A recent study has revealed which games are the highest paying when it comes to e-sports. Thanks to CSGO gambling site CSGOLuck, data from across the top 500 individual esports tournaments with the largest prize pools of all time has created a list of the top ten most lucrative games within the industry. The average amount of potential winnings leaves a clear winner, with almost £150,000,000 between first and second place.
E-sports competitions generally involve organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players. They can see either individuals or teams compete and often attract huge audiences, both in-person and online via streams.
Top ten highest-paying e-sports games of all time
Claiming the top spot, Dota 2 comes in with a massive overall prize pool of around £214,124,431. The game has sparked 59 e-sports events that involved more than 3,790 players. On average, tournaments for the multiplayer battle arena game payout around £3,629,244, making it the highest-paying esports tournament in the world. This is perhaps not too much of a surprise, seeing as it’s also one of the most played games globally, with around 435,000 monthly players as of January 2024.
Taking second place comes Fortnite, a hugely popular game that often offers around £74,682,559 in winnings. Since its release in 2017, there have been 63 tournaments dedicated to the battle royale game, and has been played by over 6,800 gamers at these events. On average, winners of Fortnite’s tournaments can expect to see around £1,185,437 on offer – a life-changing amount, but still more than 65% less than Dota 2’s average.
The bronze medal goes to PUBG Battlegrounds, with a total prize pool of £63,703,610 and an average of £1,592,590 winnings across its 40 tournaments. Here’s a breakdown of the other seven games in the top ten:
- Arena of Valor: £56,384,262
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: £47,592,035
- League of Legends: £41,811,491
- Call of Duty: £31,288,976
- Overwatch: £16,727,550
- Rainbow Six Siege: £16,024,076
- CrossFire: £9,661,792
The difference between first and tenth place is a massive gulf of over £200,000,000, highlighting how varied the winnings can be. At either end of the spectrum, e-sports tournaments are a lucrative field for those professionals who can regularly bring home the top prizes.
