Esports has the power to take a skilled gamer and turn them into a multi-millionaire rockstar personality. As the industry grows in popularity and power, we’re seeing more tournaments surface every day with staggering prize pools. In the space of a few days, the most talented players can earn millions of dollars by playing video games – it’s a dream for some and a daily reality for others. Out of the thousands of competitors out there, who are the highest-earning esports players?
In this guide, we’re breaking down the top esports players by earnings, leaning on Esports Earnings for the numbers.
Big Money, Huge Rep
According to data gathered by Esports Earnings, more than $1.8 billion in prize money has been handed out over the last decade or so. Out of that immense stack of cash, which players have claimed the most? Who are the highest-earning esports players ever?
Let’s find out – these are the top ten esports players by earnings. Here’s a surprise, though – they’re all Dota 2 players:
10. Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Takhasomi ($5,295,698)
9. Miroslaw ‘Mira’ Kolpakov ($5,661,262)
8. Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen ($5,898,810)
7. Sébastien ‘Ceb’ Debs ($5,949,442)
6. Magomed ‘Collapse’ Khalilov ($5,950,474)
5. Ilya ‘Yatoro’ Mulyarchuk ($5,955,099)
4. Anathan ‘ana’ Pham ($6,024,411)
3. Yaroslav ‘Miposhka’ Naidenov ($6,250,134)
2. Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka ($6,486,623)
1. Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein ($7,184,163)
Why Are Dota 2 Players So Rich?
Dota 2 is home to one of the most valuable esports tournaments ever created – The International. This hugely prestigious event has been known to boast record-high prize pools, and at its peak, it was worth $40 million. Every player on this list has won The International in the past.
Highest-Earning Esports Players by Game
Here are the wealthiest esports players listed by the game in which they won their money.
- Dota 2: Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein ($7,184,183)
- League of Legends: Sang Hyeok ‘Faker’ Lee ($1,922,084)
- Counter-Strike: Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire ($2,378,015)
- Call of Duty: Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris ($2,003,905)
- Rainbow Six Siege: Loic ‘BriD’ Chongthep ($664,125)
- Fortnite: Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf ($3,784,225)
- PUBG: Bocheng ‘paraboy’ Zhu ($1,426,546)
- VALORANT: Timofey ‘Chronicle’ Khromov ($328,571)
- Rocket League: Evan ‘M0nkey M00n’ Rogez ($1,000,034)
- Overwatch: Nam Joo ‘Striker’ Kwon ($499,876)
- StarCraft II: Joona ‘Serral’ Sotala ($1,866,325)
- Arena of Valor: Bicheng ‘Yinuo’ Zu ($1,981,640)
For more Insider Gaming Esports, check out our list of the most valuable esports games
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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