The world’s top-earning esports player has banked over $7 million from Dota 2 alone — more than most NBA players’ rookie contracts.
How to Play: Guess if the player on the right has MORE or LESS career prize money than the one on the left.
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Top 10 Highest-Earning Esports Players
Esports prize money tracks tournament winnings — does not include salaries, sponsorships, or streaming income. Dota 2 dominates due to The International’s massive prize pools.
| # | Name | Career Prize Money (USD) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johan 'N0tail' Sundstein (Dota 2) | 7,184,000 | USD |
| 2 | Jesse 'JerAx' Vainikka (Dota 2) | 6,488,000 | USD |
| 3 | Anathan 'ana' Pham (Dota 2) | 6,000,000 | USD |
| 4 | Sébastien 'Ceb' Debs (Dota 2) | 5,946,000 | USD |
| 5 | Topias 'Topson' Taavitsainen (Dota 2) | 5,839,000 | USD |
| 6 | Kuro 'KuroKy' Takhasomi (Dota 2) | 5,267,000 | USD |
| 7 | Amer 'Miracle-' Al-Barkawi (Dota 2) | 4,901,000 | USD |
| 8 | Maroun 'GH' Merhej (Dota 2) | 3,914,000 | USD |
| 9 | Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf (Fortnite) | 3,825,000 | USD |
| 10 | Ivan 'MinD_ContRoL' Borislavov (Dota 2) | 3,811,000 | USD |
Esports Money
The International (Dota 2’s annual world championship) has paid out $40M+ prize pools, making Dota 2 players consistently top esports earners despite Dota having less mainstream visibility than League of Legends.
Bugha (Fortnite, age 16 in 2019) won $3M for first place at the Fortnite World Cup — the largest single solo esports prize in history.
Most listed earnings are tournaments only. Top players may earn 5-10x their tournament total in salaries, streaming (Twitch/YouTube), and sponsorships.
Frequently Asked Questions
Highest-earning esports player?
N0tail (Johan Sundstein) at $7.18M from Dota 2 — primarily The International wins.
Why so much Dota 2?
The International’s prize pool is funded by community contribution (Battle Pass). Pools have reached $40M+, dwarfing other tournaments.
Is streaming income included?
No — these are tournament prizes only. Top streamers (Ninja, Pokimane) earn millions more from streams.
How much does Faker actually make?
Faker’s tournament winnings are ‘only’ $1.7M, but his total career earnings (salary + streaming + endorsements) are estimated at $20M+.
Note: Career prize money per Esports Earnings.
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