Esports at the Asian Games
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Esports has been one of the regular Asian Games sports since 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China. It was first introduced as a demonstration sport in 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang.
History
Esports made its debut at the Asian Games alongside traditional sports in the 2018 edition in Jakarta and Palembang as demonstration event.[1] The event featured six titles – games for mobile and PC.[2][3] Esports became a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China in 2023 boosting the discipline's bid for recognition as a legitimate sport.[1] The event for the postponed games, featured seven titles.[4] Hearthstone was supposed to be the eight title but was scrapped due to license expiry issue.[5]
The discipline is still set to be held in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan.[6][7]
Editions
Events
| Event | 18 | 22 | 26 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | ||||
| Clash Royale | d | 0 | ||
| EA Sports FC Online | X | 1 | ||
| eFootball | d[a] | X | 1 | |
| Gran Turismo 7 | X | 1 | ||
| Hearthstone | d | 0 | ||
| Naraka: Bladepoint | X | 1 | ||
| Puyo Puyo Champions | X | 1 | ||
| StarCraft II | d | 0 | ||
| Street Fighter V | X | [b] | 1 | |
| Team | ||||
| Arena of Valor Honor of Kings[c] | d | X | X | 2 |
| Dota 2 | X | 1 | ||
| Dream Three Kingdoms 2 | X | 1 | ||
| Identity V | X | 1 | ||
| League of Legends | d | X | X | 2 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | X | 1 | ||
| Pokémon Unite | X | 1 | ||
| PUBG Mobile | X | X | 2 | |
| Competitive Martial Arts | X[d] | 1 | ||
| Total | 0 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
Medal table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China (CHN) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 |  South Korea (KOR) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Thailand (THA) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 |  Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 |  Hong Kong (HKG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Mongolia (MGL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Totals (7 entries) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | |
Participating nations
| Nation | 18 | 22 | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
 Bahrain |
4 | 1 | |
| China |
13 | 31 | 2 |
| Chinese Taipei |
13 | 19 | 2 |
| Hong Kong |
9 | 31 | 2 |
 India |
9 | 15 | 2 |
 Indonesia |
17 | 13 | 2 |
 Iran |
3 | 1 | |
 Japan |
3 | 12 | 2 |
 Jordan |
7 | 1 | |
 Kazakhstan |
9 | 28 | 2 |
 Kuwait |
1 | 1 | |
 Kyrgyzstan |
1 | 15 | 2 |
 Laos |
6 | 15 | 2 |
 Macau |
19 | 1 | |
| Malaysia |
2 | 19 | 2 |
 Maldives |
13 | 1 | |
| Mongolia |
10 | 1 | |
 Myanmar |
16 | 1 | |
 Nepal |
22 | 1 | |
 Pakistan |
6 | 1 | |
 Palestine |
12 | 1 | |
 Philippines |
25 | 1 | |
 Qatar |
4 | 1 | |
 Saudi Arabia |
7 | 21 | 2 |
 Singapore |
1 | 1 | |
| South Korea |
7 | 15 | 2 |
 Sri Lanka |
1 | 4 | 2 |
 Tajikistan |
12 | 1 | |
| Thailand |
7 | 32 | 2 |
 United Arab Emirates |
10 | 1 | |
 Uzbekistan |
1 | 23 | 2 |
 Vietnam |
17 | 26 | 2 |
| Number of nations | 18 | 30 | |
| Number of athletes | 131 | 475 | |
Notes
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 at the time
- Street Fighter 6 along with two other titles will be contested in the "Competitive Martial Arts" event
- Covers three titles: Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, The King of Fighters XV. Only one medal will be awarded.[9]