Professional gaming, over time, has managed to become a mainstream career option. Gaming is now a serious profession, and gamers are making big money by doing what they love. Just like any other professional sports, the esports business is flourishing in different parts of the globe.
Professional players take part in different tournaments and the prize is big for the taking. Big companies are investing serious bucks in these players by sponsoring the teams, and the tournaments. Players are earning not only from playing games but also from endorsing brands and streams as well. The business of esports is getting so popular that some of these players’ net worth is sure to raise some eyebrows.
Ten Esports Players with the Highest Networth
Since the dawn of the last decade, new and competitive games are coming into the market. Each game is attracting its own fan base. Some of the top-grossing esports games are Dota 2, CS: GO, League of the Legends, and Fortnite. Let’s take a look at some of the top-grossing Esports players.
#1 Johan “N0tail” Sundstein
| Total Earnings |
| $6.97 million |
N0tail is regarded as one of the most successful and versatile esports players of all time. He is a professional Dota 2 player who is also the top-grossing esports icon to date. Starting as a mere youngster, Johan quickly became one of the youngest competitive players of the game. He started playing Dota as a solo mid-laner, but after switching to Dota 2 he took up the support role.
Johan became famous for his management of Chen and Wisp in support roles. He also carries vast knowledge of the game. Starting from the game’s lore to the game mechanics, he knows it all. Add a little confidence and his natural leadership skills, he is the most composed captain of all time. Currently, he captains the two times TI-winning team OG. Thanks to the massive prize pool of Valve’s The International tournaments, he is currently having a total esports earning of $6.97 million.
#2 Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka
| Total Earnings |
| $6.47 million |
JerAx is a professional Dota 2 player belonging from Finland. He has recently taken retirement from playing any professional Dota 2 tournament. But before this, he was also a part of the TI winning team of OG. His individual brilliance in the support role department has given OG the required stability. Currently, he ranks second after N0tail in the list of top-grossing esports players. thanks to OG becoming two times TI champion. He is currently having a net esports earning of $6.47 million. JerAx is mostly known for his brilliant gameplay of the hero Earth Spirit..
#3 Anathan “ana” Pham
| Total Earnings |
| $6 million |
Ana is one of the most skilled and popular carry players in the game of Dota 2. He also plays for the team OG until recently. A few days back he announced his retirement from all kinds of professional tournaments and matchups. Australian by origin, Ana had immense contribution to the two times championship-winning of OG. He is particularly known for his out-of-the-box gameplay and uncommon core-hero picks. His IO core in the TI finals was a landmark pick in the history of Dota2. Thanks to the huge prize money of The International, Ana currently has a total esports earning of $6 million. He is the first Australian to have won a Valve-sponsored event.
#4 Sébastien “Ceb” Debs
| Total Earnings |
| $5.56 million |
Ceb is a famous name among many Dota 2 enthusiasts, particularly for his million-dollar Axe call on the finals of TI 8. That gameplay was so iconic, it got immense popularity and Valve later added it to an in-game chat wheel sound. He plays the role of an offlane-core for OG. He was also a crucial part of OG’s two times TI-winning squad.
Clearly, it points out OG dominance in the list of top-grossing esports players of the world. Ceb was previously known as 7ckngMad. His total esports earning is $5.56 million. Before joining as a player, he used to be the coach of OG and guided them to many successful tournament victories over the years. He is the first and only French player to win The International.
Read: DOTA 2: THE RISE AND FALL OF DENDI
#5 Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen
| Total Earnings |
| $5.48 million |
Topson is a modern-day fan-favorite esports icon. He plays professional Dota 2 with team OG. Topson belongs from Finland and is regarded by many as the most skilled mid-player of recent times. He played a very crucial role in OG’s back-to-back TI victories. Topias likes to experiment with his hero pool and gameplay which makes him popular among the crowd. Apart from professional Dota 2, he is also earning big from brand endorsement, hosting gaming classes online, and streaming. He is particularly good with heroes like Monkey King, and Invoker. His total esports earning is $5.48 million.
#6 Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi
| Total Earnings |
| $5.2 million |
KuroKy is one of the most veteran and successful DOTA players of all time. He is a professional Dota2 player who plays for team Nigma. He is widely regarded as one of the best captains of all time. KuroKy is very skillful when it comes to drafting and counter-picking heroes for the opponent. He is a very good leader and can lead the team movement in-game very efficiently. His total esports earning is $5.2 million. Many few players are there who can study the game and lead their team as KuroKy does.
#7 Amer “Miracle” Al-Barkawi
| Total Earnings |
| $4.81 million |
Miracle is a Jordanian/Polish professional Dota 2 player regarded by many as the modern-day legend of the game. His famous gameplays with Invoker, Ember Spirit, and Medusa had earned him a place among the legends of the game. Amer came to prominence with his steady climb of the Dota 2 MMR leaderboard in EU pub scenes. He gradually climbed up to become the #1 Ranked Dota 2 player in the EU and in the world. He was also the first player to achieve 9000 MMR on May 11th, 2016, and created history. His total esports earning is $4.81 million.
#8 Ivan Borislavov “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov
| Total Earnings |
| $4.59 million |
MinD ContRol is one of the well-known and popular names in the pages of Dota 2. He is a Bulgarian professional Dota 2 player who makes the chart for the top-grossing esports player. His gameplays of Nature’s Prophet and Beastmaster have allowed him to be one of the most successful players of the game. His total esports earnings stand at $4.59 million. He plays the role of offlane-core for team Nigma.
#9 Maroun “GH” Merhej
| Total Earnings |
| $4.2 million |
GH is a very famous Dota 2 player and features at position 9th in this list. He has been greatly successful when it comes to Dota 2. GH started playing Dota 2 professionally from a very early age. He came into prominence after winning MSI Beat It 2014 Middle Eastern Qualifiers. GH is a very accomplished support player and is particularly famous for his gameplay with Earthshaker. He plays for team Nigma as of now. Besides professional tournaments, GH is also very active in pub matches and streams. These gaming streams are also a great way to add to individual esports revenue. His total esports earning is $4.2 million.
#10 Lasse Aukusti “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen
| Total Earnings |
| $3.77 million |
MATUMBAMAN is a very popular name in the field of esports, particularly in the game of Dota 2. He is one of the best Dota 2 Core players of all time. He belongs from Finland and is currently playing for Team Secret. Many consider his skills as a carry to be second to none. while his total esports earning till now is at $3.77 million. This has been majorly contributed to by numerous tournament victories and brand endorsement money for gaming purposes.
As Dota 2 is the highest paying game right now in terms of revenue and tournament prize pool, naturally its players are dominating the list. Apart from Dota 2, some of the notable mentions in this list are Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok of League of legends, Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen of CS: GO, Ian “C6” Porter of Call of Duty. In addition to this, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf is also one of the top-grossing esports professional players of Fortnite.
Demands for esports streams are continuously on the rise. Esports is already established industry. If not already, streaming and gaming professionally will eventually become one of the biggest earning professions in the whole world.
