Esports is rapidly growing worldwide, competing with traditional sports in terms of competitiveness, prize pools, LANs, popularity, etc. Professional players are earning substantial amount of money showcasing their skills in various esports tournaments. As of 2024, here's a list of some of the highest paid esports players globally.
Highest paid esports players
1. Johan "N0tail" Sundstein
Johan "N0tail" Sundstein, formerly known as BigDaddy, is an inactive professional Dota 2 player from Denmark. The 30-year-old has approximately earned $7,167,802 from esports tournaments.
N0tail started as one of the youngest and most skilled Heroes of Newerth players. He was an excellent solo midfield player, and after switching to Dota 2, he became known for his support play with Chen and Wisp, improved his micromanagement skills, and became renowned for his Meepo. He has won “The International” in 2018 and 2019 with OG.
2. Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka
Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka is a retired Finnish Dota 2 player and two-time “The International” champion with OG. JerAx has earned around $6,484,511 playing Dota 2 professionally.
JerAx first gained recognition in Heroes of Newerth, playing for teams like "Dirty Minds" and "KD-Gaming." After completing his compulsory military service in the Finnish navy, he began playing Dota 2.
3. Anathan "ana" Pham
Anathan "ana" Pham is a professional Dota 2 player who played for the popular esports organization T1 and is currently inactive in the esports scene. The Australian has earned approximately $6,026,305 from esports winnings.
The 24-year-old started his career with team Mobility Gaming in 2013 and has won "The International" two times in 2018 and 2019.
4. Sebastien "Ceb" Debs
Sebastien "Ceb" Debs is a French/Lebanese Dota 2 player currently playing OG. The 32-year-old is also a co-founder of OG. He has earned around $5,942,567 from Dota 2.
He has won multiple titles with OG, including two "International" titles in 2018 and 2019. As of now, in his 14 years of career, he has represented 15 teams.
5. Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen
Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, a Finnish professional Dota 2 player who currently plays for Tundra Esports, has won approximately $5,847,770 by playing the game professionally.
The 26-year-old is the two-time "The International" champion in 2018 and 2019 from OG. He finished fourth in the recently held Riyadh Masters 2024 in the Esports World Cup with his team Tundra Esports.
6. Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov
Yaroslav Naidenov, known as Miposhka, is a Russian Dota 2 player for Team Spirit. He has earned approximately $5,777,005 from professional Dota 2 tournaments.
The 26-year-old has won "The International" twice, in 2021 and 2023, alongside his teammates Yatoro, Collapse, Silent, and Mira from Team Spirit. Miposhka began his Dota 2 career in 2015 with Yellow Submarine and has represented eight teams to date.
7. Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk
Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk is a Ukrainian professional Dota 2 esports player who currently plays for popular club Team Spirit. The 21-year-old young player has won $5,540,872 playing Dota 2.
He is a two-time "The International" champion, which he won in 2021 and 2023 with Team Spirit along with his teammates Torontotokyo, Collapse, Mira, Miphoshka, and Silent.
8. Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov
Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov is a 22-year-old Dota 2 professional esports athlete who plays for Team Spirit. He has earned approximately $5,538,086 in esports tournaments.
Collapse is from Mahachkala, Dagestan, in southern Russia. He started playing Dota 2 at 13 after hearing about it from friends but began pursuing it professionally only in 2017. He is also the two-time "The International" champion with Team Spirit.
9. Myroslav "Mira" Kolpakov
Myroslav "Mira" Kolpakov is a two-time "The International" champion with Team Spirit. The Ukrainian Dota 2 player has earned approximately $5,523,004 in total winnings.
The 24-year-old plays as Support for Team Spirit. He had the highest average assists per game (16.63) during Season 2 of the 2021 DPC EEU Upper Division and also led with the highest average assists per game (14.60) during Tour 1 of the 2021/22 DPC EEU Upper Division.
10. Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi
Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi is a German Dota 2 esports player who currently plays for Nigma Galaxy. He has earned around $5,294,382 playing Dota 2.
KuroKy grew up in Berlin, Germany. Due to difficulties with his legs, he found it challenging to use them, which led him to start playing video games. He won Dota 2: The International 2017 and was a runner-up in 2013 with Team NAVI.
