Why 5v5 Games Keep Us Hooked: The Science Behind Gamings' Favorite Format

All of the major esports titles are 5v5 games—that's not a coincidence. Why is this format so engaging and satisfying to play for us gamers? Let's hear what science has to say about it.

5️⃣ Why 5 vs. 5 Feels So Perfect

LoL, DotA2, CS, Valorant, Smite... all of these major gaming and esports titles are mainly played in the 5v5 format. But did you ever spend a second thinking about why that's the case?

"There must be a reason why five is the perfect number of players in MOBA games, as this formula is kept constant over multiple MOBA games of late." [1]

Although there are several reasons for it, games are strikingly similar when you take a closer look. For simplicity, the research paper focused on the MOBA genre, but can easily be broadened to other genres. Their main aim was "to figure out why five players make up the ideal team for MOBA titles by studying various games to check the similarities and/or differences between them." [1]

🗺️ How Teamwork, Uncertainty & Map Design Hook Us

Humans are social creatures. Some may prefer to game by themselves, but most of us enjoy playing with others. Furthermore, "team games add an extra aspect to games: teamwork, which may increase the skill ceiling to master the game." [1] I know that my RTS people will likely disagree, but coordinating, communication, team cohesion, etc. make playing in a team much more difficult that relying purely on oneself.

As most of us wish to be at the top of the in-game ladder, a higher ceiling makes it greatly interesting to us. Mastering is never truly achieved, as we have to rely on our teammates. It's like a carrot on a stick—it's right in front of you, but you can never really reach it. It adds an element of randomness, "and the uncertainty of the outcome of a game [...] in turn increases the attractiveness of a game." [1] It basically follows the idea of a gamble—you never know what teammates you get and therefore how the game will end.

"Coincidentally [or not?], most popular MOBA have the same number of players on each team and similar map designs, where the game is played by five players on each team over a map with three lanes." [1]

This feature also applies to other games such as Counter-Strike or Valorant. Although there are multiple maps, the underlying structure remains the same.

😄 Why 5v5 Hits the Sweet Spot for Fun & Challenge

Each gaming genre—or even game—has various goals or objectives. For instance, in MOBA games, the goal is to destroy the enemy nexus, while destroying other objectives or farming. In FPS games, such as CS, your goal is to win 16 rounds, by detonating the bomb or eliminating all enemy players—in-game ofc.

"[These varying goals and objectives] would give us an understanding of which goals are more focused on and the type of player who would enjoy the game mode the most." [1]

The image below shows how different game modes—and their respective number of players—are valued differently by players, across multiple measures (mass, velocity, momentum, and potential energy).

• Mass: The closer the mass is to 0.5, the more fair the game is to players, as well as exciting and unpredictable. This is the case for the 5v5 game mode.
• Velocity: Velocity describes the rate (how fast) of solving the game or scoring rate in-game.
• Momentum: "A higher momentum signifies that the game is more engaging to the player, ensuring that they continue to play the game." [1]
• Potential Energy: "Higher potential energy signifies that the game is very engaging and attractive to both players and viewers." [1]

"It is desirable for a game to have a mass of m = 0.5 as this would signify that the game is fair to the players, as well as being exciting and unpredictable." [1]

Let's look at an example, DotA2's 5v5 mode is closer to the mass (m = 0.5), compared to its 1v1 mode. This is why more players tend to play 5v5. But what about 1v1? Who plays that, and why? The researchers argue that the reason for the 1v1 game mode to be played, typically by skilled players, is to improve game mastery.

To summarize: it looks like MOBA players are interested in competition, a sense of mastery, and teamwork. According to the data of the study, the researchers conclude that:

"Having 5 players would ensure players get to work together as a team (teamwork) to ensure they continuously pull ahead over their opponents (competition) by skillfully obtaining an advantage for their team (mastery)." [1]

So next time you load into a 5v5 match, remember—it’s not just balanced teams. It’s science making sure you’re having fun.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a great week. Cheers,

Christian 🙂

References

[1] Thavamuni et al., 2023