Who Are Some Of The Highest-Earning Esports Players?

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If you’re a gamer and have an interest in esports, you’ll no doubt enjoy playing video games with your friends and watching some of the best players in the world go up against each other.

Esports has been growing in popularity for many years now and some of the players on the top teams are earning a lot of money. For many, earning a spot on a top esports team can be a dream, but for others, it is a reality.

In this guide, we are going to look at some of the highest-earning esports players in the world. It’s not the all-time top five, but a mix of top names in different games. Read on to find out which players made our list.

What Is Esports?

Before we start looking at the top earners in the industry, we thought we would first briefly cover what esports involves.

Of course, esports involves competitive games that have usually proven to be popular. Some of the most popular esports games include Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Dota 2 and Call of Duty.

Tournaments are held each year with large prize pools for the winning player or team. Teams can of course be very competitive and, to get a place on one, a lot of work is obviously required.

Some esports tournaments have prize pools in the millions of dollars, with esports fans typically attending these tournaments live (pre covid) or watching live streams online.

Lee Sang-hyeok – Faker

Faker (pictured) is arguably one of the most celebrated and popular esports players of all time. At only 24 years old, he has won three League of Legends World Championships, including one in his debut season. His prize winnings sit at around $1.3m, not to mention his salary and other earnings from sponsor deals

For those who bet on esports, Faker is often a safe bet due to his success over the years, though his team T1 didn’t qualify for Worlds this year.

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Johan Sundstein – N0tail

If you have been paying attention to some of the biggest tournaments in the world, you might be aware of N0tail, full name Johan Sundstein.

This player hails from Denmark and he has been leading the way in Dota 2 in the industry for a while now. Last year, he became the top earner in all of esports as he won the International for the second time.

He is active on a few top teams which have also contributed to his high earnings throughout his career so far. Overall, he is estimated to have earned $6.9m from prize winnings according to Esports Earnings.

Andreas Højsleth – Xyp9x

For fans of the popular 18+ game Counter-Strike, Xyp9x will be a familiar name. This player is also Danish, and he has been making a name for himself in the world of Counter-Strike.

His team, Astralis, was noted to be among the greatest CSGO teams of all time just last year as they won their fourth Valve Major.

It was noted that Xyp9x played a bit part in making this team great by tidying up their act during big tournaments. As a result, he has managed to make it on to our list of the highest earners. According to reports, he has earned around $1.8m as a result of playing Counter-Strike.

Ian Porter – C6

Ian Porter hails from the USA and is one of the highest-earnings CoD players.

Over the years, C6 (formerly known as Crimsix) has managed to stay near the top of the standings in more than 30 Call of Duty tournaments. This makes him the COD player with the most tournament wins in the history of the game. His earnings are reportedly $1.1m.

Kyle Giersdorf- Bugha

The final esports player to make our list is one that is showing his dominance at big tournaments a lot these days. Kyle Giersdorf, also known as Bugha, won the Fortnite World Cup back in 2019 and has continued to dominate since then.

He may be a new player in comparison to other well-established esports leaders, but he is earning a lot more than many newcomers. According to reports and Esports Earnings, he has earned $3.1m in prize winnings, which makes him one of the most successful newer players on our list.

It won’t be long until this figure continues to rise as he enters the latest tournaments.

Who Will Be Next?

We have only covered some of the highest earners in the industry – there are others who are earning quite a lot of money each year too.

As the esports industry grows, we expect the earnings to also increase as tournament prizes and sponsorships start to build. These players have proven their skills in some of the largest tournaments, but that doesn’t stop new players climbing up the ranks. It has happened before and could happen again.

Make sure to tune into the next big tournaments and follow the top players and rising stars of the future.

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