Esports is back on the Asian Games stage and it looks like they’re expanding.
The 2026 Asian Games esports lineup was revealed to the world last Saturday, February 22, and it’s got a lot of people excited. It’s the second time esports is being featured as a medal event in the multi-sport competition and it looks like they’re broadening their reach.
Esports was first introduced as a demonstration event back in the 2018 Asian Games featuring six games: Arena of Valor, Clash Royal, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, and Star Craft II.
The year 2022 was a big milestone for both esports and the Asian Games, as that was when esports was upgraded into a full medal event. Seven games were featured with Arena of Valor and League of Legends returning to the lineup. The new inclusions were Dota 2, Dream of the Three Kingdoms 2, EA Sports FC Online, PUBG Mobile, and Street Fighter V.
We’re getting almost double that number for the 2026 Asian Games esports lineup. There are 13 featured games but only 11 events, and people are wondering what to expect.
Here’s what you should know.
The Featured Lineup
Three games made it back to the 2026 Asian Games esports lineup: League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Street Fighter. However, Street Fighter shares a category with Tekken and The King of Fighters known as Competitive Martial Arts. It’s labeled as team competition and only one medal will be awarded.
It’s unclear what this means for the actual logistics of the competition so we’ll need to wait for more details.
Honor of Kings, MLBB, and Pokemon Unite are also making their debut on the Olympic stage. As the three most popular mobile MOBAs in the world, it’s no surprise that they’re part of the 2026 Asian Games esports lineup.
Naraka: Bladepoint is a unique take on the Battle royal genre, focusing heavily on martial arts-like combat and movement. Gran Turismo 7 and Efootball are simulation games for racing and football, respectively.
Then there’s Identity V, an asymmetrical survival horror game where one Hunter must find and eliminate four Survivors before they can escape. It’s a curious inclusion but not as curious as Puyo Puyo Champions.
Puyo Puyo Champions is essentially a Tetris-like with extra elements that make it a competitive player-versus-player game. It’s a popular game in Japan and they even have their own esports scene.
One thing to note is that PUBG and Identity V are going to be played using the Asian Games version. Recall that the International Olympic Committee has strict rules on depictions of violence and has numerous changes and restrictions in place for their games. PUBG was a completely different game when it was featured back in 2022 due to these restrictions. It remains to be seen if it and Identity V will suffer the same fate in 2026.
Banner photo by Adela Sznajder / Riot Games.