Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), often called Mobile Legends (ML), is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game created and published by Moonton, a company that is part of Savvy Games Group. The game was released in 2016 and is free to play. It earns money by selling characters and cosmetic items for customization. MLBB is played mainly on smartphones and tablets and is available for iOS, Android, and HarmonyOS operating systems.

In its main game modes, Classic and Ranked, two teams of five players compete against each other in real time. Matchmaking usually takes 20 to 60 seconds, and matches last about 10 to 30 minutes. Players fight across three lanes, trying to destroy the enemy team’s base while protecting their own. They also complete objectives to gain an advantage. Success depends on players’ skills, strategies, and teamwork, not on paying for progress. The game also includes a Brawl mode, where teams compete on a single lane with randomly chosen heroes in shorter, faster matches. These matches are often played casually or to complete in-game tasks.

After becoming popular, Moonton created regional tournaments called the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL). These tournaments help teams qualify for the Mobile Legends World Championships. The game is especially popular in East and Southeast Asia and was one of six titles chosen for the first esports medal event at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). It has continued as a featured title in the 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions of the SEA Games. The game is also popular in Europe. In January 2026, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) named MLBB as the first of 16 "world-class titles" for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC). The game will also be a medaled event at the 2026 Asian Games.

Originally named Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA, the game was released in 2016 and became popular as the first fully mobile-based MOBA with no direct competitors, even though other games like Vainglory were released earlier. However, the game faced criticism for similarities to League of Legends, which had no official mobile version at the time. In 2017 and 2022, Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, sued Moonton for claimed copyright violations. Although Riot Games won some damages, the court did not remove the game. A 2022 U.S. lawsuit was dismissed, with the court deciding the case should be heard in China. In 2024, Riot Games and Moonton reached a settlement, ending all intellectual property disputes. In 2020, the game was banned in India along with 58 other Chinese apps after the 2020 China–India skirmishes, but it remains popular through virtual private networks (VPNs). That same year, the game reached 1 billion downloads worldwide. In 2025, the game was briefly banned in the United States under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act due to its connection to ByteDance. However, the official ban was not enforced, and the game is still available in the United States.

Gameplay

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game designed for smartphones and tablets. The game is free to play and makes money through in-game purchases, such as characters and skins. Each player controls a character called a Hero, which has unique abilities and traits. There are six roles that define a Hero’s main purpose: Tank, Marksman, Assassin, Fighter, Mage, and Support. These roles help players understand their responsibilities on their team. Players can also choose specific builds for their Heroes, which include items and emblems.

The two main game types are Classic and Ranked. In Ranked, two teams of five players compete in real-time. Players are matched based on their current ranking. There are seven ranks in the game, starting with Warrior as the lowest, followed by Elite, Master, Grandmaster, Epic, Legend, and Mythic as the highest. Mythic has three sub-ranks: Mythical Honor, Mythical Glory, and Mythical Immortal. A player can only invite teammates who are at the same rank or one rank higher or lower.

The main goal of the game is to destroy the opposing team’s base. The map has three lanes: the gold lane (top), the exp lane (bottom), and the mid lane. Depending on which side of the map (blue or red) a player starts on, the gold and exp lanes switch places. Between the lanes is the jungle, which has four sections: two between the enemy’s lanes and two between the player’s team lanes. The jungle contains creeps and monsters that provide buffs, experience, and gold.

A player cannot attack the enemy base directly without destroying at least one lane’s turrets first. Each lane has three turrets that attack Heroes and deal heavy damage. To attack turrets safely, a player needs help from their team’s minions. Minions continuously spawn from each team’s base and move along the lanes. The team that destroys all turrets in one or more lanes increases their chance of destroying the enemy base.

In Classic mode, the gameplay is similar to Ranked, but winning or losing a match does not affect a player’s ranking. Players can form teams with any other players, regardless of rank, and choose any Heroes, including weekly free ones and trial cards.

Arcade is an additional game mode that is sometimes available during special events, holidays, or occasions. This mode includes strategy-based sub-games.

Brawl is a game mode where players start with two random Heroes from their inventory. This mode has one lane with two turrets defending each team’s base. Items can only be bought inside the base, and players who leave cannot re-enter unless they respawn. A special version called Shadow Brawl is occasionally released. In this version, all players choose from the same set of Heroes, and the Hero with the most votes is used by the entire team.

Magic Chess is an auto battler game mode that focuses on strategy. A player, represented by a "commander," competes against seven other players on a chess-like battlefield. Instead of fighting directly, players buy, equip, and arrange units made up of Heroes from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Players must manage synergies, place Heroes strategically, and use items effectively. Players can earn more gold by saving resources or winning/losing streaks. The goal is to reduce the health of other players’ commanders to zero. Depending on their final placement, players earn rank points that can help them climb from Warrior to Mythic, similar to the core game’s ranking system. Magic Chess was added as a permanent arcade mode in update patch 1.4.60 after being temporarily available in January 2020. In 2025, Magic Chess was removed from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and relaunched as a separate app called Magic Chess: Go Go. This change was made because of the mode’s popularity, plans to expand features, and the goal of launching Esports tournaments for Magic Chess: Go Go.

Other arcade games use the same battlefield as the Ranked or Classic modes but with different rules. These include Mayhem, where all Heroes’ abilities are stronger and players start at level four; Death Battle, where players use different Heroes in one match; and Mirror, where teammates use the same Hero based on majority voting.

Other game modes include fighting against AI Heroes, custom 5v5 matches with other players, 1v1 battles, and hero training.

Development

After Moonton's team of 20 completed developing its first game, Magic Rush: Heroes, which was released in 2015 and achieved commercial success, the company began working on its next project: a mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game later named Mobile Legends. The team's experience creating Magic Rush: Heroes for a global audience, such as adapting the game's features to fit different cultures and communication systems in various countries, helped them design Mobile Legends to appeal to players worldwide. Mobile Legends was released by Moonton with the subtitle "5v5 MOBA" on July 14, 2016. The game was distributed in the United States by Elex Tech. However, after a lawsuit from Riot Games in 2017, Moonton removed the game from Google Play and re-released it as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

On July 18, 2019, Moonton announced Mobile Legends: Bang Bang 2.0 during its Epicon 2019 conference. The update included an upgrade to a newer version of the Unity game engine, from version 4 to version 2017. Moonton also promised faster loading times and start-up speeds of up to 60% improvement. Other changes included reduced lag, better character designs, and a new in-game map called "Imperial Sanctuary." These updates increased the game's cross-platform social media views from 56 million in September 2019 to 76 million the following month, making it the fourth most-viewed channel among all gaming brands in the United States.

In a report from November 2019, Check Point found that the Google Play package for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang had a vulnerability known as CVE-2015-8271. This issue could have allowed unauthorized code execution on the server side. The vulnerability originated in RTMPdump 2.4, a code likely used in the game's in-game livestreaming feature. Other apps with the same vulnerability included Facebook, Messenger, and SHAREit.

In early 2020, the game faced issues caused by third-party plugins and scripts that allowed map-hacks. In response, Moonton publicly shared punishments for banned players through its social media accounts, including their account IDs. Some accounts were also hacked due to security flaws in Device ID systems, as stated by Moonton. To address this, patch 1.4.86 added two-factor authentication for logging in to new devices.

On June 5, 2020, Moonton announced Project NEXT, a major update planned for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang's 5th anniversary. The update included changes to the user interface, updated 3D models, skill sets, stories, and voice lines for older characters. A feature called "Smart Targeting" was introduced to improve accuracy. Other changes aimed to enhance gameplay, such as a revamped version of the Brawl game mode. New login events, exclusive cosmetics, and a new hero were also added. Project NEXT was divided into three phases: the first was released on September 22, 2020; the second on June 15, 2021; and the third on September 21, 2021.

As of now, the game has reached over 1 billion downloads, with a peak of 100 million monthly active users.

Characters and lore

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang first had 10 playable characters, called Heroes, when it was released in 2016. By November 2018, the number of Heroes had grown to 70. As of March 11, 2026, there are 132 Heroes in the game, with the newest Hero, Marcel, introduced in season 40.

As the game became more popular in Southeast Asia, the company Moonton added Heroes inspired by real people and characters from Southeast Asian history and folklore to make the game more interesting. Some of these Heroes include Lapu Lapu (from the Philippines), Minsitthar (based on Kyansittha from Myanmar), Kadita (based on Nyai Roro Kidul from Indonesia), and Badang (from Malaysia). In June 2017, Moonton worked with Is Yuniarto, an Indonesian comic artist known for Garudayana, to add Gatotkaca as a playable Hero. Gatotkaca is loosely based on Ghatotkacha, a character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In November 2020, Moonton named Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao as the game’s brand ambassador in the Philippines. To celebrate this partnership, Moonton created a Hero based on Pacquiao, named Paquito.

Sometimes, Moonton releases multiple skin series with stories that are separate from the main game story. Heroes are often grouped into teams called Squads, with the most famous being superhero and supervillain teams inspired by comic books. On January 10, 2022, Moonton announced their first anime-themed skin series, called The Aspirants. This series features Japanese voice actresses Yoshino Nanjō and Nana Mizuki, along with music from composer Yasuharu Takanashi.

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Over the years, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has worked with other companies to create special, limited-time character designs that players can buy. These designs are called skins and often include unique abilities, voice lines, and special effects.

In March 2019, the game company Moonton partnered with SNK to add characters from The King of Fighters game series as skins. These skins could be earned through a special event where players completed tasks. The first set of skins included Iori Yagami for the hero Chou, Leona Heidern for Karina, and Athena Asamiya for Guinevere. The second set added Kula Diamond for Aurora, K' for Gusion, and Orochi Chris for Dyrroth. A third set, released in 2024, included Mai Shiranui for Masha, Kyo Kusanagi for Valir, and Terry Bogard for Paquito.

In July 2021, the game released two skins in collaboration with Star Wars: Master Yoda for Cyclops and Darth Vader for Argus. In December 2021, a third skin, Obi-Wan Kenobi for Alucard, was added. This event was only available for a limited time and could only be purchased in Southeast Asia and Japan. In 2022, a new phase of the event added a skin for Kimmy, but it was also limited to specific regions. The Star Wars collaboration returned in September 2024, with the same skins available again.

In August 2021, the game partnered with Transformers to release skins featuring Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee for the heroes Johnson, Granger, and X-Borg. The event had four phases from August to November and used a system where players could earn rewards through random draws or exchanges. In 2022, a second phase added skins for Starscream, Grimlock, and Soundwave & Ravage.

In February 2022, the game worked with Sanrio to release skins featuring Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Cinnamoroll, and Pompompurin. These skins were available for purchase and returned in 2025.

In August 2022, the game partnered with Kung Fu Panda to add three exclusive skins: General Kai for Thamuz, Po Ping for Akai, and Lord Shen for Ling. However, the event could not be repeated due to issues with the copyright holders.

In October 2022, the game collaborated with Shueisha and the Saint Seiya manga series. Each skin had two versions: one bronze and one gold. Players could earn the gold versions through a draw event, with some skins guaranteed after a certain number of attempts. The event returned in July 2025 with improved effects.

In February 2023, the game partnered with Jujutsu Kaisen to release skins featuring Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Satoru Gojo, and Nobara Kugisaki. The collaboration returned in June 2024 with updated effects.

In January 2024, the game worked with Attack on Titan to add skins for Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, and Levi Ackerman.

In January 2025, the game partnered with Hunter x Hunter to release skins for Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecss, Hisoka Morow, and Kurapika.

In May 2025, the game collaborated with Naruto: Shippuden to add skins for Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, and Gaara. New features, such as special loading screen effects and a "Gamakichi Sacred Statue," were also introduced. A second phase of the collaboration in March 2026 added skins for Itachi Uchiha and Minato Namikaze, along with a return of previous skins.

In November 2025, the game launched a global collaboration with SpongeBob SquarePants as part of its "Friend Fest" campaign. The event included skins, emotes, and a minigame called "Undersea Restaurant." Some regions, like Russia, had restrictions on the event.

In May 2021, the game partnered with McDonald’s Malaysia during the Season 7 playoffs of the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Malaysia. The event included promotional campaigns and in-game rewards.

In August 2021, the game worked with Indonesian brand Sour Sally to launch a frozen yogurt campaign inspired by Mobile Legends: Bang Bang heroes. Two limited-edition flavors were released.

In October 2024, AF Payments, Inc. partnered with Moonton and UniPin to create limited-edition Beep cards featuring Mobile Legends: Bang Bang heroes. The cards had unique codes for in-game items and could also be used for public transportation in the Philippines.

In 2025, the game partnered with OPPO to launch the OPPO Smooth Legend Cup, a multi-country esports tournament in the Asia-Pacific region. The competition included national qualifiers and a grand finals in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In July 2025, the game partnered with Samsung to launch the Galaxy Gaming Academy x Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Campus Series, a collegiate esports tournament in Southeast Asia. The grand finals were held in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the NU Bulldogs from the Philippines winning.

In December 2025, the game launched the "Friend Fest" campaign.

Esports

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) is a group of official regional tournaments started in 2018. These tournaments help teams qualify for the MSC and the World Championship. The first MPL season included Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Myanmar. At first, Malaysia and Singapore shared the same league, but Singapore got its own league in 2021. In August 2021, Moonton announced MPL Brazil, the first MPL league outside Southeast Asia. Cambodia also started its own MPL league in partnership with Smart Axiata, a major telecommunications company in the region.

Before MPL leagues existed in some areas, teams from outside Southeast Asia played in separate qualifier tournaments. These included the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Gulf Cup 2020 and M3 Arabia Major for the Middle East and North Africa, and the M3 World Championship North American Qualifier 2021 for North America.

On October 22, 2024, MPL became the first e-sports event to reach 1 billion hours of viewing time. This broke records previously held by events like League of Legends Worlds and League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK).

The first official e-sports competition by Moonton was the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) in 2017. This annual tournament brings teams from Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, as well as the Middle East and North Africa. In 2017, teams were chosen only through local qualifiers. Starting in 2018, teams were invited from local qualifiers and the top two teams from countries with established MPL leagues.

On November 5, 2020, One Esports and Moonton announced the One Esports MPL Invitational (MPLI), where 20 teams competed in single-elimination matches for a prize pool of $100,000. On December 15, 2021, Moonton and One Esports launched the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI), the first all-female e-sports tournament for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, with a prize pool of $15,000.

On January 1, 2024, Moonton released the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang 2024 Road Map on its official YouTube channel. The MSC was renamed the "Mid-Season Cup," becoming an international tournament instead of a regional one.

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship, called M-Series or Worlds, is an annual global tournament where teams from around the world compete to become the world champion. The first World Championship, M1, was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from November 15–17, 2019, with 16 teams and a $250,000 prize pool. The second championship, M2, was originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later held in Singapore in January 2021 with a $300,000 prize pool. The third championship, M3, took place in Singapore again with an $800,000 prize pool and a peak viewership of 3.18 million.

The M7 event happened in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Aurora Gaming PH defeated Indonesia’s Alter Ego 4–0 to win their first world title. The Grand Finals had a peak viewership of 5.68 million, a record for mobile e-sports. This record was broken three times during the event. The M8 Wild Card stage will be held in Thailand, and the Grand Finals in Istanbul, Turkey, marking the first time the event spans Asia and Europe.

Winning teams receive exclusive in-game skins for a hero of their choice to celebrate their victory. These skins are available for a limited time. Since M5, the Finals MVP (FMVP) also receives a skin for their signature hero. David Charles "FlapTzy" Canon from AP Bren chose Paquito as his FMVP skin.

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women’s Invitational is the equivalent of the World Championship for all-female teams. The first two MWI events were held online in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, MWI became one of two divisions competing in the 2024 Esports World Cup. Bigetron Era (now Team Vitality) has won the most MWI titles with three. Smart Omega Empress (now under NAVI) won the 2024 title over Vitality.

Controversies

After the game Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA was first released, Riot Games believed the game copied ideas and features from League of Legends. Riot Games asked Google to remove the game from Google Play. Moonton, the game’s developer, took the game down before Google could act. Later, the game was relaunched with a new name, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, on November 9, 2016.

In July 2017, Riot Games sued Moonton for copyright infringement, claiming Mobile Legends was too similar to League of Legends. Riot also said the game’s name was confusingly close to League of Legends. The case was dismissed in the Central District Court of California because the court believed the case was better handled in another location.

Tencent, Riot Games’ parent company, then filed a separate lawsuit against Moonton’s CEO, Watson Xu Zhenhua, in Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People’s Court. This was because Xu had previously worked at Tencent and signed a contract that restricted him from working for competitors. The court ruled in favor of Tencent in July 2018, giving them a settlement of $2.9 million (RMB 19.4 million). In 2024, Riot Games and Moonton reached a settlement, ending their dispute over the game.

In June 2020, the game was banned in India along with other apps from China after tensions between China and India. Despite the ban, the game remained popular, with players using tools called virtual private networks (VPNs) to access it. The game returned to India on April 24, 2024, as Moba Legends: 5v5! under publisher Vizta Games on Android devices.

In July 2021, Moonton reportedly prevented Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports teams from forming teams for League of Legends: Wild Rift. This caused criticism, as some believed it harmed fair competition. A source later explained that an exclusivity agreement existed but was optional, and Moonton offered benefits to teams that agreed to it. Some teams still participated in Wild Rift events.

Before the MSC 2025 tournament, two players from the team S8UL Esports were caught promoting an event for a rival game, Honor of Kings. This led to S8UL being disqualified because no replacement player was available. Area77, the runner-up in the North America qualifier, took S8UL’s spot. This affected North America, as they received no slots for the M7 World Championship.

In December 2021, after esports team Blacklist International won M3, they were allowed to choose a hero for their championship skin. Team captain Johnmar "OhMyV33nus" Villaluna said their request to use the hero Estes was denied. Moonton explained that they had to consider the hero’s popularity and instead asked the team to choose three other heroes. They would then select one of those three for the skin.

On December 23, the hashtag #WeWantEstes became popular on social media. Blacklist co-owners and teams like ECHO Philippines and Bren Esports supported the request for Estes. Some fans gave Mobile Legends: Bang Bang the lowest rating on Google Play Store. On December 24, Moonton announced that Estes was chosen as the M3 championship skin.