MLBB stands for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, a free 5v5 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game for phones, developed by Moonton. Two teams of five pick heroes, fight across three lanes and try to destroy the other team's base. If you have seen the letters "ML" or "MLBB" and wondered what is MLBB, that is the short answer.
What is MLBB? The quick facts
| Full name | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Also called | MLBB, ML, Mobile Legends |
| Genre | MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) |
| Developer | Moonton, a subsidiary of ByteDance |
| First released | 2016 |
| Platforms | Android and iOS |
| Price | Free, with optional purchases such as heroes and skins |
| Team size | 5 vs 5 |
| Heroes | 133, see the full hero list |
| Downloads | More than 1 billion |
The game was originally titled Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA and marks its 10th anniversary in 2026.
How a match works
Each player controls one hero. The map has three lanes (gold, mid and EXP) with a jungle in between, and each lane is defended by turrets.
- Draft or pick. Both teams choose heroes. In higher ranks teams also ban heroes first.
- Laning. Players farm gold and experience from minions and jungle monsters to buy items and level up skills.
- Objectives. Teams fight over the Turtle early and the Lord later; both give a team-wide advantage.
- Push. Minions march down each lane. With their help a team destroys turrets, reaches the enemy base and destroys it to win.
Matches are short by MOBA standards, typically 10 to 20 minutes, which is a large part of why the game works on a phone.
Heroes and roles
Every hero belongs to one or two of six roles: Tank, Fighter, Assassin, Mage, Marksman and Support. Roles describe what a hero is good at; lanes describe where they play. A standard team sends one player to each of the gold lane, EXP lane, mid lane, jungle and roam.
Our roles and lanes guide explains each one, and the tier list shows which heroes are winning most right now.
Ranked, Classic and other modes
- Ranked is the competitive ladder, running from Warrior up to Mythic. See ranks and game modes explained.
- Classic uses the same map without affecting your rank.
- Brawl is a single-lane mode with random heroes.
- Magic Chess is an auto-battler built on MLBB heroes.
- Arcade modes rotate in during events.
Is MLBB free?
Yes. The game is free to download and play. Money buys heroes faster and cosmetic skins, but heroes can also be earned by playing, and skins do not decide matches. Diamonds are the paid currency; Battle Points are earned from playing.
MLBB esports
Mobile Legends has one of the largest esports scenes in mobile gaming, centred on Southeast Asia.
- MPL (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League) is the national league format, with leagues in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and other regions.
- MSC is the mid-season international tournament.
- The M-series World Championship ends the year. The next one is M8, in Bangkok and Istanbul.
- MLBB was a medal event at the 2026 Asian Games, where Myanmar won gold.
Schedules and results are on our esports hub.
MLBB is a ten-minute team game with a ten-year competitive history. You can learn the basics in an evening and still be learning the map a thousand matches later.
Where to start
Download the game from Google Play or the App Store, play the tutorial, then stay in Classic until you are comfortable with two or three heroes in one role. Ranked unlocks after a handful of matches.
Sources: Mobile Legends Wiki (Fandom) — Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (CC BY-SA 3.0); Liquipedia — M8 World Championship.
