The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (2024)

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Contents

  • 1 The Biggest Prize Pools in Esports
  • 2 1. The International 2019 ( $34.3 million )
  • 3 2. Fortnite World Cup Finals ( $30 million )
  • 4 3. PUBG Global Invitational.S 2021 ( $7 million )
  • 5 4. LoL 2018 World Championship ( $6.4 million )
  • 6 5. Call of Duty League – 2020 Playoffs ( $4.6 million )
  • 7 6. Overwatch League 2021 ( $4.2 million )
  • 8 7. Six Invitational 2021 ( $3 million )
  • 9 8. World Electronic Sports Games 2017 ( $1.5 million )
  • 10 9. Hearthstone World Championship ( $1 million )
  • 11 10. 2019 WCS Global Finals ( 700k )

The world of esports has been growing over the past few decades, turning into the massive business that it is today. Much like traditional sports, esports has become a career for some, and many professional players have succeeded in earning millions from their passion for games.

This wouldn’t really be possible without all the biggest prize pools in esports tournaments, as those are the cream of the crop of the esports scene and pretty much every professional esports team competes all year round in hopes of landing into one such tournament. We’d like to take this opportunity to share a list of the top 10 tournaments with the highest prize pool in esports.

The Biggest Prize Pools in Esports

#RankTournamentYearGamePrize Pool Money in USD
1The International2019Dota 2$34,330,069.00
2The International2018Dota 2$25,532,177.00
3The International2017Dota 2$24,687,919.00
4The International2016Dota 2$20,770,460.00
5The International2015Dota 2$18,429,613.05
6Fortnite World Cup Finals - Solo
2019Fortnite$15,287,500.00
7Fortnite World Cup Finals - Duo
2019Fortnite$15,100,000.00
8The International2014Dota 2$10,931,103.00
9PUBG Global Invitational.S2021PUBG$7,068,071.00
10LoL World Championship2018LoL$6,450,000.00
11LoL World Championship2016LoL$5,070,000.00
12LoL World Championship2017LoL$4,946,969.00
13Honor of Kings World Champion Cup2020Arena of Valor$4,606,400.00
14Call of Duty League Championship 2020CoD$4,600,000.00
15PUBG Global Championship2019PUBG$4,080,000.00
16Fortnite Fall Skirmish Series 2018Fortnite$4,000,000.00
17Overwatch League - Season 2 Playoffs2019Overwatch$3,500,000.00
18Fortnite World Cup Finals - Creative2019Fortnite$3,250,000.00
19Dota 2 Asia Championships2015Dota 2$3,057,521.00
20Overwatch League - Playoffs - Grand Finals
2020Overwatch$3,050,000.00

Here we’ll list some of the highest prize pools in esports history, starting from top to bottom. Keep in mind, these esports tournaments are ranked according to the total prize pool and popularity, and the focus here was to include different esports titles instead of having one game pop up multiple times in the following descriptions.

Without further ado, let’s start with the number one on the list.

1. The International 2019 ( $34.3 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (1)

The number one spot on our list of biggest prize pools in esports is most definitely Valve’s The International 2019.

Not only has Valve continued to deliver a superb show during each annual The International event, but they have managed to consistently up the total prize pool every year.

The first The International esports tournament was held in 2011, and back then it had a $1.6 million prize pool, which was something unheard of at the time. During The International 2019, the prize pool climbed to a massive $34.3 million figure. The gigantic prize pool, as well as the fact that OG were crowned back-to-back The International champions, is why The International 2019 is remembered so fondly by the Dota 2 community.

The new TI10 has had a lot of delays and is finally scheduled to begin by the end of 2021. This time, it boasts an even higher prize pool of $40 million and continues Valve’s tradition of breaking all previous prize pool records.

Not only is The International 2019 the Dota 2 biggest prize pool, but it’s also one of the top esports events in the world. It concludes the Dota Pro Circuit, and it’s during this time that Dota 2 TI betting truly skyrockets.

2. Fortnite World Cup Finals ( $30 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (2)

Fortnite entered the esports scene sometime in 2017 and it immediately exploded in popularity. Wherever you went you’d hear about Fortnite. That’s when Twitch was flooded with Fortnite streams, Ninja climbed to the top of the streaming website, and there was just an overall fever for this game.

It’s no surprise that Fortnite managed to amass insane amounts of money in a very short period of time, and just two years later we saw one of the highest prize pools in esports history during Fortnite’s World Cup Finals. The prize pool for this esports event surpassed $30 million, which was something nobody expected from a game that was so young.

Fortnite is still going strong and enjoys incredible popularity, but we haven’t seen such prize pools in Fortnite since 2019. Nonetheless, the game has still secured a place among the biggest prize pools in esports.

3. PUBG Global Invitational.S 2021 ( $7 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (3)

Although PUBG exploded initially when it was released, it was quickly overshadowed by Overwatch, and at some point, the game developers even decided to drop a lawsuit against Fortnite’s creators Epic Games. It was a tough period for PUBG and they were bleeding numbers, desperately trying to recover.

However, some years have passed and the game is now in great shape. A couple of months ago, PUBG had one of their biggest esports tournaments – PUBG Global Invitational.S 2021. This tournament featured a massive $7m prize pool, which indicates that the game is financially very well off. Susquehanna Soniqs, a North American team, won the event and claimed the first prize of $1.296.189.

4. LoL 2018 World Championship ( $6.4 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (4)

LoL Worlds betting is the biggest esports event in all of League of Legends. This is the time when the top 24 teams from League of Legends gather to decide who is truly the best of the best. Not only is this LoL event incredibly fun and fans adore it, the prizes are not bad either.

LoL esports achieved its peak during the LoL 2018 World Championship when Riot Games had their biggest prize pool ever and it peaked at $6.4 million.

Back in 2018, Invictus Gaming were the lucky champions and the team went home with roughly a third of the entire prize pool, or $2.418.750 to be more precise. The prize pool for this event kept increasing up to that point, but esports suffered greatly when the global pandemic came in, and that was reflected in the prize pools too. The new LoL Worlds 2021 will have a respectable $2.225.000, but the LoL 2018 World Championship will still remain as one of the highest pools in esports.

5. Call of Duty League – 2020 Playoffs ( $4.6 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (5)

Call of Duty is one of the most successful first-person shooter games. Published by Activision, the game was released across multiple platforms that also include consoles and mobile. The Call of Duty League – 2020 Playoffs was an esports tournament for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and it was played on PS4.

As evident by the prize pool of $4.6 million USD, this tournament outdid both PC and mobile esports events, setting a new standard for esports events for consoles.

6. Overwatch League 2021 ( $4.2 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (6)

Despite Blizzard’s decline in recent years, the Overwatch League has managed to stay strong and retain some of the biggest prize pools in esports. The Overwatch League 2021 boasts an incredible $4.200.000 prize pool distributed across all the tournaments and Playoffs.

These numbers are quite impressive and one can imagine that they might go even higher once Overwatch 2 releases.

7. Six Invitational 2021 ( $3 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (7)

The Rainbow Six franchise has been rising in popularity and many newcomers and veterans to the first-person genre have decided to give the game a try. The game’s unique approach to destructible environments coupled with a heavy focus on team play has produced a gameplay that has captivated millions of players around the globe.

Rainbow Six Siege’s latest Six Invitational was a great success. This esports event was held in Paris and had a gigantic $3 million prize pool. Ninjas in Pyjamas beat Team Liquid to the punch and went home with a generous 1st place reward of $1.000.000.

8. World Electronic Sports Games 2017 ( $1.5 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (8)

CS:GO is not even close to Dota 2 in terms of esports prize pools. Dota 2 is Valve’s golden goose, and when being compared to Dota 2, CS:GO’s prize pools might seem as insignificant. But that’s not really the case.

CS:GO is still one of the most popular first-person shooters and has set the bar for all other games in the genre. The 2017 WESG featured one of the biggest prize pools in esports – a total of $1.5 million USD. This was the highest prize pool we’ve seen for CS:GO, even though it wasn’t organized by Valve.

Valve still has plenty of CS:GO esports tournaments with prize pools ranging from $500.000 to $1 million. The PGL Major Stockholm 2021 event is scheduled in October of 2021, and this event will feature a $2 million prize pool, which will break all current CS:GO records.

9. Hearthstone World Championship ( $1 million )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (9)

Here’s yet another Blizzard game, and it’s Hearthstone. Although the hype around the game has died down over the past few years, it’s still one of the most successful digital collectible card games and has a very active esports scene.

The 2019 Hearthstone World Championship had a $1 million prize pool, as well as two previous Hearthstone World Championships from 2016 and 2017. It deserves a mention on our list and finds itself at the number nine spot.

10. 2019 WCS Global Finals ( 700k )

The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (10)

The final spot belongs to the legendary real-time strategy StarCraft 2. Blizzard hosts annual StarCraft WCS Global events where fans get to enjoy some of the top tier pros from all around the world battle for that number one spot.

The last WCS Global Finals was held in 2019, and the top prize pool for this esports event was $700 thousand USD. It’s a very respectable number for a genre that’s no longer as popular as it once was. Battle Royale and Moba genres took over, leaving StarCraft as one of the last few RTS games alive today, but despite all of that it’s still one of the best esports games around.

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The Biggest Prize Pool in Esports History - (2021 Edition) (2024)

FAQs

Which Esport has the biggest Prize Pool? ›

Dota 2 tops the list of esports games with the highest tournament prize pool of $47.73 million. Dota 2, the sequel to Dota, is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Valve has topped the list of tournaments with the highest price pool in esports games.

What was the biggest esports event of 2021? ›

According to Esports Charts, the most viewed esports event of 2021 in terms of peak viewers is the Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore. The mobile title garnered a peak viewership of 5.41m and an average viewership of 2.08m across its short none hour airtime.

What is the prize pool for League of Legends 2021? ›

Riot Games has been steady in prior years about the money to the LoL Worlds prize pool. The announced prize money for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 was $2,225,000. However, while the prize money has stayed steady, the proportions of the winning teams have shifted.

What is the world's number 1 Esport? ›

1. FaZe Clan. Three-quarters of the way through the year, FaZe Clan remain atop Nerd Street's ranking of the best esports orgs in the world in 2022 -- primarily on the strength of their CS:GO team. FaZe won the first Major of the year in Antwerp, then won the next two biggest tournaments in IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne ...

What is the biggest esports game 2022? ›

Top Games of 2022
1.Dota 2$32,228,633.58
2.PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS Mobile$23,128,172.79
3.Arena of Valor$21,842,270.81
4.League of Legends: Wild Rift$13,060,732.01
5.Fortnite$12,978,600.00
93 more rows

Which esports team is most successful? ›

With $38,502,204.98 in earned prize money, Team Liquid reaches the first place in the ranking, making it the most successful eSports team of all time.

What is the biggest eSport of all time? ›

#1 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)

CS:GO is one of the most popular games on the global eSports scene, consisting of leagues and tournaments hosted by third-party organisations as well as Valve-sponsored tournaments known as the Major Championships.

What is the biggest eSport event in the World? ›

Top 10 most viewed esports tournaments in 2021
PlaceTournamentPeak Viewers
#1Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore5.41M
#2Worlds 20214.01M
#3PUBG Mobile Global Championship Season 03.8M
#4M3 World Championship3.19M
6 more rows
24 Dec 2021

What is the biggest tournament in eSport? ›

China has failed to reach the finals of the League of Legends World Championship, the esports industry's biggest tournament, for the first time since 2018, triggering an outpouring of disappointment online among Chinese video gaming fans.

Why is Dota 2 prize pool so big? ›

The funds for The International 2022 Prize pool aren't provided by sponsorships. Instead, a very lucrative crowdfunding campaign is created specifically for fans of the game. This means that the growing prize pool for Dota 2 is really just down to the continued dedication of their fans.

Why DOTA have the biggest prize pool? ›

A huge part of this boom in prize money is due to the popularity of crowdfunding. Developers have begun to offer unique in-game items to their vast player bases to increase the size of the overall prize pool. Valve, the developer of Dota 2 and CS:GO, is the most successful company to employ the model at this time.

Is Dota bigger than league? ›

It is no secret that League of Legends has a bigger player base than Dota 2. It is also a more popular Esports scene, which additionally draws in more and more players to try out the game.

What game has made the most money? ›

The Top 50 Highest-Grossing Video Game Franchises Transcript
RankFranchiseRevenue
1Pokemon$90,000,000,000
2Mario$30,250,000,000
3Call of Duty$17,000,000,000
4Wii$14,808,000,000
46 more rows

Who owns FaZe clan? ›

FaZe Clan
Short nameFaZe
Colors
OwnersThomas "Temperrr" Oliveira Yousef "Apex" Abdelfattah Nordan "Rain" Shat Brian "Rug" Awadis Richard "Banks" Bengston Alexander "Adapt" Prynkiewicz Nicholas "Nickmercs" Kolcheff Kiari "Offset" Cephus Jimmy Iovine Paul "DJ Paul" Beauregard
PresidentZach Katz
CEOLee Trink
15 more rows

Who is the best gamer in the world? ›

You could argue that the most popular gamer of them all is PewDiePie – he made his name producing videos of him playing games and commenting on his play.
...
  1. VanossGaming. Source: youtube.com. ...
  2. Markiplier. Source: youtube.com. ...
  3. Jacksepticeye. Source: youtube.com. ...
  4. DanTDM. Source: youtube.com. ...
  5. PopularMMOs. ...
  6. W2S. ...
  7. Ali-A. ...
  8. H2ODelirious.
27 Jul 2022

Who is the best gamer in the world 2022? ›

Top Players of 2022
  • Sneyking. Jing Jun Wu. $1,778,265.60. $2,260,243.02. 78.68%
  • Skiter. Oliver Lepko. $1,778,265.60. $1,909,206.58. 93.14%
  • nine. Leon Kirilin. $1,778,265.60. $1,888,870.64. 94.14%
  • Saksa. Martin Sazdov. $1,770,865.60. $3,037,070.35. 58.31%
  • Neta Shapira. $1,748,265.60. $2,289,866.20. 76.35%

Which game makes the most money in 2022? ›

PUBG Mobile follows Honor of Kings in the list of the most revenue-generating games.
...
According to the data from Sensor Tower's Store Intelligence platform, the top 10 games are as follows:
  • Honor of Kings.
  • PUBG Mobile.
  • Genshin Impact.
  • Candy Crush Saga.
  • Roblox.
  • Coin Master.
  • Pokémon GO.
  • Lineage W.

Is esports a good career? ›

A career in esports is currently one of the most sought-after jobs with the youth in India and while the industry is relatively new, the potential it presents in terms of popularity, reach and earning potential cannot be denied.

How do I join esports? ›

Here are our golden seven rules for how to get into esports
  1. Hone skills related to your core strengths.
  2. Attend tournaments and events.
  3. Explore opportunities close to where you live.
  4. Spend time perfecting your resume and cover letter.
  5. Be proactive in your spare time.
  6. Utilize social media.
  7. Check Hitmarker frequently.
4 Jul 2022

What game made eSports popular? ›

With Space Invaders, Atari laid the foundation for the world's first major eSports tournament in 1978. The early gaming classic was played at the 1980 Space Invaders Championships by over 10,000 gamers competing to win a version of Asteroids.

What video game has the biggest competitive scene? ›

League of Legends

In total, players have brought home more than $75 million in prize money since the game entered the eSports scene. Thousands of tournaments have been held over the years. League of Legends is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA).

Is Dota more popular than LOL? ›

Community. League of Legends has approximately 70 million users worldwide, while DOTA 2 boasts around 43 million hence LOL is quite obviously the more popular game.

What was the biggest gaming tournament ever? ›

At the time of the event, the World Cup had the highest prize pool available, greater than any other tournament, with a total pool of $30 million (combined between solo and team tournaments). This prize pool was the largest in eSport history.

What is the biggest LOL tournament? ›

The League of Legends World Championships has gained tremendous success and popularity, making it among the world's most prestigious and watched tournaments, as well as the most watched video game in the world. The tournament rotates its venues across different major countries and regions each year.

Is League of Legends the biggest eSport? ›

League came out in 2009 and is undisputedly the largest esport in the world.

Are esports more popular than sports? ›

They project that there will be 84 million viewers of esports, higher than the 79 million MLB viewers or the 63 million NBA viewers. This is still dwarfed by the 141 million NFL viewers.
...
Projected Esports Viewers in the United States in 2021↑
LeagueViewers
NFL141M
Esports84M
MLB79M
NBA63M
2 more rows
10 May 2022

Is esports a sport? ›

From another perspective, the only real distinction between what's considered a game or sport is the determination of official governing bodies. Esports have already been formally recognized as a sport by the Asian Games, Universities and many countries around the world, including Pakistan.

How do I start an esports team? ›

How to Start an Esports Business » The 5 Essential Steps
  1. Market Research. ...
  2. Now decide what type of esports business you want to launch. ...
  3. Budget, create a P&L, forecast your revenue – add it to your business plan. ...
  4. Pick your specialism, focus in on your niche, or concentrate on one esports game. ...
  5. Collaborate and network.

Why DOTA have the biggest prize pool? ›

A huge part of this boom in prize money is due to the popularity of crowdfunding. Developers have begun to offer unique in-game items to their vast player bases to increase the size of the overall prize pool. Valve, the developer of Dota 2 and CS:GO, is the most successful company to employ the model at this time.

Why is Dota 2 prize pool so big? ›

The funds for The International 2022 Prize pool aren't provided by sponsorships. Instead, a very lucrative crowdfunding campaign is created specifically for fans of the game. This means that the growing prize pool for Dota 2 is really just down to the continued dedication of their fans.

What is the biggest tournament in eSport? ›

China has failed to reach the finals of the League of Legends World Championship, the esports industry's biggest tournament, for the first time since 2018, triggering an outpouring of disappointment online among Chinese video gaming fans.

What is the biggest prize pool in CSGO? ›

In 2021, the estimated prize money for CS:GO tournaments stood at 21.17 million U.S. dollars, making it the online game with the highest cumulative prize pool in that year.
...
CharacteristicTotal prize money in million U.S dollars
--
5 more rows
15 Feb 2022

Whats bigger Dota 2 or LOL? ›

It is no secret that League of Legends has a bigger player base than Dota 2. It is also a more popular Esports scene, which additionally draws in more and more players to try out the game.

Is Dota more popular than LOL? ›

Community. League of Legends has approximately 70 million users worldwide, while DOTA 2 boasts around 43 million hence LOL is quite obviously the more popular game.

Is Dota or league better? ›

So the final verdict of Dota 2 vs League of Legends is, if you are looking for a challenging and in-depth MOBA, then go with Dota 2. If you want a simpler and more comprehensible version, go with LoL.

Is Dota 3 coming out? ›

After experiencing all the action and battle in Dota 2 players are now curious about the Dota 3 release date.
...
Dota 3 Release Date, System Requirements, Story & Rumors.
Dota 3 New Game
Dota 3 Release Date2022-2023
Dota 3 System RequirementsWindows 8, Windows 10, Intel i5 with 8GB Ram
Dota 3 PlatformsMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation
1 more row
23 Aug 2022

Does Dota 2 make more money than CSGO? ›

Using data from Esports Earnings, we looked at the total prize pools awarded at all the tournaments that have ever been played for each game, as well as the total number of tournaments played and how it averages out between each one: $227.9m for Dota 2 (1444 tournaments, avg $157,836 per tournament) $102.8m for CS:GO ( ...

What is the biggest gaming event ever? ›

The most popular tournament games
  • CS:GO. ...
  • League of Legends. ...
  • Dota 2. ...
  • The International is the world's largest endowed eSports event, with 25.5 million dollars in prize money at stake in the Dota2 tournament.

What is the most popular gaming tournament? ›

Free Fire World Series 2021

What is the biggest LOL tournament? ›

The League of Legends World Championships has gained tremendous success and popularity, making it among the world's most prestigious and watched tournaments, as well as the most watched video game in the world. The tournament rotates its venues across different major countries and regions each year.

How much was the highest grand prize in an esports event? ›

Largest Overall Prize Pools in Esports
1.The International 2021$40,018,400.00
25.Overwatch League - Season 2 Playoffs$3,500,000.00
26.PMGC 2021: Grand Finals$3,490,000.00
27.Fortnite World Cup Finals 2019 - Creative$3,250,000.00
28.Overwatch League 2021 - Playoffs$3,200,000.00
77 more rows

What is the prize pool for RLCS? ›

Seasons
SeasonDatesFinals prize pool
6September – November 2018$500,000
7April – June 2019$529,500
8October – December 2019$529,500
9February – April 2020$350,000
8 more rows

What is the biggest Dota 2 tournament? ›

The International is an annual esports world championship tournament for the video game Dota 2, hosted and produced by the game's developer Valve.

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