Transformations of all aspects of life led to a change in the socio-cultural situation in the field of leisure, one of the forms of which became computer games. Along with the growing popularity of eSports in the world, the interest in eSports among student youth continues to grow. However, scientific information on the popularity of eSports among students of higher education institutions remains limited, which prompted us to conduct our own research and test this hypothesis. The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of popularity of e-sports among students of higher education in Ukraine. Contingent. 271 students of higher education institutions of Ukraine took part in the study, which was carried out from September to November 2022. Research results. It was determined that 41.7 % of students of higher education institutions are interested in, or rather are interested in, e-sports. It has been proven that e-sports is statistically significantly (p<0.05) more attractive to male students than to female students (p<0.05). It was recorded that there are 20.0% more female students who are not at all interested in eSports compared to male students, while among male students, there are 20.1 % more students who are very interested in eSports. It was found that among female students there are 23.9 % more students who are completely convinced that there are no eSports enthusiasts among their relatives/friends. Among male students, compared to female students, a 6.3 % higher share spends more than 4 hours a day on computer entertainment, but the recorded differences are not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, regardless of gender, a statistically significant (p<0.05) majority of respondents are absolutely convinced of the significant impact of eSports on the development of society. Conclusion. Cybersport is popular among student youth. Esports attracts more male students compared to female students. Students recognize the significant impact of eSports on the development of society regardless of gender.