Esports has evolved from a casual pastime into a global profession where paychecks are worth millions of dollars. While many critics still debate its status as a legitimate sport, competitive gaming now rivals traditional sports, offering bigger payouts, greater fame, and international recognition.

Join us as we put a spotlight on the richest esports players in the world, including how they amassed their fortunes across the various titles.

Top 10 Richest Esports Players By Tournament Earnings

The table ranks the world’s best esports players exclusively by tournament winnings. All other income streams, such as sponsorship and brand deals, streaming revenue, salaries, and affiliate deals, aren’t included since they’re private and too complex to calculate.

#	Name	Top Game	Earnings (USD)
1	Johan “N0tail” Sundstein	Dota 2	$7,184,163
2	Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka	Dota 2	$6,486,624
3	Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov	Dota 2	$6,227,771
4	Anathan “Ana” Pham	Dota 2	$6,024,412
5	Sébastien “Ceb” Debs	Dota 2	$5,949,443
6	Magomed “CoLLapse” Khalilov	Dota 2	$5,940,111
7	Ilya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk	Dota 2	$5,932,736
8	Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen	Dota 2	$5,898,810
9	Miroslaw “Mira” Kolpakov	Dota 2	$5,638,899
10	Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi	Dota 2	$5,295,699

Note: These statistics are courtesy of Esports Earnings, accurate as of October 24, 2025.

#1. Johan “N0tail” Sundstein

N0tail is undeniably the most accomplished Dota 2 player and the richest esports player in the world, with over $7.1 million in prize money. As OG’s co-founder, he famously led the team to back-to-back victories at The International (TI) in 2018 and 2019.

The latter event netted him his biggest payday, roughly $3.12 million. Alongside his two Aegis titles, N0tail also claimed four Major trophies (Frankfurt, Manila, Boston, and Kiev). Now serving as head coach, he made a brief return to OG’s active roster for DreamLeague Division 2 Season 1.

Facts:

• Alias: N0tail
• Country: Denmark
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $7,184,163.05

#2. Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka

JerAx is one of the best Dota 2 esports players, with earnings of nearly $6.5 million across 68 tournaments. Despite retiring from professional play in 2022, the Finnish star remains widely renowned for his creative mind and mastery of support heroes, such as Earth Spirit and Rubick. 

Beyond that, JerAx played a pivotal role in OG’s back-to-back TI wins in 2018 and 2019, where he redefined the Dota 2 support role. Currently, he ranks #2 globally and is the #1 highest-earning player from Finland.

Facts:

• Alias: JerAx
• Country: Finland
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $6,486,623.98

#3. Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov

Miposhka is one of Dota 2’s most formidable captains, known for his calm leadership and precise decision-making. He led Team Spirit’s victory at TI10 and TI12, earning him a spot among the highest-earning esports players, with $6.23 million in tournament winnings. 

In October 2025, he officially left Team Spirit after a roster shuffle that weakened the squad. His leadership legacy and two Aegis wins rank him #3 globally and #1 in Russia.

Facts:

• Alias: Miposhka
• Country: Russia
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $6,227,771.49

#4. Anathan “Ana” Pham

Two-time champion Ana is widely regarded as a naturally gifted carry player and is one of the world’s richest esports players, with $6 million in earnings. Known for his instinctive and unorthodox gameplay, like playing core Io, he was instrumental in OG’s victories at TI8 and TI9.

His roughly four-year stint with OG not only put Ana on the top 10 richest esports players list but also positioned him as one of the fastest-rising players in Dota 2 history.

Facts:

• Alias: Ana
• Country: Australia
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $6,024,411.96

#5. Sébastien “Ceb” Debs

With over $5.9 million in earnings across 82 tournaments, Ceb is a veteran player known for his strategic versatility and remarkable comeback as OG’s star offlaner during their TI 2018 win against PSG.LGD. Like Ana, he was also pivotal in the team’s historic win at TI 2019. 

After a brief hiatus from professional play, Ceb returned to OG in 2025. He ranks among the world’s richest esports players, holding the #5 global spot and #1 in France.

Facts:

• Alias: Ceb
• Country: France
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $5,949,442.73

#6. Magomed “CoLLapse” Khalilov

With over $5.94 million in prize winnings, CoLLapse ranks among the top global esports players. He’s also regarded as one of the greatest Dota 2 offlaners of all time, thanks to fearless and perfectly timed plays that helped Team Spirit win TI in 2021 and 2023. 

Analysts and fans often mention how CoLLapse “changed the game” for offlane players with his ability to make every teamfight count, usually deciding games single-handedly. He ranks #6 globally and #2 in Russia.

Facts:

• Alias: CoLLapse
• Country: Russia
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $5,940,111.07

#7. Ilya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk

Yatoro is a prodigy carry of Team Spirit and one of the best players in Dota 2 history, with prize winnings totaling $5.93 million to match. With his favorite hero, Faceless Void, Yatoro scored a double rampage at TI 2021—an incredible feat no one has achieved so far.

With his unmatched mechanical skills and late-game dominance, he has helped the team turn almost impossible matches around, earning Team Spirit the “Best Comeback Team” title. Yatoro is also one of the richest esports players, ranking #7 globally and #1 in Ukraine.

Facts:

• Alias: Yatoro
• Country: Ukraine
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $5,932,736.05

#8. Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen

Topson is a revolutionary mid-laner, characterized by his unpredictable and aggressive play style. Despite joining OG as a rookie in 2018, he went on to win two of the biggest tournaments, TI8 and TI9. In fact, 96.41% of his total earnings ($5.9 million) have come from his time at OG. 

Known for his strong draft and deep understanding of match tempo, he remains one of Dota 2’s most influential and famous esports players. Topson retired from pro play in 2024.

Facts:

• Alias: Topson
• Country: Finland
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $5,898,810.60

#9. Miroslaw “Mira” Kolpakov

Mira is the #9 highest-earning esports player in the world and ranks #2 in Ukraine, with lifetime earnings of $5.64 million. He became the backbone of Team Spirit’s two-time TI victory in 2021 and 2023. Now with Aurora Gaming, he remains among the most reliable supports in Dota 2. 

Mira is known for his quick reactions, clutch saves, and unmatched map awareness, backed by consistent results with several prominent teams.

Facts:

• Alias: Mira
• Country: Ukraine
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $5,638,899.05

#10. Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi

KuroKy is a living legend of Dota 2, with almost $5.3 million in prize winnings, making him the #10 highest-paid esports player. He led Team Liquid to a historic 3-0 clean sweep at TI7, becoming the first team to do so.

KuroKy is also the first player to win 1,000 pro games, and has played all 123 available heroes as of September 2022. After his long and fulfilling career and achieving his ultimate dream of lifting the Aegis, he transitioned to Nigma Galaxy, where he now serves as a coach. 

Facts:

• Alias: KuroKy
• Country: Germany
• Game: Dota 2
• Total earnings: $5,295,698.85

Richest Esports Players Not From Dota 2

While Dota 2’s record-breaking TI prize pools have dominated the scene, they’ve also skewed the rankings, with the top 10 highest-earning esports players all coming from the game. However, other games are equally exciting and have also made pro gamers exceedingly rich.

These are the richest esports players, not from Dota 2:

Player Name	Highest Paying Game	Total Earnings
Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf	Fortnite	$3,784,225
Peter “Dupreeh” Rasmussen	CS:GO	$2,225,525
David “Aqua” Wang	Fortnite	$2,197,375
Dan "apEX" Madesclaire	CS:GO	$2,138,015
Nicolai “Dev1ce” Reedtz	CS:GO	$2,105,790
Finn “Karrigan” Andersen	CS:GO	$2,095,402
Robin "ropz" Kool	CS:GO	$2,052,577
Emil "Magisk" Reif	CS:GO	$2,006,224
Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth	CS:GO	$2,003,062
Harrison "psalm" Chang	Fortnite	$1,959,500

Note: These statistics are courtesy of Esports Earnings, accurate as of October 24, 2025.

Which Esports Games Pay The Most Money?

This table ranks the top 10 esports games by prize pools. Dota 2 leads with an incredible $377,396,785 in total prize money across 1,984 tournaments, followed by Fortnite at $202,054,967 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) at $162,757,246.

#	Game	Prize Pool (USD)	Top Earning Player	Tournaments
1	Dota 2	$377,396,785	Johan “N0tail” Sundstein	1,984
2	Fortnite	$202,054,967	Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf	2,571
3	CS:GO	$162,757,246	Peter “Dupreeh” Rasmussen	7,100
4	League of Legends	$121,953,068	Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok	3,034
5	Arena of Valor	$109,438,708	Luo “HuaHai” Siyuan	182
6	PUBG Mobile	$89,748,022	Zhu "paraboy" Bocheng	343
7	PUBG	$66,987,707	Park "Loki" Jung Young	641
8	Rocket League	$50,607,009	Evan "M0nkey M00n" Rogez	5,141
9	Rainbow Six Siege	$49,885,253	Stéphane "Shaiiko" Lebleu	573
10	StarCraft II	$43,451,866	Joona "Serral" Sotala	7,535

Note: These statistics are courtesy of Esports Earnings, accurate as of October 24, 2025.

FAQs

How do esports players make money?

Beyond tournament winnings, esports players earn through sponsorships, team salaries, brand deals, affiliate programs, and streaming revenue.

Who is the richest esports player in history?

Johan “Notail” Sundstein (Dota 2) is the richest esports player in the world, with lifetime earnings of $7,184,163. 

Which game has produced the most esports millionaires?

Dota 2 has produced the most millionaires in esports. The top 50 richest esports players are almost all from Dota 2, except for Bugha (Fortnite), Dupreeh (CS:GO), Aqua (Fortnite), apEX (CS:GO), and Dev1ce (CS:GO).

Who is the richest esports player in Fortnite?

Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf is the richest player in Fortnite, with $3,784,225 in tournament prize winnings.

Why are all the richest esports players from Dota 2?

Valve used to boost the TI prize pool by allocating 25% of Battle Pass sales, creating record-breaking payouts. These massive tournament winnings have turned top Dota 2 players into millionaires—unlike other games that reward consistency but offer smaller prizes.

What is the biggest prize pool in an esports tournament in the world?

Dota 2 tournaments offer substantial prize money, with a total of $377,396,785 in prize winnings awarded across 1,984 tournaments. The International 2021 set the record with the largest prize pool in esports history, reaching a staggering $40 million.

References

1. Top 100 Highest Overall Earnings (Esports Earnings)
2. Top Games Awarding Prize Money (Esports Earnings)