Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) - about the game: statistics, best heroes and players, e-sports (2026)
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang game page
Information is current as of August 2026.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is a 5v5 mobile MOBA from Moonton, released on July 14, 2016. Short matches lasting 10-15 minutes, selecting a game in 10 seconds and low system requirements have made it the most popular mobile MOBA in the world - and the main e-sports discipline in Southeast Asia.
About the game
Two teams of five players fight on a three-line map: the goal is to destroy the enemy throne. The game has more than 130 heroes of six roles: tanks, fighters, assassins, mages, shooters and support. The developer is the Shanghai studio Moonton (since 2021, part of ByteDance, the owner of TikTok).
Game cost
The game is completely free (free-to-play) on Android and iOS. MLBB makes money from in-game purchases: skins, heroes, battle passes. Items are priced from $0.48 to $160. The game is not pay-to-win: skins provide only minimal cosmetic bonuses, and heroes can be purchased for in-game currency.
Statistics and popularity
- More 1.5 billion installations for all time - one of the absolute records in mobile gaming.
- About 7 million downloads per month and about $4 million in monthly revenue on Google Play alone (Sensor Tower estimate, summer 2026).
- Rating on Google Play - 3.9 out of 5 with almost 39 million reviews.
- The total prize fund of tournaments is approx. $35 million.
Popularity by country
The main markets of MLBB are the countries of Southeast Asia:
- Indonesia — the largest market; MLBB is practically the national sport here, MPL Indonesia attracts millions of spectators.
- Philippines - Second superpower: Philippine teams have won six straight M Series World Championships.
- Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia — consistently strong regions with their own leagues.
- Türkiye, Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe and CIS — fast-growing regions: M8 will be held in Turkey, and the top prize winners in 2026 will include players from Russia.
The best heroes according to player reviews (August 2026 meta)
- Assassins: Julian, Yi Sun-shin, Harley, Gusion.
- Fighters: Sora, Fredrinn, Arlott, Paquito.
- Magi: Zhuxin, Pharsa, Yve, Zetian, Eudora.
- Arrows: Kimmy, Granger, Karrie.
- Support: Angela, Floryn, Rafaela.
- Tanks: Uranus, Gloo, Minotaur, Atlas.
Top Players and Esports
M7 World Championship (January 2026, Jakarta) became most watched mobile esports tournament in history: peak - 5.68 million concurrent viewers in the grand final, prize pool $1,000,000. The champions were the Filipinos Aurora Gaming (4:0 against the Indonesian Alter Ego, prize - $320,000), the MVP of the final was roamer Dylan "Light" Catipon.
Among the most titled and highest paid players are KarlTzy, FlapTzy, Sekys, Sanford (Philippines/Malaysia) with total prize money of $300-385 thousand. In 2026, the Russian Team Spirit performed noticeably: Sawo (Stanislav Reshnyak) and SunsetLover (Kemiran Kochkarov) earned $200,000 per season - the best result of the year. In 2025, MLBB became the second most watched eSports discipline in the world after League of Legends.
Squads (clans)
Analogue of clans in MLBB - Squads. You can create your squad in the “Squad” tab on the main screen: up to 9 participants, general chat, joint rating games and internal tournaments. Squads receive weekly rewards for their activity, and the strongest are included in the ranking of the best squads in the region. For newcomers, joining an active squad is the fastest way to find a permanent top five and raise your rank.
Player reviews
Players praise MLBB for short, dynamic matches, a huge selection of heroes, and fair free-to-play. They complain mainly about matchmaking at low ranks and Smurfs. The average rating is 3.9/5 on Google Play: a typical picture for hype MOBAs, where minuses are given for the toxicity of the chats, and pluses for the gameplay.
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