Here’s How Much You Can Make Playing Esports
First, it was NBA games. Then, March Madness and baseball spring training. Sports quickly came to a halt as the coronavirus spread across the U.S. in mid-March. And while some events, like the NFL Draft, were able to be modified and performed without a live audience, the concern remains that MLB and NFL fans may never see a 2020 season at all. The same concern rings true for auto racing, MMA and other professional sports leagues.
It may come as a surprise, then, that even esports are being affected by the coronavirus. Some of the biggest games in the industry — Call of Duty, League of Legends, Overwatch — have had to cancel live events, losing not only ticket revenue but fan hype for their respective tournaments.
Physical sports fans may be interested to learn how much money the esports industry actually generates from live, in-person events. According to a February study by Newzoo, esports was projected to rake in $121.7 million from tickets and merchandise in 2020. However, this number is a small fraction of the $1.1 billion in total revenue the industry expects to make globally in 2020, much of which comes from valuable sponsorships that could still pull through.
Although gaming leagues have been scrambling to determine the logistics of entirely remote tournaments, the pandemic could also be opening new doors for esports. Games like Madden and NBA 2K have spotlighted on ESPN before, but with a higher demand for sports content from fans stuck at home, esports may be getting a more permanent seat at the table. The League of Legends Championship Series Spring Split Playoffs aired on both ESPN2 and the ESPN app in April. In addition, video streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube have both reported huge increases in viewership since the start of state shutdowns.
As it is, popular esports players are not hurting in the money department; the 50 people on this list are all well over the millionaire threshold. But the increase in exposure caused by COVID-19 could mean new, higher-yielding revenue streams that would make esports even more lucrative. Here’s how much the biggest names in esports take to the bank — and which games make the most millionaires.
Last updated: Aug. 24, 2020
Vladimir Minenko
Player ID: Noone
Age: 22
Nationality: Ukraine
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Virtus Pro
Position on team: Mid-Lane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Paramatch, HyperX, TORNADO ENERGY, Fragstore
Tournaments played: 73
Average winnings per tournament: $21,696.21
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (5th-6th)
Career winnings: $1,583,823.45
Xie Junhao
Player ID: Super
Age: 27
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Royal Never Give Up
Position on team: Coach/support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Kappa, Red Magic 3
Tournaments played: 74
Average winnings per tournament: $21,598.52
Most lucrative win: The International 2017 (3rd)
Career winnings: $1,598,290.50
Lukas Rossander
Player ID: gla1ve
Age: 24
Nationality: Denmark
Primary Game: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Current team affiliation: Astralis
Position on team: In-game leader
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Jack & Jones, CS Money, Unibet, Secretlab, Omen, Logitech
Tournaments played: 125
Average winnings per tournament: $12,803.27
Most lucrative win: Intel Grand Slam Season 1
Career winnings: $1,600,409.07
Pavel Khvastunov
Player ID: 9passa
Age: 27
Nationality: Russian Federation
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Natus Vincere
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Monster Energy, Logitech
Tournaments played: 66
Average winnings per tournament: $25,867.87
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (5th-6th)
Career winnings: $1,707,279.57
Zheng Yeik Nai
Player ID: MidOne
Age: 23
Nationality: Malaysia
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: OG Esports
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Red Bull
Tournaments played: 49
Average winnings per tournament: $35,088.47
Most lucrative win: The International 2019 (4th)
Career winnings: $1,719,335.07
Nicolai Reedtz
Player ID: dev1ce
Age: 24
Nationality: Denmark
Primary Game: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Current team affiliation: Astralis
Position on team: AWP
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Jack & Jones, CS Money, Unibet, Secretlab, Omen, Logitech
Tournaments played: 133
Average winnings per tournament: $12,984.56
Most lucrative win: Intel Grand Slam Season 1
Career winnings: $1,726,945.97
Alexei Berezin
Player ID: Solo
Age: 29
Nationality: Russian Federation
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Virtus Pro
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Parimatch, HyperX, TORNADO ENERGY, Fragstore
Tournaments played: 86
Average winnings per tournament: $20,344.48
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (5th-6th)
Career winnings: $1,749,625.61
Hu Liangzhi
Player ID: KaKa
Age: 27
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Invictus Gaming (iG)
Position on team: Position 4 (Support)
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Chevrolet
Tournaments played: 77
Average winnings per tournament: $22,757.85
Most lucrative win: The International 2017 (2nd)
Career winnings: $1,752,354.66
Peter Rasmussen
Player ID: dupreeh
Age: 27
Nationality: Denmark
Primary Game: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Current team affiliation: Astralis
Position on team: Entry fragger, Secondary AWP
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Jack & Jones, CS Money, Unibet, Secretlab, Omen, Logitech
Tournaments played: 139
Average winnings per tournament: $12,671.39
Most lucrative win: Intel Grand Slam Season 1
Career winnings: $1,761,322.74
Chen Zhihao
Player ID: Hao
Age: 29
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Old Boys
Position on team: Carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Tongfu Porridge
Tournaments played: 59
Average winnings per tournament: $29,858.42
Most lucrative win: The International 2014
Career winnings: $1,761,646.83
Zeng Hongda
Player ID: Faith
Age: 28
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Newbee
Position on team: Position 5 (Support)
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Ray Athletics, Li Ning, Intel China, NVIDIA, Secretlab, Sennheiser
Tournaments played: 104
Average winnings per tournament: $16,944.32
Most lucrative win: The International 2017 (2nd)
Career winnings: $1,762,209.39
Andreas Højsleth
Player ID: Xyp9x
Age: 24
Nationality: Denmark
Primary Game: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Current team affiliation: Astralis
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Jack & Jones, CS Money, Unibet, Secretlab, Omen, Logitech
Tournaments played: 153
Average winnings per tournament: $11,543.74
Most lucrative win: Intel Grand Slam Season 1
Career winnings: $1,766,191.80
Roman Kushnarev
Player ID: RAMZES666
Age: 21
Nationality: Russian Federation
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Evil Genuises
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Twitch, Team Razer, Monster Energy, FVBET, Advanced Microdevices
Tournaments played: 77
Average winnings per tournament: $23,142.82
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (5th-6th)
Career winnings: $1,781,996.92
Damien Chok
Player ID: kpii
Age: 27
Nationality: Australia
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: TNC Predator
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Ground Zero, BIG FOUR, NVIDIA
Tournaments played: 62
Average winnings per tournament: $28,889.12
Most lucrative win: The International 2017 (2nd)
Career winnings: $1,791,125.30
David Wang
Player ID: Aqua
Age: 17
Nationality: Australia
Primary Game: Fortnite
Current team affiliation: Cooler Esport
Position on team: Duos
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 29
Average winnings per tournament: $62,011.77
Most lucrative win: Fortnite World Cup 2019 Duos
Career winnings: $1,798,341.23
Yang Shenyi
Player ID: Chalice
Age: 21
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: PSG.LGD
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), Betway, Monster Energy, Douyu, HLA Jeans, Clear, Ipason, China CITIC Bank
Tournaments played: 27
Average winnings per tournament: $66,806.31
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (2nd)
Career winnings: $1,803,770.44
Yap Jianwei
Player ID: xNova
Age: 22
Nationality: Malaysia
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: PSG.LGD
Position on team: Hard support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), Betway, Monster Energy, Douyu, HLA Jeans, Clear, Ipason, China CITIC Bank
Tournaments played: 32
Average winnings per tournament: $57,419.17
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (2nd)
Career winnings: $1,837,413.54
Read: Play Video Games, Make Millions — Here’s How
Zhang Ning
Player ID: xiao8
Age: 30
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: EHOME
Position on team: Coach
Major team sponsors and/or partners: VPGAME, Razer
Tournaments played: 55
Average winnings per tournament: $33,409.73
Most lucrative win: The International 2014
Career winnings: $1,837,534.96
Harrison Chang
Player ID: psalm
Age: 25
Nationality: United States
Primary Game: Fortnite
Current team affiliation: Llama
Position on team: Retired (Solo) — pursuing new game Valorant
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 39
Average winnings per tournament: $50,020.51
Most lucrative win: Fortnite World Cup 2019 (2nd)
Career winnings: $1,950,800.00
Zhou Yang
Player ID: bLink
Age: 27
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: You Know Who (YKW)
Position on team: Coach, Solo mid
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 26
Average winnings per tournament: $75,421.40
Most lucrative win: The International 2016
Career winnings: $1,960,956.47
Chu Zeyu
Player ID: Shadow
Age: 23
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: teamless
Position on team: Carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 29
Average winnings per tournament: $68,352.61
Most lucrative win: The International 2016
Career winnings: $1,982,225.70
Kurtis Ling
Player ID: Aui_2000
Age: 27
Nationality: Canada
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: CR4ZY
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 75
Average winnings per tournament: $26,635.71
Most lucrative win: The International 2015
Career winnings: $1,997,678.04
Andreas Nielsen
Player ID: Cr1t
Age: 23
Nationality: Denmark
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Evil Geniuses
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Twitch, Team Razer, Monster Energy, FVBET, Advanced Micro Devices
Tournaments played: 71
Average winnings per tournament: $28,171.96
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (3rd)
Career winnings: $2,000,209.40
Li Ping
Player ID: iceice
Age: 24
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: You Know Who (YKW)
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 26
Average winnings per tournament: $77,006.14
Most lucrative win: The International 2016
Career winnings: $2,002,159.51
Zhang Ruida
Player ID: Faith_bian
Age: 22
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: EHOME
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: VPGAME, Razer
Tournaments played: 41
Average winnings per tournament: $49,499.43
Most lucrative win: The International 2016
Career winnings: $2,029,476.79
Zhang Yiping
Player ID: y`
Age: 21
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: EHOME
Position on team: Hard support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: VPGAME, Razer
Tournaments played: 46
Average winnings per tournament: $44,587.77
Most lucrative win: The International 2016
Career winnings: $2,051,037.21
Wang Chunyu
Player ID: Ame
Age: 23
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: CDEC (Chinese Dota Elite Community)
Position on team: Carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Douyu TV
Tournaments played: 37
Average winnings per tournament: $59,768.92
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (2nd)
Career winnings: $2,211,450.04
Aliwi Omar
Player ID: w33
Age: 25
Nationality: Romania
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Nigma
Position on team: Mid lane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 52
Average winnings per tournament: $42,825.02
Most lucrative win: The International 2019 (2nd)
Career winnings: $2,226,900.78
Artour Babaev
Player ID: Arteezy
Age: 23
Nationality: Canada
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Evil Geniuses
Position on team: Carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Twitch, Team Razer, Monster Energy, FVBET, Advanced Micro Devices
Tournaments played: 97
Average winnings per tournament: $23,158.28
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (3rd)
Career winnings: $2,246,353.21
Tal Aizik
Player ID: Fly
Age: 27
Nationality: Israel
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Evil Geniuses
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Twitch, Team Razer, Monster Energy, FVBET, Advanced Micro Devices
Tournaments played: 110
Average winnings per tournament: $21,675.42
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (3rd)
Career winnings: $2,384,296.20
Ludwig Wåhlberg
Player ID: Zai
Age: 22
Nationality: Sweden
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Team Secret
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: CORSAIR, Uwin, NVIDIA, Secretlab, META Threads, Twitch, ookyo
Tournaments played: 92
Average winnings per tournament: $26,028.71
Most lucrative win: The International 2016 (3rd)
Career winnings: $2,394,641.02
Gustav Magnusson
Player ID: s4
Age: 28
Nationality: Sweden
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Alliance
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Razer, Monster Energy, Twitch, Newzoo
Tournaments played: 118
Average winnings per tournament: $21,245.37
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (3rd)
Career winnings: $2,506,954.11
Clinton Loomis
Player ID: Fear
Age: 32
Nationality: United States
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: business associates
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A (free agents)
Tournaments played: 90
Average winnings per tournament: $28,328.22
Most lucrative win: The International 2015
Career winnings: $2,549,540.19
Clement Ivanov
Player ID: Puppey
Age: 29
Nationality: Estonia
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Team Secret
Position on team: Captain/support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: CORSAIR, Uwin, NVIDIA, Secretlab, META Threads, Twitch, ookyo
Tournaments played: 122
Average winnings per tournament: $22,422.02
Most lucrative win: The International 2019 (4th)
Career winnings: $2,735,486.23
Xu Linsen
Player ID: fy
Age: 25
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: PSG.LGD
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), Betway, Monster Energy, Douyu, HLA Jeans, Clear, Ipason, China CITIC Bank
Tournaments played: 83
Average winnings per tournament: $34,343.59
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (Runner-up)
Career winnings: $2,850,517.62
Lu Yao
Player ID: Somnus丶M/Maybe
Age: 24
Nationality: China
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: PSG.LGD
Position on team: Solo mid
Major team sponsors and/or partners: PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), Betway, Monster Energy, Douyu, HLA Jeans, Clear, Ipason, China CITIC Bank
Tournaments played: 63
Average winnings per tournament: $46,679.51
Most lucrative win: The International 2018 (Runner-up)
Career winnings: $2,940,809.42
Peter Dager
Player ID: ppd
Age: 28
Nationality: United States
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Ninjas in Pyjamas
Position on team: Retired (Captain/support)
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Betway
Tournaments played: 91
Average winnings per tournament: $33,191.55
Most lucrative win: The International 2015
Career winnings: $3,020,431.36
Saahil Arora
Player ID: UNiVeRsE
Age: 30
Nationality: United States
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Ninjas in Pyjamas
Position on team: Retired
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Betway
Tournaments played: 95
Average winnings per tournament: $32,181.45
Most lucrative win: The International 2015
Career winnings: $3,057,237.67
Take a Look: 30 Odd Jobs That Pay Insanely Well
Kyle Giersdorf
Player ID: Bugha
Age: 17
Nationality: United States
Primary Game: Fortnite
Current team affiliation: Sentinels
Position on team: N/A
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Koenke Sports & Entertainment
Tournaments played: 24
Average winnings per tournament: $127,623.61
Most lucrative win: 2019 World Cup
Career winnings: $3,062,966.67
Sumail Hassan
Player ID: SumaiL/Suma1L
Age: 21
Nationality: Pakistan
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: OG Esports
Position on team: Hard carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Red Bull
Tournaments played: 66
Average winnings per tournament: $54,527.66
Most lucrative win: The International 2015
Career winnings: $3,598,825.34
Lasse Urpalainen
Player ID: Matumbaman
Age: 25
Nationality: Finland
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Team Secret
Position on team: Carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: CORSAIR, Uwin, NVIDIA, Secretlab, META Threads, Twitch, ookyo
Tournaments played: 66
Average winnings per tournament: $55,087.59
Most lucrative win: The International 2017
Career winnings: $3,635,781.04
Maroun Merhej
Player ID: GH
Age: 24
Nationality: Lebanon
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Nigma
Position on team: Support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 42
Average winnings per tournament: $98,412.53
Most lucrative win: The International 2017
Career winnings: $4,133,326.44
Ivan Borislav Ivanov
Player ID: MinD_ContRoL
Age: 25
Nationality: Bulgaria
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Nigma
Position on team: Offlane
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 65
Average winnings per tournament: $69,698.36
Most lucrative win: The International 2017
Career winnings $4,530,393.36
Amer Al-Barkawi
Player ID: Miracle-
Age: 22
Nationality: Jordan
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Nigma
Position on team: Carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 55
Average winnings per tournament: $86,169.43
Most lucrative win: The International 2017
Career winnings: $4,739,318.88
Kuro Takhasomi
Player ID: KuroKy
Age: 27
Nationality: Germany
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: Nigma
Position on team: Captain/support
Major team sponsors and/or partners: N/A
Tournaments played: 108
Average winnings per tournament: $47,923.04
Most lucrative win: The International 2017
Career winnings: $5,175,688.15
Topias Taavitsainen
Player ID: Topson
Age: 22
Nationality: Finland
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: OG Esports
Position on team: Mid
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Red Bull
Tournaments played: 20
Average winnings per tournament: $270,722.31
Most lucrative win: The International 2019
Career winnings: $5,414,446.17
Sébastien Debs
Player ID: Ceb
Age: 27
Nationality: France
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: OG Esports
Position on team: Coach/player
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Red Bull
Tournaments played: 52
Average winnings per tournament: $105,708.33
Most lucrative win: The International 2019
Career winnings: $5,496,833.01
Anathan Pham
Player ID: ana
Age: 20
Nationality: Australia
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: OG Esports
Position on team: Hard carry
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Red Bull
Tournaments played: 24
Average winnings per tournament: $250,017.17
Most lucrative win: The International 2019
Career winnings: $6,000,411.96
Jesse Vainikka
Player ID: JerAx
Age: 27
Nationality: Finland
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: OG Esports
Position on team: Retired
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Red Bull
Tournaments played: 64
Average winnings per tournament: $101,093.75
Most lucrative win: The International 2019
Career winnings: $6,470,000.02
Johan Sundstein
Player ID: N0tail
Age: 26
Nationality: Denmark
Primary Game: Dota 2
Current team affiliation: OG Esports
Position on team: Hard support, Team captain
Major team sponsors and/or partners: Red Bull
Tournaments played: 110
Average winnings per tournament: $62,710.83
Most lucrative win: The International 2019
Career winnings: $6,898,191.79
More From GOBankingRates
Methodology: To measure how much can be made playing esports, GOBankingRates took a look at the income of the most successful esports players in terms of career winnings. GOBankingRates looked at the top 50 highest-earning career players and created player profiles including information on: (1) their player ID, (2) age, (3) nationality, (4) total career winnings, (5) primary game (game from which they earned the most), (6) winnings from tournaments for their primary game, (7) the percent of their total career winnings accounted for by tournaments for their primary game, (8) the total number of tournaments they’ve competed in, (9) average winnings per tournament calculated as their career winnings divided by the number of tournaments they’ve competed in, (10) most lucrative win, (11) current team affiliation, (12) the position they play for their current team and (13) team’s major sponsors/partners. Factors No. 1-8 and No. 10 were sourced from Esports Earnings, while factors No. 11-13 were sourced from teams’ official sites and announcements when possible, and third party coverage of major changes to player rosters when not.
All data was collected on and up to date as of April 24-28, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Here’s How Much You Can Make Playing Esports
