Dota 2 named as the most profitable esports title in history

Kieran Lynch, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 01/12/2025

A study has found Dota 2 to be the most profitable esports title for gamers in history.

Data collected by Esports Charts has discovered that $1.68 billion (£1.27bn) has been handed out in prize money from over 62,000 tournaments throughout the esports industry.

The research has found out that more money has been won on Dota 2 than any other esports title.

How much money has been paid out from Dota 2 events?

Esports Charts has revealed that $377.4 million (£285m) has been paid out to players on Dota 2 events.

This comes as no surprise when you see that the seven top-paying tournaments in history are Dota 2’s ‘The International’ tournament.

In 2021, a record $40m (£30m) was awarded, with a 45 per cent share of that going to winners Team Spirit.

However, there has been a decline in the prize pool over recent years. The International 2025 won by Team Falcons saw a total prize pool of just $2.8m (£2.1m).

The top 10 richest esports players in the world are also Dota 2 players, according to Esports Charts.

Leading the way is Johan “n0tail” Sundstein, whose total earnings exceed $7.18m (£5.42m). Sasha “Scarlett” Hostin, who plays StarCraft II, has won the most money for a female esports player, earning $472,000 (£356,000) over her career.

Players from China earned the most in esports with total winnings of $330.9m (£250m). The United States is second with $299.6m (£226.3m), while the United Kingdom are just outside the top 10 in 11th with $49.7m (£37.5m)

The 10 most profitable esports titles

• 1st – Dota 2 (£285m)
• 2nd – Fortnite (£153m)
• 3rd – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (£123m)
• 4th – League of Legends (£92m)
• 5th – Arena of Valor (£84m)
• 6th – PUBG Mobile (£68m)
• 7th – PUBG (£50m)
• 8th – Rocket League (£38m)
• 9th – Rainbow Six Siege (£38m)
• 10th – StarCraft II (£33m)

Counter-Strike has highest number of payouts

Despite having a smaller total prize pool, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive leads the way when it comes to the number of players who have received payouts at least once in tournaments.

There are 16,571 players who have received payouts on CS: GO, followed by 10,900 on Fortnite and 9,100 on Rocket League.

Declining prize money in Dota 2

The decline in prize money for Dota 2 events like The International could allow other esports titles to catch up.

The International has declined from £30m in prize money to £2.1m this year.

This decline in the prize pool is primarily due to Valve’s decision to move away from the Battle Pass system, which funded the prize pool, towards a new model focused on year-round content.

Kieran Lynch, Senior Editor

Kieran Lynch is an esports journalist who writes about several games including EA Sports FC 25, Call of Duty, Rainbox Six Siege, and more. He previously worked as a sports journalist for MailOnline.

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