A MOBA, short for multiplayer online battle arena, is a strategy genre in which two teams face off on a fixed battlefield. Each player controls a single character with unique abilities, and the genre mixes real-time strategy, role-playing and action.
How a match works
- Teams: usually two teams of five
- Goal: destroy the enemy’s main structure while defending your own
- Lanes: usually three (top, middle and bottom) connect the bases, guarded by defensive towers
- Jungle: the area between lanes, with neutral monsters
- Minions: computer-controlled units that march down the lanes in waves
- Heroes or champions: they earn experience and gold, level up abilities, buy items and come back after dying
Each hero fills a role, such as tank, damage dealer or support, so teamwork matters as much as individual skill.
Where it came from
Aeon of Strife, a custom StarCraft map from 2002, is considered the first widely accepted MOBA. Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a Warcraft III mod from 2003, set the rules and became the most influential game in the genre.
The best-known MOBAs
League of Legends (2009), Dota 2 (2013), Smite (2014), Heroes of the Storm (2015), Honor of Kings (2015) and its international version, Arena of Valor, and Pokémon Unite (2021). MOBAs are also a pillar of esports: in 2018 their prize pools passed 60 million dollars, about 40% of all esports prize money that year.
Frequently asked questions
What does MOBA stand for?
Multiplayer online battle arena.
How many players are in a MOBA match?
Usually ten: two teams of five.
What was the first MOBA?
Aeon of Strife, a 2002 StarCraft map, is considered the first widely accepted MOBA, and Defense of the Ancients (2003) defined the genre.
This article was written with AI assistance from the sources linked above.
