We’ve compiled a list of the highest-earning esports games available. These games have all had a significant impact on the video game industry, attracting millions of viewers and bettors throughout their seasons.
We’ll look at some of the highest-paying esports games, a few lesser-known esports that pay well, how the prize pool influences bettors, and which esports events are the best to wager on.
Additionally, Esports stars in 2022 will have enough money. Professional gamers used to compete for tiny amounts of cash and accessories, but now they compete for millions of dollars each year.
Fans have started tuning into esports events at an astonishing rate in the previous decade. Thanks in large part to the popularity of Twitch.
Since then, the increase has been impressive each year, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. The increase in viewership has coincided with a significant increase in prize money available.
More than $200 million has been given throughout more than 4,200 tournaments in 2021 alone. In 2012, Esports Earnings’s tracking website reported only $14 million in revenue.
The tenth edition of Valve’s annual Dota 2 event, The International, received a significant percentage of the total for 2021.
The 18 participating teams split a whopping $40 million, with eventual champions Team Spirit taking home $18.2 million.
Of course, these numbers have inflated the total top earners. Dota 2 players make up the top 21 entries on Esports Earnings.
But it isn’t just Dota that has exploded in popularity. Here is a list of the highest-earning esports games.
1. Dota 2
Every news organization has undoubtedly written a boilerplate article on how the next edition of The International, the Dota 2 world championship, has set a new prize money record.
This is not due to Valve’s kindness. Take the most recent tournament: the publisher contributed roughly $1.6 million, while the fans contributed $38.4 million.
Furthermore, the prize fund for the global championship can be increased by purchasing an annual battle pass (the Compendium) for the competition.
Additionally, Valve benefits from this because just a tiny portion of the battle pass’s income goes into the prize pool, making it the most influential publisher to create direct value from its esports.
Every year, supporters invest more money in the game, increasing the prize pool and resulting in the headlines above. So it’s not like taking a hefty cut bothers anyone; after all, Valve is the one that provides the battle pass material.
2. Overwatch
Blizzard is quite good at launching its games into the esports realm, which is something you should know about the corporation. They’ve created some of its highest-paid esports and are still making power moves today.
Although the Overwatch League is still relatively new, it has quickly established itself as one of the most popular esports.
Since 2016, the game has given away more than $5 million in cash prizes! While the game has yet to produce truly great players who have made a living solely from their professional earnings,
it is swiftly rising to the top of the esports ladder. Furthermore, the 2016 BlizzCon Overwatch World Cup winner received $288,000 in prize money.
3. CS: GO
Of course, CS: GO must be included on this list of highest-earning Esports games: In 2021, the king of competitive shooters reopened stadiums in Northern Europe, filling arenas to remind us of better days. Furthermore, not that the current era isn’t beneficial to the title’s advantages.
Competitions are held frequently in CS: GO, and Valve’s loose handling of the scene allows independent tournament organizers to host matches in the first-person shooter.
On the one hand, this may appear perplexing to potential spectators. But on the other hand. It assures that a tournament is going somewhere in CS: GO at all times. This is wonderful for fans who can’t get enough of those juicy AWP headshots.
4. League Of Legends
League of Legends is currently one of the most popular and highest-earning esports games globally. The game’s diversity in playstyle and appeal to a wide range of audiences has resulted in a fan base that numbers in the hundreds of millions.
Additionally, League of Legends has hosted tournaments with prize pools of several million dollars, with regular events offering at least $100,000 to the winners throughout the season.
Furthermore, this esport is one of the most popular, having joined NBA teams and even reaching mainstream media at times.
During their World Championships, they draw hundreds of thousands of viewers, and when the seasonal tournaments begin, League of Legends bettors can win a lot of money.
The entire prize fund for the 2016 World Championship was $5,070,000. South Korea Telecom, the event winners, received $2,028,000 of that total due to their first-place performance.
5. Heroes Of Storm
Heroes of the Storm (or HOTS) is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) that has gameplay that is comparable to League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients (or DOTA). Because Heroes of the Storm is a Blizzard game, it already has a fan base.
Furthermore, On the other hand, Heroes of the Storm arrived late compared to DOTA and League of Legends, which were already well-known in the MOBA genre. However, most people did not expect the game to gain the same degree of success as DOTA and LoL.
Heroes of the Storm took off due to its pre-built audience and references to other games like Overwatch and StarCraft II.
Additionally, Heroes of the Storm took off quickly, displacing smaller MOBAs like Vainglory and Smite. Thanks to the game’s pre-built audience and connections to other games like Overwatch and StarCraft II.
6. Arena Of Valor
East Asia is the game’s primary market, with China and Taiwan particularly popular. It was created by TiMi, the creator of Pokémon UNITE, which was launched worldwide in 2021 and based on the same premise.
Furthermore, AoV is so prevalent in Asia that it has made multiple guest appearances as an esports demonstration discipline at pan-Asian sports championships, including the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2023.
Additionally, in 2022, AoV’s world championship will be united with Honor of Kings, the original Chinese version of this worldwide spinoff, nearly tripling the annual prize pool.
7. Fornite
Fornite is next on our list of highest-earning esports games right now. Esports is primarily viewed as a marketing tool by certain publishers. The game is the marketing tool in Fortnite, and esports isn’t high on Epic Games’ priority list.
Furthermore, in 2021, the developer dropped good prize money, albeit it looks modest compared to the sheer magnitude of Fortnite.
And ties the game’s biggest esports tournaments into the marvelous structure by giving similar virtual public watching events to big star digital concerts. In addition, Epic Games is consciously transforming the title from a game to its platform.
8. StarCraft II
StarCraft II is one of the games that popularized esports and made it a big deal in places like Korea and China. It dominated the Korean scene and turned ordinary video gamers into celebrities thanks to their skill in the game.
Despite a decline in popularity in recent years, StarCraft II has now reclaimed its position as a top esport. It doesn’t have a million-dollar tournament like Heroes of the Storm or League of Legends, but it does have thousands.
Small community tournaments to large-scale mass media events carried live on stations and networks are all part of the tournaments.
9. PUBG: Mobile
The game that started the battle royale genre’s hype, which continues to this day. It is still popular with fans worldwide and has a thriving esports scene. In many Asian nations, the mobile version of PUBG is one of the most popular apps.
Last year, there was even a public outcry in India after the government placed PUBG Mobile on a list of banned Chinese apps in the wake of the country’s political conflict.
Tencent was heavily involved in the game, but it has since returned to app stores after some changes). Furthermore, interestingly, the game’s competitive mode sends quintets of allied players into the field.
So the shooter follows the successful formula of CS: GO and the MOBA titles. Despite initially being predicated on solitary survival.
10. Hearthstone
Hearthstone is a card game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm, two of the top-earning esports.
Additionally, the game is a card-based fight in which players aim to deplete their opponent’s lives until they reach zero. Furthermore, Hearthstone is a fast-paced and thrilling game with various cards and combos to utilize.
As a result, the game advanced quickly into the world of esports. Furthermore, because Hearthstone is played individually, each player’s stakes are substantially larger.
11. PUBG: Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds are also one of the highest-paying Esports games right now. This year’s Battlegrounds. Yes, the acronym already includes “Battlegrounds,” but the change is intended to distinguish the original from the new PUBG: New State game (new, fine) that premiered this year on mobile.
Despite claims that PUBG is a fading game on PC, its desktop esports sector is thriving and has outperformed its mobile cousin in terms of prize money. In addition, the original PUBG game is now available for free on PC. In terms of elite teams,
PUBG boasts one of the most international scenes in esports – on a good day, any large area may have the most incredible squad globally, which is not a certainty given South Korea’s lengthy dominance in League of Legends.
