The Highest Earning eSports Players in the World
Getting paid to play video games is a distant dream for many avid gamers, however, for professional eSports players, this is a reality. Professional gamers not only make their hobby a career, but they can also win big through competitions.
eSports take living room video games into a sports-like arena and challenge players to play face to face in competitive events either as individual players or in teams. Unlike playing FIFA as a hobby, eSports players are held to a level of professionalism. Just like traditional sports pros, eSports players rely on hard work, dedication and refined skills amassed through practice.
Much like traditional sports, eSports games can be bet on. As the stakes and prizes increase for competitors, this has been reflected by oddsmakers with the opportunity now increasing for punters to capitalise on electronic sports events.
We’ve analyzed the winnings of some of the world's biggest eSports players to see who leads the industry when it comes to earnings. We’ve also ranked the countries producing the most successful players in the world and their total earnings.
What we’ve discovered will make you get out your controllers and get gaming.
Top eSports player from each country ranked by total earnings ever
Taking the top spot in Denmark is N0tail aka Johan Sundstein. This player has earned over $6.96 million in winnings, mostly through competing in Dota 2 competitions. He’s the most successful eSports player on the list.
Jesse Vainikka, known as JerAx, is the most successful Finnish player and one of the richest on the list. Jesse’s winnings as a professional gamer total over $6.4 million.
Rounding off our top three most successful eSports players is Anathan Pham. Known as ana, Anathan is the highest-earning Australian eSports player whose winnings come in at a massive $6 million.
Sébastien Debs is the richest player from France and Kuro Takhasomi is the number one German player. Both players cash out over $5 million by competing in eSports competitions.
The USA’s top-earning player is Kyle Giersdorf who, unlike most of the top ten, has chased his biggest winnings through playing Fortnite. He is closely followed by Lu Yao, who earns the most in China.
Sweden’s top player Gustav Magnusson has won over $2.5 million while Artour Babaev, Canada’s highest earner has taken winnings over $2.25 million. The top ten highest-earning players are rounded off by Austria's highest earner, David Wang.
Top 30 eSports Players Worldwide (Based on Total Earnings in $)
We’ve analysed the earnings of the world's biggest eSports stars to create the ultimate ranking of the most successful players in the world. The top 30 players have earned over $102 million in winnings, making the eSports industry a lucrative one for the players at the top.
N0tail comes out on top with his winnings surpassing $6.9 million. Jesse Vainikka and Anathan Pham from Finland and Australia come out in second and third place.
Making it into the top 5 are Sébastien Debs and Topias Taavitsainen whose winnings both top over $5.2 million.
China dominates the table, with eight of their eSports players making it into the top 30. Their winnings total at $18.2 million. Four other countries have more than one featured player; the USA has four players on the table whereas Finland has three, Denmark two and Canada two respectively.
Dota 2 is the game to play if you want to win big. Why? 29 out of the top 30 Esports players worldwide have made the majority of their earnings through the game. Only one player, Kyle Giersdorf, received most of his winnings from Fortnite.
Which Country is the Best to be an Esports Player?
The market for eSports is growing. As an industry, it is projected to increase by nearly 10% each year between now and 2023.
So where are the best locations all over the globe to be an eSport player?
The USA is the Best Country to be an Esports Player
| Rank | Country | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | $110,326,780.53 |
| 2 | China | $108,943,009.79 |
| 3 | S. Korea | $81,895,574.02 |
| 4 | Denmark | $38,264,633.95 |
| 5 | Sweden | $38,124,028.69 |
| 6 | France | $29,530,147.70 |
| 7 | Russia | $28,276,198.34 |
| 8 | Canada | $27,824,589.94 |
| 9 | Finland | $25,813,637.15 |
| 10 | Germany | $25,344,283.50 |
Which country leads the eSports industry?
We’ve calculated the total earnings of eSports players from the top ten countries to reveal the best country in the world to be an eSports player. The USA just makes the top spot, with players cashing in a massive $110 million in winnings. They’re closely followed by winners in China who have made over $108 million playing Esports professionally.
Rounding off the top three countries is South Korea where 500 players have earned almost $82 million.
European countries make up half of the top ten best countries for eSports players, with Denmark and Sweden sitting in fourth and fifth place. Followed by France, Finland, and Germany in sixth, ninth and tenth position, respectively.
Russian players have earned over $28 million in winnings putting the country in seventh place. Canadian eSports players are featured eighth on the list, where Esports players have won over $27 million.
Top Five eSports Players in New Zealand
| Rank | Player ID | Player Name | Total (Overall) | Highest Paying Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand Gratisfaction | Sean Kaiwai | $120,465 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive |
| 2 | New Zealand Parpy | Abdullah Khudeish | $89,538 | Fortnite |
| 3 | New Zealand Link | Ethan - | $82,888 | Fortnite |
| 4 | New Zealand Slaya | Reihana Green | $72,083 | Fortnite |
| 5 | New Zealand Kamii | Cameron Ingram | $70,211 | Rocket League |
eSports are relatively new to New Zealand, which means the ranks are open for the taking. ILT Stadium Southland actually just hosted its first eSports tournament this February! Will New Zealand become another world leader in Esports?
Top Five Esports Players in Canada
| Rank | Player ID | Player Name | Total (Overall) | Highest Paying Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada Arteezy | Artour Babaev | $2,257,053 | Dota 2 |
| 2 | Canada Aui_2000 | Kurtis Ling | $2,006,311 | Dota 2 |
| 3 | Canada Zayt | Williams Aubin | $1,186,914 | Fortnite |
| 4 | Canada NAF | Keith Markovic | $1,014,265 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive |
| 5 | Canada EternaLEnVy | Jacky Mao | $987,072 | Dota 2 |
Canadian eSports players are a safe bet when it comes to not only their talent in their gameplay, but also in their ability to earn money professionally playing video games. The eSports industry in Canada is absolutely booming, growing faster than so many others as players take advantage of the billion-dollar industry.
Top Five Esports Players in the USA
| Rank | Player ID | Player Name | Total (Overall) | Highest Paying Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Bugha | Kyle Giersdorf | $3,154,061 | Fortnite |
| 2 | United States UNiVeRsE | Saahil Arora | $3,057,237 | Dota 2 |
| 3 | United States ppd | Peter Dager | $3,024,331 | Dota 2 |
| 4 | United States Fear | Clinton Loomis | $2,554,013 | Dota 2 |
| 5 | United States psalm | Harrison Chang | $1,957,350 | Fortnite |
eSports players in the United States rake in more cash than any other country. So many sports suffered the loss of fans and even players during 2020 – but not eSports. Being able to compete remotely has kept eSports trending and in the news in North America.
Top Five Esports Players in the UK
| Rank | Player ID | Player Name | Total (Overall) | Highest Paying Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom Wolfiez | Jaden Ashman | £1,331,478 | Fortnite |
| 2 | United Kingdom Mongraal | Kyle Jackson | £673,354 | Fortnite |
| 3 | United Kingdom BenjyFishy | Benjy David Fish | £496,729 | Fortnite |
| 4 | United Kingdom Zer0 | Trei Morris | £362,196 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare |
| 5 | United Kingdom Rated | Rhys Price | £315,697 | Call of Duty: Warzone |
It’s obvious there is a different level of interest in the UK in eSports – specifically because Call of Duty is one of the games where players are earning the most overall. Players in the UK are also trend setters with in-game eSports team skins, and more.
Top Five Esports Players in Australia
| Rank | Player ID | Player Name | Total (Overall) | Highest Paying Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia ana | Anathan Pham | $6,000,411 | Dota 2 |
| 2 | Australia kpii | Damien Chok | $1,813,425 | Dota 2 |
| 3 | Australia jks | Justin Savage | $232,584 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive |
| 4 | Australia AZR | Aaron Ward | $213,584 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive |
| 5 | Australia Denz | Denholm Taylor | $165,554 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 |
Can you believe Anathan Pham has made over $6,000,411 playing Dota 2? Esports players from Australia are breaking into the worldwide eSports scene, making the country a prime place for investing in the industry. Brands and gamers alike can look to Australia for up-and-coming eSports stars.
Top Five Esports Players in China
| Rank | Player ID | Player Name | Total (Overall) | Highest Paying Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Somnus丶M | Lu Yao | $2,992,486 | Dota 2 |
| 2 | China fy | Xu, Linsen | $2.902.194 | Dota 2 |
| 3 | China Ame | Wang, Chunyu | $2.247.911 | Dota 2 |
| 4 | China y` | Zhang Yiping | $2,100,994 | Dota 2 |
| 5 | China Faith_bian | Zhang Ruida | $2,082,433 | Dota 2 |
It’s easy to see Chinese gamers make incredible amounts of money playing eSports. The eSports community is growing in China, especially after the League of Legends World Championship was held in Shanghai!
Betting on eSports is becoming increasingly lucrative, with some of the best betting sites in the world now offering odds on eSports games.
A number of sports books such as Bet365 will add eSports odds for major tournaments, while forward-thinking bookies such as Paddy Power and 888 Sport permanently list Esports alongside their traditional sports odds.
Check out our eSports betting guide for a comprehensive run down of where and who to bet on!
