How Much Does An Average Esports Player Make?

A comprehensive analysis of the earnings of professional esports athletes from around the world.

The Average Income of an Esports Player

According to a recent study, the average esports player earns around $61,000 per year. This number will obviously vary depending on the game someone is playing, their level of skill, and how often they are able to compete in events. The study also found that the top earner in esports makes around $1.36 million dollars per year.

Salary

The median salary for an esports player is $60,000, according to a report by esports analytics firm Newzoo. The top 10 percent of earners make more than $310,000 per year.

The average income for an esports player will differ based on their role on a team, their success in tournaments, and the size of their fanbase. The most successful players can earn millions of dollars per year from prize money, sponsorships, and Twitch streamer revenue.

Tournament Winnings

Of course, not all esports players are created equal. The majority of esports athletes earn the majority of their income from tournament winnings. The amount that an esports player can make from tournament winnings varies greatly based on the game they play, how often they compete, and how successful they are. For example, a League of Legends player who competes in the LCS (League Championship Series) could potentially earn several thousand dollars per year just from competing in tournaments. However, most professional gamers don’t make nearly that much. A typical Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player might only earn a few hundred dollars per year from competing in tournaments.

The Highest Earning Esports Players

It’s no secret that professional gaming can be extremely lucrative. The top esports athletes in the world can make millions of dollars per year, and the industry is only continuing to grow. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the highest earning esports players to see just how much they’re making.

Top 10 Players

In 2018, the top 10 highest earning esports players made a combined $23.5 million. The largest chunk of that came from Dota 2, with four players in the top 10. The next most popular game was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with three players in the top 10.

The highest earner was Johan “N0tail” Sundstein, a Danish player who made $6.9 million last year. He was followed by Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, a Polish player who earned $6 million.

The remaining seven players in the top 10 were:

3. Anathan “Ana” Pham – $4.5 million (Dota 2)
4. Maroun “GH” Merhej – $3.1 million (Dota 2)
5. Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov – $2.4 million (Dota 2)
6. Lasse “Matumbaman” Urpalainen – $2.3 million (Dota 2)
7. Sebastian “Ceb” Aeser – $1.9 million (Dota 2)
8. Peter “ppd” Dager – $1.8 million (Dota 2)
9. Nikolaj “niko” Kristensen – $1.7 million (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
10.$1 Hod 1 Skadoodle Zhou ($1,600,000 USD)

Their Tournament Winnings

The top earning eSports player is Jesse Vainikka, who goes by the name “JerAx”. He is a Finnish professional Dota 2 player, and has amassed over $3 million in prize money from tournaments alone. The second highest earner is Amer Barqawi, known as “Miracle-”, also a professional Dota 2 player from Jordan. He has earned just under $3 million in prize money.

Other games in the top five highest earning eSports are “CS:GO”, “League of Legends” and “Overwatch”. There are many aspects which contribute to how much an eSports player can earn. Some of these include: tournament winnings, sponsorships, salary from team contracts, Twitch revenue sharing and YouTube advertising revenue.

The Future of Esports Earnings

Increasing Popularity

The global esports economy will grow to $696 million in 2017, according to Newzoo’s latest report on the industry, with year-on-year growth of 41.3%. This is up from $463 million in 2016. By 2020, Newzoo expects the market to be worth $1.5 billion.

The increased interest has brought in more investors and sponsors, which has led to more prize money and Salaries for professional gamers. The top 100 esports athletes earned a combined $89 million last year from tournament winnings and salaries, up from $32 million in 2015, according to esportsearnings.com.

The average salary for an esports athlete is $60,000 a year, but the top earners take home more than 10 times that amount. The highest paid player in 2016 was Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, a 21-year-old Dota 2 player from Jordan who earned more than $2.4 million last year from tournaments and salaries.

More Tournaments and Leagues

The future of esports earnings looks bright. With more and more tournaments and leagues being created, there will be more opportunities for players to earn prize money. The prize pools for these competitions are only going to get larger, as well. So, if you’re good enough to compete at the highest level, you could potentially make a lot of money playing video games!

Bigger Prize Pools

The future of esports earnings looks very promising. With the popularity of esports rising every year, more and more organizations are willing to invest in prize pools and tournaments. In 2019, the prize pool for The International, a Dota 2 tournament hosted by Valve, reached a staggering $34 million. This is up from $25 million in 2018 and $10 million in 2016. With prize pools like this, it’s no wonder that many professional gamers are able to make a living off of playing video games.

While the prize pools for esports tournaments are increasing, so are the player salaries. Many top organizations now offer their players base salaries as well as additional bonuses for winning tournaments. For example, SK Telecom T1, a Korean esports organization, offers their League of Legends players base salaries of $120,000 per year. If one of their players were to win the League of Legends World Championship, they would earn an additional $100,000 bonus. With salaries and prize pools on the rise, it’s safe to say that the future of esports earnings looks very bright.