Gab Hernandez 
MOBAs are some of the most popular competitive online games but which ones are the easiest to play, given the notoriously steep learning curve of the genre?
MOBAs exploded in popularity in the 2010s and are still a staple among online multiplayer games. With League of Legends and Dota 2 regularly hosting hundreds of thousands of players daily, MOBAs continue to enrapture players looking for high-skill, team-based play. However, not every player wants to throw themselves into the deep end.
The complexities of those staples may prove too much for some. Thankfully, MOBAs outside the big two still thrive in the scene. These titles will help ease players into the competitive multiplayer genre without requiring massive amounts of practice and homework.
Smite
Smite is seen by many as the distant third-place MOBA to League of Legends and Dota 2. Despite that, Smite still boasts a dedicated player base thanks to its simplicity and familiar faces from several real-world mythologies. And unlike Dota 2 and League of Legends, the game is fully playable on consoles.
Instead of an isometric top-down view, Smite utilizes a third-person camera with straightforward controls and a closer, more immersive look at the battlefield. The general gameplay is still similar to its cousins in the genre, but this action game-like approach will make it much easier to grasp for many players.
The release of Smite 2 will likely result in a surge of new players, so there’s no better time than now to get into the game.
Pokemon Unite
The franchise may have its competitive side, but Pokemon Unite thankfully welcomes new players with open arms. The game simplifies the traditional MOBA experience by focusing on team-based objectives and reducing the pressure on individual performance.
The game is specifically built to be one of the easiest MOBAs to play, but it’s also one that’s designed to be easy to put down. The actual games have a fixed 10-minute length. This prevents players from having to deal with the hour-long slogs that tend to happen in Dota 2 and League of Legends.
Players can easily pick up the mechanics and abilities through normal play without too much effort. The game also has limited communication options with teammates which sounds bad but should benefit players who want to avoid the notoriously toxic communities of other MOBAs.
Mobile Legends
Although League of Legends: Wild Rift is said to be the “accessible” version of League of Legends, another title is even easier. Mobile Legends streamlines the complex mechanics of traditional MOBAs to suit mobile devices, incorporating both auto-aim and simplified abilities.
Unlike Wild Rift, which feels like a dumbed-down League of Legends, Mobile Legends was developed as a mobile-first title, with no PC players migrating to worry about. As a mobile title, it also features an appropriately high casual player count, making matchmaking a breeze for newbies.
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm needs a bit of an asterisk but it still stands as one of the easiest MOBAs to play, even after Blizzard abandoned it.
Undoubtedly, Heroes of the Storm still has a dedicated player base. It features quick games that still play similarly to the big two while being very casual-friendly. Blizzard fans will appreciate all the cameos and references from the heroes, making it even more appealing.
However, Heroes of the Storm has practically been soft-dropped by Blizzard. After the company killed the Heroes of the Storm esports scene, it soon stopped giving major updates and heroes to the title. Heroes of the Storm is still a fun game to play, but note it won’t grow like the other titles on this list.
