If you want to “go pro” in the world of Esports, you have to keep an eye on opportunities. With the right platform, you’ll have the opportunity to “git gud”, get known, and get used to competitive gaming. Today, we’re giving you a rundown on the best platforms for Esports for the aspiring gamer
A note is that all of these platforms are startups that aims to create better services than what was already out there and in our eyes are succeeding.
It’s an honor to present to you the hottest esports startups on the market today.
Best Platforms for Esports – Summary
Want to start the road to going pro right away? We have you covered with this handy chart.
| Platform | Award | Our take on each platform |
| PlayVS | Biggest society impact | Platform primarily aimed at high-school gamers and helping schools establish an Esports program |
| Gamerzclass | Best professional coaching platform | Excellent resource for competitive gaming in these titles, with actual pro gamers as coaches |
| Challengermode | Best all-around tournament platform | Platform focused on making Esports accessible to amateur gamers and organizers for easier matchmaking and tournament organizing. |
| Smash.gg | Most community empowering platform | Great platform focusing on fighting game titles, but also great for organizing esports events for games across all genres. |
Of course, that’s just skimming the surface; read on to find out why we considered these platforms as the best in the industry.
Gamerzclass – Best professional coaching platform
What we loved about it – Gamerzclass provides a more streamlined approach to improving your personal performance. Even better, the courses are made by people who are actually experienced in their respective Esport title.
Practicing on your own is a sure way to get better, but it might not be the smartest approach. Learning from someone who has actual experience in the industry greatly accelerates the learning process. This is because they know which areas most players need to improve on. Some of these problem areas can remain unnoticed for months or even years, slowing your progress. With Gamerzclass, you get to fix those problems early on so you improve faster.
Comprehensive Esports Training Courses
Gamerzclass training courses go beyond walls of text as resources. Instead, you get videos tackling different aspects of your preferred Esports titles. Furthermore, the course encourages putting what you learned into practice. This is done by providing you with exclusive workbooks and game-specific assignments. Last but not least, signing up for a course grants you access to a community of equally-driven players, some of which could end up as long-time training partners.
The Biggest Esports Titles
Gamerzclass focuses on some of the industry’s most popular Esports titles. On the MOBA genre, they offer Courses for DotA and LoL. For competitive FPS, Gamerzclass offers CS:GO lessons. Those who want to specialize in battle royale can take their Fortnite courses. Some who may want to make a name in sports video games could sign up for FIFA 20 masterclasses. Some of these lessons can also apply to other games within the same genre. Because of this, you can still benefit from a course even if you don’t play these games.
We are most excited about announcing all our new instructors and continue making inaccessible knowledge, accessible to the entire community. We have big plans for 2020 and we kick-off things by announcing four new instructors:
– Victor Folmann, CEO
Tekkz – FIFA20 – Fnatic
Jensen – League of Legends – Team Liquid
Rush – Counter-Strike:GO – Complexity
Topson – DotA2 – OG-Esports
PlayVS – Biggest society impact
What we loved about it – A great avenue for high school gamers looking for an opportunity to be a part of the Esports industry. PlayVS also helps schools embrace the concept of Esports as a viable career option, similar to traditional sports. Their dedication to helping not just gamers, but also promoting of integration of Esports into high school culture has earned it a place among the best platforms for Esports.
A good chunk of aspiring gamers is still studying high school. This brings up a couple of problems. First, Esports gets little recognition in most schools, giving students fewer opportunities to be part of the industry. Second, even if the school does recognize Esports, they might not have the knowledge or organizational know-how to get an Esports program running.
Bringing Esports to High Schools
PlayVS brings the Esports industry to both students and schools with a three-step approach. First, PlayVS helps aspiring players generate interest from their school teachers/administrators, encouraging the school to be an active part of an Esports program. Next, teachers and students are provided with assistance and resources to help them start an effective Esports program. Finally, members of the Esports program are introduced to scheduled tournaments happening within the region. Each school year has two seasons, with matches happening on a weekly basis.
Gamer-focused Esports Program
Both students and the coaches don’t have to worry about administrative tasks. This is because PlayVS handles most of these tasks such as logistics, match disputes, field maintenance, and scheduling. This means coaches can put their entire focus on the growth of their students, which helps validates student gamers’ aspirations. Furthermore, PlayVS allows more schools to recognize esports as a proper varsity program that provides opportunities to students regardless of gender or physical abilities.
PlayVS has no plans of slowing down the momentum in 2020. We are continuing to put player experience at the forefront of what we do. We had several key partners sign on in 2019, and it was a great year for the gaming industry overall. In addition to a few new partnerships, we are excited to expand the game titles offered and the number of leagues nationwide.
– Clint Kennedy, Director of Education at of PlayVS
Esportal – Best matchmaking platform [CSGO]
What we loved about it – Great matchmaking with no smurfs, hackers, or trolls. Furthermore, users get the opportunities to meet well-established CSGO players and get used to tournament-style play.
Playing against people who match your skill level is the best way to get better in a game. This is because a fair matchmaking system does a great job of letting you know where you stand compared to other players. Unfortunately, vanilla matchmaking in CS:GO is either full of smurfs/hackers. Even without toxic players, you can get frequently put in matches with unbalanced teams. Esportal helps eliminate these problems by putting you in a more balanced matchmaking ladder and placing stricter sanctions on cheaters and toxic players.
Better Matchmaking
Better matchmaking is already good. However, every bit of improvement counts if you want to “go pro”. This is where Esportal’s premium service comes into play. Premium users get to see accurate performance that can help you improve your weaker areas and see how you compare to other players. And who better to compare your stats than high profile players? Esportal premium users can join “Star Gathers” created by high-profile CSGO players which mostly consist of pro gamers and popular streamers.
A Gateway to Esports
Last but not least, Esportal also offers players the opportunity to get their feet wet in the Esports industry. This is possible through organized tournaments, where players can assemble and register their own teams for scheduled matches. Tournaments can be made by organizers or players themselves, giving them a glimpse of the ins and outs of organized competitive gaming.
Challengermode – Best all-around tournament platform
What we loved about it – Challengermode provides organizers with one of the best avenues to organize tournaments. Whether you’re starting with small free tourneys or looking for something with prize money, the platform is the perfect stepping stone to start your career. This makes challenger mode one of the best platforms for Esports in terms of audience reach and ease of use.
Many gamers who want to go pro tend to be intimidated with the concept of being in the Esports industry because of one thing – lack of accessibility. They have this notion that Esports are only for the elite of the elite. However, Challenger mode aims to break that stigma by giving players the chance to enter tournaments regardless of their current skill level.
Better Access to Real Competitive Play
Playing random games online helps hone your skills, but it’s participating in tournaments where you start building your career. This is why challenger mode allows you to join OR organize your own tournaments. Play on a local, regional, or even international level and make your presence known to the competitive scene. You can choose to participate in tourneys to earn prizes, or simply join for the thrill of playing in a more competitive setting.
Going Pro with People
Being a pro player is rarely a solo journey. This is why challenger mode as its Team Finder feature, which lets you meet people with the same goal as you. If you’re looking for some help refining your gameplay, Challengermode also offers coaching services via their marketplace. Last but not least, the platform is also home to game-specific communities where you can share ideas, organize scrims, or even run your own tourney – all directly through the platform.
Another thing worthy of note about Challengermode is their dedication to creating more Esports opportunities by working with organizers in the industry, as summed up by this quote from their CEO.
Our mission at Challengermode is to make esports truly accessible to all the key stakeholders within the industry by enabling them to grow and monetize through our platform. During 2020 we will focus a lot on helping esports organizers grow by hosting their competitions with our technology, on all platforms, with an expanded game portfolio.
We’re also making it easy for the various stakeholders within the ecosystem to sell their services through the Esports Marketplace we’ve created on Challengermode. These are a few of the several new initiatives we are prioritizing during 2020. We believe that they will be important for the esports ecosystem as a whole to grow and flourish in the future.
– Robel Efrem, CEO
Smash.gg – Most community empowering platform
What we like about it – Although smash.gg’s main focus is the FGC, the platform works well for facilitating both amateur and professional tournaments for any Esport title regardless of genre.
The competitive fighting game community has been around even before Esports was a thing. However, with Esports now being a major trend, this has helped the “FGC” to take competitive gaming to new heights. smash.gg has proven instrumental in bridging the gap between amateur gamers and the professional scene.
Perfect for Organizers
Smash.GG provides organizations or individuals with the right set of tools to establish a competitive community. Need a good way to keep track of entrants and attendees? smash.gg has a proper ticketing and registration system. Running a tournament with dozens of players? Bracketing and moderation tools are available, too. Even tools for fundraising and merchandise are covered by Smash.GG.
Easier Registration for Players
We know that smash.gg works great for organizers, but what does it mean for you, as an aspiring gamer? One look at their site and you’ll be greeted by a list of current and upcoming events that you can check out. Registering for any of these events is just a matter of selecting an event, clicking the register button, and filling out the form. smash.gg accepts all major payment methods so securing a pass is very convenient. You spend less time looking for events and more time actually being in the scene!
Beyond the FGC
Although smash.gg is mostly associated with fighting game tournaments such as Tekken 7 and Super Smash Brothers, it actually supports tournaments for Esports titles across all genres. From Fortnite to Hearthstone, to Rocket League, and League of Legends, smash.gg has helped turned countless esports competitions and leagues from mere wishful concepts to actual events. When it comes to sheer variety, smash.gg easily gets a spot among the best platforms for Esports.
We’re seeing a continued interest in linking together the amateur/community-based events in each game community. The Tekken World Tour last year is a great example. It’s a circuit that brought together hundreds of independent events within one league structure. We think this kind of collaboration between developers/publishers and the community will be more common in the coming year.
– Tom Schofield, CEO
Best Platforms for Esports – Conclusion
That wraps up our roundup of the best platforms for Esports for the aspiring gamer. We hoped this has helped you find more opportunities to be a part of the Esports industry. Do you know other platforms that are worth noting? Share it with us in the comments section!
