Arena of Valor

Lore & Background

Arena of Valor was developed by TiMi Studio Group, a subsidiary of Tencent, and published by Level Infinite for markets outside mainland China. The gameplay highly resembles League of Legends, a PC MOBA by Riot Games, also a Tencent subsidiary. Players control heroes with unique abilities, earning gold and experience by killing minions, monsters, or other players, and destroying structures. Matches reward gold used to buy heroes or arcana, and a ranked mode matches players by skill level, awarding stars for wins and removing them for losses.

Reader's Guide

Arena of Valor's significance lies in its role as a major mobile esports title, featured in multiple international multi-sport events including the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The game offers a variety of modes: the standard 5v5 Grand Battle or Ranked Match on Antaris Battlefield, 1v1 Black City Arena, 3v3 Shadow Duel, random-hero 5v5 Abyssal Clash, and arcade modes like Hook Wars, Football Fever, Death Match, Gladiator's Summit, Mayhem Mode (10v10), and Duo-Race. Heroes are classified into six categories—Marksman, Mage, Assassin, Tank, Warrior, and Support—with some hybrids. Players can customize hero builds with items, affecting damage type (physical, magic, or true) and survivability. The game's global reach, with regional publishers like Garena and DeNA, and its inclusion in major esports competitions underscore its legacy as a prominent mobile MOBA.

Did You Know?

• Arena of Valor was formerly known as Strike of Kings.
• As of March 11, 2026, the game has 126 heroes.
• The 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games were canceled and never held.

A Global Identity Forged from a Chinese Original

Arena of Valor is the international-facing version of Honor of Kings, the massively popular MOBA crafted by TiMi Studio Group. Before settling on its current name, the title went by Strike of Kings, and it carries localized names across its markets — Chuánshuō Duìjué in Chinese, a Thai rendering referencing Realm of Valor, and Liên Quân Mobile in Vietnamese. The game is published globally by Level Infinite and is available on Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch, targeting every major market outside mainland China. Regional publishing partners include Garena, DeNA, and Actoz SG alongside TiMi itself, giving the title a genuinely multinational distribution footprint. The commercial reception has been striking: by September 2018, the game had already cleared $140 million in gross revenue from non-Chinese markets alone. That figure underscores how successfully a game born in one domestic ecosystem can be rebranded, localized, and distributed to become a global mobile phenomenon.

A Seat at the Table of International Esports

Arena of Valor earned a place as a recognized competitive sport at several of the largest multi-sport events in Asia. It was featured at the 2018 Asian Games, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, the 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and the 2021 SEA Games — a remarkable run of appearances that placed the title alongside traditional Olympic-style disciplines. Within the game itself, the competitive layer is anchored by the Ranked match type, which pairs players with opponents at a comparable skill level and tracks performance through an in-game ranking system. Victories earn stars; losses cost them, creating a straightforward but tense progression loop that mirrors the pressure of live tournament play. The fact that a mobile MOBA could be selected for inclusion in events of that caliber signals how deeply the title had penetrated the competitive gaming landscape across East and Southeast Asia, validating both its design and its player base as a legitimate pillar of the region's esports culture.

A Roster Built on Roles and Damage Identity

As of March 2026, Arena of Valor fields 126 playable heroes, each sorted into one or more of six role categories that define how they function in a team composition. The single most important mechanical distinction is the type of damage a hero deals. Physical damage can be mitigated by armor, magic damage is reduced by magic resistance, and a third category — true damage — ignores both defensive stats entirely. Some heroes deal a blend of damage types, adding another layer of strategic consideration. The Marksman role, often called the AD Carry, provides sustained ranged physical damage and excels at chipping down turrets, though marksmen like Violet, Valhein, Yorn, and Stuart tend to be fragile. Mages, or AP Carries, deliver explosive burst magic damage; examples include Raz, Krixi, and Zata. Assassins such as Wukong, Zill, and Sinestrea are built for high-mobility burst, hunting down enemy carries or silencing opponents on a killing spree. Tanks, meanwhile, soak damage and deploy crowd-control abilities to initiate fights or protect priority targets.

Beyond the Standard Match — A Menu of Arenas

While the 5v5 Grand Battle on the Antaris Battlefield remains the flagship experience — typically lasting 12 to 18 minutes and centered on destroying turrets, securing objectives like the Abyssal Dragon and Dark Slayer, and ultimately razing the enemy core — Arena of Valor offers a surprisingly wide menu of alternative modes. Black City Arena strips the formula down to a single-lane 1v1 duel with one tower and one core per side. Shadow Duel scales up to 3v3 on the smaller Flatland Battlefield. Abyssal Clash keeps the 5v5 format but randomizes hero picks (with one re-roll allowed), plays on a single-lane map called Abyss Canyon, and imposes restrictions such as limiting item purchases to the base or upon death while disabling team-base healing. On the arcade side, Hook Wars drops minions and turrets entirely, pitting two teams on connected vessels in Treasure Bay to capture a central Control Zone. Other arcade offerings include Football Fever (3v3), Death Match (a 2v2v2v2v2 free-for-all on Death Realm), Gladiator's Summit (5v5), Mayhem Mode (10v10), and the co-op racing mode Duo-Race.