AD

The Biggest Prizes Won in Professional Esports

From Dota to the Brood War, we have listed the most successful and biggest pro wins, along with their prize amounts for being victorious.

Cash is not one of the problems of esports stars in 2020. About 10 years ago, professional video gamers were just struggling to earn a minute amount of money, but today, top level players are now competing for millions of dollars annually.

As you’d expect - CS:GO makes this list and as one of the flagship esports games, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the bread and butter of what a professional esport should look like. So much so, that players can bet on CS:GO using sites like CSGOBook.com where you delve into CS:GO betting using skins, crypto & real money. Many fans find this much more convenient than using a real bookmaker as they don’t have to commit their own cash.

Around 10 years or so ago, the arrival of Twitch made fans start tuning into esports events at an increased rate. Every other year since then, the sector kept recording amazing amounts of growth, without any intention of slowing down. As the sport grows in viewership, the prize money for big matches also grows.

In 2019 alone, there were more than 4,600 different tournaments, and the total prize money that was awarded in those amounted to more than $215 million. When you compare this with the $13.8 million that was recorded in 2012 according to Esports Earnings, you see the level of growth it has witnessed within the past eight years.

Almost a quarter of the total prize money of 2019 was awarded at the 9th edition of ‘The International,’ which is Valve’s annual Dota 2 event. The event had 18 participating teams sharing a whopping $34.3 million, while the champions, OG went home with $15.6 million total.

A look at these amounts shows that the overall top earners have been swimming in money. When you look at the top 11 earners in esports in general, you will see that they are all Dota 2 players. But other esports games have also enjoyed huge growths in the last 10 years.
Below are the players with the biggest prize money totals in the history of esports.

1. Johan Sundstein - “N0tail”- $6.9 million in Dota 2

He is a Dota 2 veteran from Denmark, and in 2019, he became the general or overall esports top earner when he led the OG to win ‘The International’ for the second consecutive time. Yes, he earned massively at the T18 and T19 on that day. But even before that day, he had enjoyed an amazing run of successes with Team Secret and OG, taking him straight to the top of the list.

2. Kyle Giersdorf - “Bugha” - $3.1 million in Fortnite

It was in 2018 that Fortnite took over the limelight. That was when it joined the list of the most played games in the world, and everybody knew it would soon become one of the most played esports games. Millions of dollars were spent to fund tournaments by the developer of this children friendly game that focuses on building frenzy. In all these tournaments, one player stood out. Sentinels Bugha gave a dominant performance at the Fortnite World Cup to place himself at the top, earning $3 million in the process.

3. Andreas Højsleth - “Xyp9x” – $1.8 million in CS:GO

Andreas Højsleth is from Denmark, and the clutch master took home his fourth Valve Major with the team that is branded the greatest of all time last year. He was one of the forces that drove the team to fame, helping them out of their notorious choking. In fact, he helped clean up their acts and took them to the top of the scale in Counter-Strike.

4. Lee Sang-hyeok - “Faker” - $1.3 million in League of Legends

This man stands as the most celebrated professional gamers of all time. When you check the TI, the roster that has won the world championship three times, you will understand that Faker is the only constant there. The 23 year old took home the championship trophy with the team on his first attempt, and went ahead to win it two more times with them. Because of this, even as young as he is, he is seen as the greatest of all players that has taken part in the league.

5. Feg – $1 million in Shadowverse

It was in 2018 that Feg appeared in the Shadowverse World Grand Prix for the second time. This Japanese man showcased what he is made of and became a champion. Not much was known about him before then, so he was an underdog in the digital card game. But the pressure did not get to him as a newcomer, and he went home with the grand prize.

6. Cho Seong Ju - “Maru” – $850,000 in Starcraft 2

It was in the world of SC2 that Maru asserted himself and rose to the league of the greatest in the game. He became the most successful player in terms of the prize winnings in Starcraft. He dispatched names like Joona “Serral” Sotala and Park “Dark” Ryung Woo to clinch the grand prize. In 2018 also, he went home victorious from the World Electronic Sports Games event, and this increased his prize money. With his successive wins in the last outings, he is looking to give the No. 1 title a shot.

7. Damon Barlow - “Karma” - $810,000 in Call of Duty

This man is a phenomenon in the world of Call of Duty. The North American is the only player in the entire history of the franchise to win three different world championships. There are only two time consecutive winners, and he is one of them. During his seven year career, he recorded victory in more than 12 tournaments. The total prize money of his winnings in the tournaments is put at $800,000.

8. Park Jeong Yeong - “Loki” - $702,000 in PUBG

This 21 year old from South Korea has been on an astronomic rise in the past few years. He has finished top three in three different times, came out victorious at the PUBG Global Invitational 2018 and was so dominant at the 2019 edition of the MET Asia Series.

9. Tony Campbell - “Lethul” - $667,000 in Halo

Within four titles from the Halo franchise, this North American has done wonderfully well. He recorded more success in Halo 5: Guardians. He was victorious at the Halo World Championship's 2016 edition, where he won $1 million with CLG.

10. Lee Jae-Dong - “Jaedong” - $642,000 in Starcraft: Brood War

When you talk about the earliest and most consistent esports games, people will point you to Starcraft: Brood War. This was so popular in Korea that the established names never allowed new players to rise and taste victory. Then came Jaedong, and he set a completely new record on the best way to take on the race. This led him to grow into the biggest rival for the reigning top star of Brood War, Lee “Flash” Young Ho.