Immerse yourself into the exciting realm of competitive gaming with our article on the ‘Top 10 Esports Disciplines by Prize Money.’ We’re taking you on a journey through the most thrilling esports titles that are not only about glory but also big bucks. Curious about which games are making players rich while they play? Join us to explore the rankings, strategies, and jaw-dropping prize pools shaping the esports world.
Esports is an actively developing area. If even 10 years ago computer game competitions looked somewhat exotic, today, such events are held almost daily and have already become commonplace on the same level as traditional sports tournaments.
Esports competitions, in some respects, even surpass such popular disciplines as football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, or hockey. This became clear during the coronavirus pandemic. When the usual sport stopped (most of the games were canceled or were held without spectators in the stands), this practically did not affect computer game tournaments. The only difference was that some majors were not held at special arenas but online, where each participant played at home.
While sports clubs suffered financial losses and other difficulties during the pandemic, eSports continued to develop. Sometimes in the line, you could find only computer games events. And to bet on your favorite team, you only need apps download in India. In addition, esports disciplines attract dynamism and entertainment.
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Such an increase in popularity could not but affect the financial component. Some tournaments have already surpassed most traditional sports competitions regarding prize money. For example, the total prize fund of some majors amounts to tens of millions of dollars, and the tournaments last no more than 2-3 weeks. Consider the most profitable esports disciplines.
Top 10 esports disciplines by prize money
In this rating, we have collected computer games, tournaments for which are the most paid. The amounts of prize money for the entire existence of the eSports discipline were taken into account. Sponsorship contracts and in-game item sales were not taken into account. According to this methodology, the top 10 esports disciplines look like this:
- Dota 2
- CS:GO
- Fortnite;
- League of Legends
- Starcraft 2
- PUBG
- Overwatch
- Hearthstone
- Arena of Valor
- Heroes of the Storm.
Dota 2
Dota 2 takes unconditional leadership in terms of the amount of prize funds paid out to participants. More than 1,500 tournaments have been held in this discipline. And the total prize fund reaches 300 million dollars. A significant contribution to this amount was made by The International. The 2021 tournament holds the absolute record. The amount of prize money was then $40 million.
CS:GO
The second place goes to CS:GO. Recently, tournaments in this discipline have begun to develop even more actively, but in terms of the total amount of money paid to the participants, they are still inferior to Dota 2. Extremely high fees are rarely found here. But CS:GO tournaments are held very often, and in addition to the main organizers, third-party sponsors pour in fairly large sums. Therefore, in terms of total turnover, CS:GO is practically not inferior and maybe even surpasses Dota 2.
Fortnite
For many, Fortnite’s third place may come as a surprise. More than 700 tournaments were held for this game. The most famous of them is the Fortnite World Cup. Recently, interest in the crossplay games has declined. But in 2019, the Fortnite World Cup had a prize pool of $30 million. This helped this computer game jump into the top 3 in terms of prize money. In total, the organizers paid the participants more than $115 million.
League of Legends
League of Legends ranks fourth in terms of total prize money. The main competitor of Dota cannot yet boast of huge amounts of payments to players. But the organizers go a slightly different way. There are many more tournaments for this computer game. Also, great attention is paid to the support and development of teams from the lower divisions. And due to the large number of competitions, the total prize fund allowed the game to get into the top 4 ratings for this indicator. Given the development strategy chosen by the organizers, it will not be surprising if LoL tournaments begin to compete with Dota2 and CS:GO in terms of popularity and the amount of fees.
Starcraft 2
Starcraft 2 holds fifth place in the rating. This game is a long-liver of esports. Given that this is a solo discipline, there are no fabulous fees here. The maximum prize pool for a single Starcraft 2 tournament was $700,000. But this game wins due to mass character. Competitions of different levels are often held here.
Summary on the 10 esports disciplines by prize money
The rest of the games are just developing and do not yet reach the level of the top 5. PUBG, Overwatch, and Hearthstone all have roughly the same payout levels. But Hearthstone appeared two years earlier than Overwatch, and the amount of prize money in tournaments is lower here. PUBG is on the rise. At top tournaments, already decent amounts are starting to be played, the amounts of which are gradually approaching $10 million.
Arena of Valor is so far the only mobile game in the top 10 in terms of total prize money. And Heroes of the Storm will not stay in the top 10 for long, since the last major tournament in this discipline was held back in 2018. And the total amount of payments in official tournaments for all time was about 18 million dollars.
