In 2025, VALORANT didn’t just dominate our video game playlist; it also carved out a place in the esports spotlight across Twitch and YouTube, delivering some of the year’s most memorable competitive moments.
From nail-biting overtime maps and finals to massive upsets and unbelievable comebacks, the year’s most-watched matches captured everything that makes competitive VALORANT unmissable: precision, chaos, and moments that instantly became esports history.
Let’s revisit the top 10 VALORANT esports series in terms of peak viewership (data collected from Esports Charts), shall we?
10) DRX vs MIBR at VALORANT Champions 2025 – 680,996 peak viewers
This lower-bracket game saw South Korean favorites DRX take on MIBR for a chance to stay alive in the year-end tournament.
While DRX eventually won and advanced to the next lower round, Aspas was undoubtedly the series’ standout player, pulling off miracle rounds for MIBR as their one-man army. The star duelist was clearly in one of his best forms of the season, proving once again that he’s a force to be reckoned with.
It’s a shame we couldn’t see him play for the rest of VALORANT Champions Paris, but MIBR’s 2026 roster is already looking pretty dashing.
9) FNATIC vs. DRX in VALORANT Champions 2025 – 684,298 peak viewers
Up next is the lower final of VCT Champions Paris, which featured Fnatic and DRX in an entertaining five-map series. While Fnatic ultimately took down DRX in a dominant 3–1 fashion, the match carried high stakes, as the winner would advance to the Champions Paris grand final against NRG. DRX also broke their long-standing curse this year, securing a top-three finish at an international tournament.
That said, as the lower final of the year’s final tournament, this series arguably deserved a higher placement on this list.
8) Gen.G vs G2 Esports at VALORANT Masters Toronto – 689,747 peak viewers
Next comes a lower bracket match at the year’s second Masters tournament, featuring Gen.G and G2 Esports—two top-tier rosters from their respective regions. While the first map went to G2 in decisive fashion, the second and especially the third map were fascinating to watch. The second map went Gen.G’s way after plenty of back-and-forth, ending 13–11. The decider on Icebox saw Gen.G choke an 11–4 lead, which G2 converted into a dramatic 13–11 victory.
You can see why this series earned a spot on this list, can’t you?
7) G2 Esports vs. Paper Rex at VALORANT Champions 2025 – 790,853 peak viewers
This match saw three-peat contenders G2 Esports take on APAC favorites Paper Rex in an intriguing three-map series. As an upper-bracket playoff matchup, the stakes were slightly lower, with the losing team still having a chance to fight back through the lower bracket. The series was full of back-and-forth action, highlighted by a close overtime win for G2 on the second map, Corrode, and an entertaining comeback from Paper Rex on the third map, Ascent.
Of course, G2 fans won’t forget the series that sent their favorite team down to the lower bracket, which ultimately led to their exit from the tournament at the hands of DRX.
6) Paper Rex vs. Team Heretics at VALORANT Champions 2025 – 835,439 peak viewers
Yet another lower-bracket series at VALORANT Champions Paris, this matchup saw Paper Rex and Team Heretics battle to stay alive in the tournament. The first two maps were closely contested, with Paper Rex winning Ascent 13-11 and Heretics winning Bind 13-9.
The decider map was played on Lotus. Unsurprisingly, it turned into a Lotus masterclass from Paper Rex, who destroyed Team Heretics with a dominant 13–4 scoreline. The 2024 runners-up had little chance beyond the map’s fifth round.
5) Paper Rex vs. Wolves Esports at VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025 – 853,953 peak viewers
The upper final of Masters Toronto 2025 featured Paper Rex against Wolves Esports, China’s third seed for this tournament. With both teams fighting for a spot in the grand final, it was naturally a highly anticipated matchup. Wolves Esports’ journey—surviving the Swiss Stage’s elimination run and then winning two consecutive playoff matches to reach the upper final—was a major storyline as well.
Wolves eventually lost the series 0–2, but they pushed Paper Rex hard on the first map, which went to overtime. The Chinese squad then faced Fnatic in the lower final, where they fell 1–3 and ultimately secured a third-place finish at the year’s second international tournament.
4) Paper Rex vs. Fnatic at VALORANT Champions 2025 – 961,280 peak viewers
Ah, the series that pushed Paper Rex to the lower bracket at VALORANT Champions Paris! A rematch of Masters Toronto’s grand final, Fnatic finally got their revenge over Paper Rex—but not very easily.
Paper Rex won the first map on Bind 13–10, followed by Fnatic’s 13–4 masterclass on Haven. The decider was where the real magic happened. Paper Rex held a commanding 9–3 lead over Fnatic at halftime on Lotus, with Fnatic managing only the pistol round and the final two rounds of the half.
What initially looked like a modest recovery for the half turned into a stunning run of 12 consecutive rounds, as Fnatic stormed back to win the map 13-9 and take the series 2-1. Of course, the series comes high up in the list of peak viewers, almost touching a million!
3) Paper Rex vs. Fnatic at VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025 – 1,116,583 peak viewers
Is it even a surprise that the grand finals of Masters Toronto ranks third in peak VALORANT esports viewership this year? Featuring four maps of intense action, the series pulled in millions of views, with a peak of 1,116,583 viewers.
Paper Rex were in peak form throughout the tournament, and the grand finals showcased them at their highest level. They won the first map, dropped the second, and then clinched the series by winning two consecutive maps to secure the trophy. Fnatic put up strong fights on all maps but were limited to just one map win (Icebox), which came after a closely contested overtime.
2) T1 vs. G2 Esports at VALORANT Masters Bangkok 2025 – 1,319,066 peak viewers
This was the grand finals of the first international tournament of 2025, pitting T1 against G2 Esports in a highly competitive five-map series. While most fans were rooting for G2, the series ultimately culminated in a nail-biting overtime finish in favor of T1.
G2 started strong on the first map, but T1 responded in kind on the second. This back-and-forth continued until the series was tied at 2–2. Interestingly, the first half ended 8–4 on four of the maps (with one map ending its first half at 6–6), and the final two maps went to overtime. It’s no surprise the series recorded the second-highest viewership among VALORANT esports games in 2025.
1) NRG vs. Fnatic at VALORANT Champions 2025 – 1,473,642 peak viewers
And finally, the grand finals of the year’s most prestigious tournament—VALORANT Champions Paris—take the top spot, exactly where fans would expect them to be. Featuring NRG versus Fnatic, the series delivered some of the year’s most memorable VALORANT plays.
Except for die-hard fans, few saw NRG’s Cinderella run coming after they qualified for Champions Paris through their Stage Two performance. They didn’t just win the trophy; they defeated one of the strongest contenders, Fnatic, to earn it. The series went to five maps, though it nearly ended in a 3–0 sweep. On the third map, NRG surged to an 11–1 lead, but despite the pressure, the EMEA giants refused to give up. Fnatic mounted a remarkable comeback, forced overtime, and eventually won the map. They also secured the fourth map, pushing the series to a decisive fifth.
On the final map, NRG once again built a commanding 9–3 lead. This time, however, Fnatic couldn’t complete another comeback, handing NRG their first-ever VALORANT Champions trophy, while giving fans an unforgettable grand finals experience.
Stay tuned for more such features on VALORANT esports!
