The rise of professional gaming in recent years has opened things for up for gamers to make a lot of money from their skills, especially the richest esports players. The to players now have tons of different ways to make money. From streaming to prize pools that routinely hit millions for pro players.
With the lucrative platform that is esports, young players have realized their dreams and also amassed a significant financial profit from playing video games. While we all wish we could go back in time just to be in their shoes, only Link has the privilege of blowing into a magical Ocarina to travel back in time. Which players have made the most though?
These are the richest esports players and how they managed to earn that much ffrom playing the best competitive games.
Since earning a decent living from video games is officially a thing, we have decided to answer one of the most requested questions on esports. Today we will be talking about the richest esports players in the world.
So, stick to your ranked grind and upgrade your gameplay, and you might find yourself on the list someday.
Before we get into the richest esports players, how did they make that money? Or a lot it’s obvious, winning esports tournaments. Some events even have prize pools in the millions of dollars for an individual player. The exact sums from winning events depends on the game, and what tournament it is.
There is no set standard for esport players, as riches and glory for gamers come from hours of practice, strategy, dedication, good teammates and more importantly, esports sponsorships.
Maybe you’ve taken some rounds off your friends in Tekken or carried your teammates a few times in League of Legends and are romanticizing the thought of being a professional competitive player. But it takes more than a few wins to become one of the richest esports players.
Making the financial breakthrough as a pro gamer isn’t only limited to winning a few tournaments. A lot of esports players only make minimal amounts from winnings, if they aren’t attached to a team. However, those who make the cut as part of a roster for an org have a wider horizon to make money as an esports player.
Prize money isn’t the only way, sponsorships from larger companies help pave the way to more opportunities, better teammates and better training regimes which in turn lead to better financial options.
Don’t let this dampen your dreams to make it big on your own, there’s still routes to become a pro gamer, and get rich while doing what you love.
For the richest esports players, we’re only going to take into consideration tournament winnings. Because the exact numbers from org sponsorships and over routes are a little harder to work out, they’re often private.
Since game developer Valve supports Dota 2 “The International” tournaments by adding 25% of its in-game battle pass purchases to its prize purse, no wonder all the top ten are Dota 2 players. Dota fans dedicated to keeping those prize pools sky high have ensured the richest esports players are from this game.
The International 2021, which was held at the Arena Naționala in Bucharest, Romania, in October 2021, set a record for the largest prize pool of any single esports event at a staggering $40 million.
Here’s the list of the top 10 richest esports players:
Those are the top 10, but it’s not much fun to look at Dota alone! If we were to exclude that game, what are the richest players outside of Dota? They might not be cracking the top 10, but these are the richest players from the rest of competitive gaming:
Bugha lifting the trophy | Source: The New York Times
Even StarCraft and CoD would make the cut if we made it Top 20, but most of the other Top 10 continue to be dominated by a handful of games. Dota is clearly the biggest prize pools, with Fortnite and CS:GO both having respectable entries lower down the list, along with one for Arena of Valor. These players have a long way to go to make the richest esports players over all though.
Dota 2 might have the highest single prize pool, but other games have a greater depth of prize pools. With more money going to a wider spread of competitors, instead of being concentrated at a major event. So don’t let that stop you from exploring titles, the world of gaming is large and there are several esports games all around.
Read next: Biggest Esports Games | What Are The Top 10 Esports Games in 2024?
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