Esports Millionaires: The Top Earners Dominated by Dota 2

Esports has become a lucrative career path, with skilled gamers transforming into multi-millionaire rockstars. The industry's explosive growth fuels the rise of tournaments with staggering prize pools, offering players the chance to earn millions in just a few days.

This guide explores the highest-earning esports players of all time, drawing data from Esports Earnings. Over the past decade, the esports industry has awarded over $1.6 billion in prize money. Who has secured the largest slice of this fortune?

Interestingly, the top ten highest-earning players are all Dota 2 professionals:

10. Kuro ‘KuroKy’ Takhasomi ($5,295,072)

9. Miroslaw ‘Mira’ Kolpakov ($5,487,579)

8. Magomed ‘Collapse’ Khalilov ($5,501,791)

7. Ilya ‘Yatoro’ Mulyarchuk ($5,505,553)

6. Yaroslav ‘Miposhka’ Naidenov ($5,733,952)

5. Topias ‘Topson’ Taavitsainen ($5,768,341)

4. Sébastian ‘Ceb’ Debs ($5,925,842)

3. Anathan ‘ana’ Pham ($6,024,411)

2. Jesse ‘JerAx’ Vainikka ($6,486,623)

1. Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein ($7,184,163)

Dota 2's Dominance: The International's Influence

Dota 2's prominence on this list is a direct result of The International, a tournament boasting record-breaking prize pools. At its peak, The International offered a staggering $40 million in prize money, attracting the best Dota 2 players worldwide. Each player on this list has triumphed at The International, contributing to their remarkable earnings.

Highest-Earning Players Across Games

Here's a breakdown of the highest-earning esports players across different games:

• Dota 2: Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein ($7,184,183)
  
• League of Legends: Sang Hyeok ‘Faker’ Lee ($1,718,369)
  
• Counter-Strike: Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen ($2,181,164)
  
• Call of Duty: Tyler ‘aBeZy’ Pharris ($1,581,950)
  
• Rainbow Six Siege: Stephan ‘Shaiiko’ Lebleu ($609,499)
  
• Fortnite: Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf ($3,692,425)
  
• PUBG: Jung Young ‘Loki’ Park ($1,229,651)
  
• VALORANT: Ethan ‘Ethan’ Arnold ($288,266)
  
• Rocket League: Evan ‘M0nkey M00n’ Rogez ($728,445)
  
• Overwatch: Nam Joo ‘Striker’ Kwon ($499,876)
  
• StarCraft II: Joona ‘Serral’ Sotala ($1,503,291)
  
• Arena of Valor: Siyuan ‘HuaHai’ Luo ($1,676,829)
  

While Dota 2 currently dominates the top earners, the esports landscape is ever-evolving. With new games emerging and the industry's continuous growth, the future of esports earnings remains exciting and unpredictable.