Projecting Mobile Legends player count for 2026: Trends and forecasts

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) has long been Southeast Asia’s mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) for almost a decade. And right now, it’s gaining recognition in the global esports markets, rivaling titles like DOTA 2 and League of Legends.

With this rise, fans everywhere are curious to know how many users are logging in. The answer: tens of millions of players all around the world. However, the exact figure depends on who’s counting. Let’s find out more about Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and discuss its current numbers and what we can expect later in the year.

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An overview of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

MLBB is a popular MOBA game developed by Moonton for mobile applications (iOS and Android). It divides ten players into groups of two (5 players each) and places them in an arena where they battle each other. The goal? Defeat enemy heroes, destroy defenses and bases while protecting your own.

The game features over 100 heroes, each with unique abilities and playstyles to choose from. It’s a free-to-play game, although it includes microtransactions to unlock heroes, skins, resources, and other upgrades. It also stands out in the MOBA genre for its vibrant graphics, player-friendly controls, and regular updates to keep gameplay interesting.

How many users are playing Mobile Legends?

Well, it depends on who you ask or what source you use to check. First, let’s consider the app download. So far, there are over 500 million downloads on Google Play and 220+ million downloads on App Store.

Then, Moonton’s official figures put Mobile Legends at 110 million monthly active users (MAU) in 2025, as well as over 1.5 billion registered users across 190 countries. That said, third-party sites tell a different story. Independent tracking placed the game’s peak at around 55 million MAU in January 2026. As of May 2026, the estimated number of monthly active players on this game is ~41 million.

So, whichever way you look at it, the numbers prove that Mobile Legends is still a popular MOBA title. It’s no surprise to see many fans visit Mobile Legends betting sites to watch top players battle each other during live tournaments.

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Why does the user count swing around so much?

One thing about mobile gaming is that its player counts are never static. They surge or dip depending on what’s happening in the game and outside it. Here are some factors that could contribute to that.

Major global tournaments

These can send numbers rocketing upward almost overnight. Moonton noted that the esports World Cup 2025 drew 3+ million concurrent viewers and 50 million watch hours throughout the tournament.

Collab events

MLBB has been a trusted partner for global brands. In fact, the game’s parent company collaborated with tech giants like Realme and Fairrie, which led to co-branded devices and award-winning campaigns that spurred new signings.

Game updates

New hero drops and seasonal updates often lead to more engagement across the MOBA ecosystem. The community is engaged and talking about new upgrades and tweaks to gameplay. This leads to an increase in logins, app downloads, and new users trying to access the site.

Quiet periods

In real life, not every day is a festive period. The same goes for MOBA gaming. When there are no major events or updates, numbers tend to settle back down.

What would fuel the growth throughout 2026?

With close to a decade of MOBA gaming experience, Mobile Legends would adjust its strategy to better serve its existing user base. Based on our assessments, collaboration events could be the secret weapon to do just that.

The game has run crossovers with names like Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Naruto, Star Wars, and Transformers. These collabs consistently produce the biggest spikes in both spending and daily logins. Also, a major global tournament could spur previously active players to pick up their mobile phones and explore the games once more.

Enjoy MOBA gaming with Mobile Legends

There’s no negative statistic to prove that Mobile Legends won’t dominate the MOBA space in 2026, as it has done in previous years. While there’s not much activity in previous months, it’s completely normal for a live service game that’s riding the wave between tournaments and new content drops.

We’ll keep checking back to see what this game’s current offerings are and how you can get involved. For now, click the banners on this page to explore our recommended esports betting sites that have Mobile Legends.

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