH and Team Liquid PH. In the following season, peak viewership dropped only slightly to 1.5 million viewers during the grand finals match between Team Liquid PH and Aurora Gaming. 

Though Indonesia and the Philippines have established themselves as the juggernauts of MLBB, other regions continued to grow too in 2025, supported by events like Snapdragon Pro Series, IESF, and national tournaments like the MPL. Together, they formed a dense competitive calendar that kept fans engaged throughout the year. The steady viewership was a strong sign of a thriving, sustainable esports title.

A Year Where MLBB Redefined Its Ceiling

The Esports World Cup 2025 was, for many fans, the undisputed high point of MLBB esports this year. Among all the titles featured at the event, MLBB towered above the rest with a staggering 3 million peak viewers. To put that dominance into perspective, the second-highest title, PUBG Mobile, reached only 1.4 million peak viewers. Meanwhile, League of Legends took third place with over 1.2 million. So MLBB didn’t just lead the pack by small margins — it more than doubled the viewership of other titles.

“MLBB’s huge EWC viewership is more than just an achievement for the game,” said Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet. “It proves that mobile esports is here to stay, and that regions like SEA can move the needle on a global scale.”

EWC also became a stage where legacies were forged. In this event, Team Liquid PH’s Karl "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno solidified his GOAT status, despite his own tendency to deny it. On top of that, Liquid also completed their trophy cabinet. After an intense battle against the defending champions, SRG.OG, Team Liquid PH won the final trophy missing from their collection: the MSC 2025.

One of the most meaningful shifts of 2025 came from the growing visibility of women in MLBB esports. The MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) 2025, held as part of the EWC event, became a landmark moment for the title. It accumulated 468,976 peak viewership, making it to the top 5 of the most-watched in women’s esports, during the match between Indonesia’s Team Vitality and North America’s Gaimin Gladiators. This points to how MLBB esports is becoming more inclusive than ever, and the numbers are a demonstration that the community is ready to support women’s teams in MLBB at scale.

"I’m happy to see female players gradually gaining more recognition in the MLBB scene," said Team Liquid PH coach Ar Sy. "Compared to when I was still part of the women’s scene, there were very few international tournaments before."

Another major shift comes from the Malaysian league, where teams are beginning to show great promise. Malaysian teams like SRG.OG, who recently secured their fourth championship in MPL MY Season 16, are starting to turn heads, and have the potential to challenge the giants of MLBB esports from the Philippines and Indonesia. On top of that, Malaysia’s national team is also a two-time winner at the IESF World Esports Championships. What they need now is time to hone their talents further and a stage to show off what they bring to the table.

"It’s very clear that every country is becoming more competitive," said Team Liquid Academy PH Team Manager Eviann. "It’s no longer just one or two regions dominating — many countries can now compete at the highest level."

What 2025 Ultimately Meant for MLBB Esports

It’s clear that 2025 was more than just a year of big events for MLBB esports. The dominance of mobile esports titles in major events like EWC proved that it’s no longer just a niche corner of the industry. MLBB expanded its audience, solidified its esports roadmap, and fostered inclusivity through its women’s competitions.

At the 33rd Southeast Asia (SEA) Games, MLBB was named one of the medal events. The best of the best talents from SEA clashed not just for medals, but for national pride — and ultimately, the shift towards regional parity that began in 2025 culminated in the Philippines taking gold, Malaysia taking silver, and Indonesia taking bronze.

Currently, the M7 World Championship is ongoing as well, with Team Liquid PH in attendance. ONIC PH, the defending champions from last year, failed to secure a spot in the upcoming world event, which means that M7 will crown a new champion, and another team will etch its name into MLBB history. As to who will claim this year’s world champion title, we’ll just have to wait and see.

As we look forward, the question for MLBB isn’t whether it can stay on top. Rather, it’s whether it can maintain this status, and how much higher it can climb after a year that redefined what mobile esports can achieve. With new talent emerging, organizations hopping into the trend, and more events on the horizon, MLBB’s future is wide open, and full of opportunity.