It may not come as a surprise that the interest in eSports is growing every year. Some top computer games, such as Dota 2 and CSGO, offer different tournaments where players compete alone or in teams. Consequently, some have won a lot of money over the years.
The information by www.2shorte.com reveals that every top eSports player is a millionaire. Even though the most popular games consist of teams of up to 5 or even 6 people, the tournaments’ rewards are huge. Consequently, everyone earns a lot of money.
But how rich are the top-tier eSports players? This is a commonly-asked question, so here are the top 10 names.
#1 Johan “N0tail” Sundstein – $7.1M
At the time of writing this article, N0tail is the world’s richest eSports player in terms of overall earnings. Throughout his career, the player has won a total of $7.1M, which is impressive, to say the least.
Although N0tail was one of the best Heroes of Newerth players in the world, almost all of his wealth came from Dota 2. The Danish superstar was a part of OG’s active roster between 2015 and 2021. During that time, he won numerous big events, including The International 8 and The International 9.
Prior to joining OG, N0tail was also a part of Clould9, Team Secret, and Fnatic.EU. Needless to say, a player of his calibre had the chance to play alongside some of Dota 2’s living legends, such as Puppey, Kuroky, s4, Fly, Era, and many more.
#2 Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka – $6.4M
JerAx is one of the world’s most popular Dota 2 players, and it is for a reason. The Finnish support player has been active since 2013, and he has had the chance to play for many top teams.
It started with Rat in the dark in 2013, followed by QPAD Red Pandas and 4Anchors. However, it wasn’t until JerAx joined Team Tinker that people started noticing him. “Jesse didn’t spend much time there because he was eager to join a better team. After switching a couple of big names, he ended up with Team Liquid”, said Nostrabet’s eSports expert.
Following the adventure in Liquid, JerAx became a part of OG, where he won numerous events, including The International 8 and 9. The Finnish star also played for Evil Geniuses.
#3 Anathan “ana” Pham – $6M
Over the years, there have been many top Dota 2 players, but ana is probably one of the most impressive names the game has ever seen. Unlike other top-tier Dota 2 players, ana wasn’t a part of any big teams before joining OG. In fact, it is safe to say that most people didn’t know much about him before that.However, once he became a part of OG in 2018, he won The International two times in a row. Needless to say, the 22-year-old carry player quickly became the best in the world, and everyone was looking up to him. Ana became famous for playing strange heroes as carries, including IO in the mid-lane.
Nowadays, the Australian prodigy is a part of T1 and will try to qualify for The International 2022.
#4 Sébastien “Ceb” Debs – $5.8M
Ceb is one of the most recognizable and loved names in Dota 2, and it is for a reason. The French superstar was also a part of OG’s legendary roster that won The International 8 and 9, which explains why he’s earned so much money.
However, unlike other players on the list, Ceb still has an active role in the team. He is the coach but also takes part in events when some of OG’s current roster is not available. Thanks to him, the team won the ESL One Stockholm 2022, as well as ESL One Malaysia.
Before joining OG, Ceb was a part of numerous teams, including Alliance, mTw, Team Shakira, Kaipi, and so on. Despite being 30 years old, he is a role model for many younger Dota 2 players.
#5 Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen – $5.6M
Topson is the last member of OG who played for the team’s legendary roster that won The International in 2018 and 2019. The two consecutive victories were life-changing for everyone, and the Finnish superstar is no exception.
Known as one of the best mid-laners in the game, Topson is in a league of his own. Similar to ana, most people didn’t know anything about him before he became a part of OG. In fact, Topson only played for SFTe-sports and 5 Anchor No Captain before that.
Today, the Finnish player is a part of T1, where he plays alongside ana and a couple of other Dota 2 superstars.
#6 Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi – $5.2M
Every Dota 2 fan knows that KuroKy is one of the world’s oldest and most respected Dota 2 players. Often called Kuro, the German superstar has been around since the days of DotA, where he was also among the best.
Unsurprisingly, a player of this calibre was a part of loads of top Dota 2 teams. Aside from mousesports and Natus Vincere, Kuro played for Secret, 5jungs, Team Zero, Virtus.Pro, and more.
Although he was always the team’s superstar, KuroKy became the player we know after joining Team Liquid in 2015. Interestingly, he is still a part of the same team, but it is now called Nigma Galaxy. Together with his teammates, Kuro won The International in 2017.
#7 Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi – $4.8M
Miracle- is probably the most popular and beloved Dota 2 player on the list for many reasons. The player exploded in 2015 after joining Monkey Business (OG), where he quickly became famous for his exceptional mechanical skills.
It all started with PUB games because Miracle- became the #1 MMR player. This was the reason why N0tail invited him to join the newly-fund team after TI 5. After winning many events, Miracle became a part of Team Liquid and was the team’s core player.
Nowadays, he still plays for Liquid (the team is called Nigma Galaxy) and continues to be one of the best in the world.
#8 Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov – $4.6M
MinD_ContRoL became one of the first big Bulgarian eSports players to make a name for himself. After playing for numerous Tier 2 teams over the years, the talented offlaner “got the call” and became a part of 5Jungs, which was KuroKy’s project.
After spending some time there, Kuro was more than happy with his performance, which is why he joined Team Liquid when the organization acquired the roster. Unsurprisingly, MinD_ContRoL played a crucial role for his team in the next couple of years, and he was a part of every major success, including winning The International in 2017.
Known for his incredible Dark Seer and Nature’s Prophet, the Bulgarian Dota 2 prodigy will always be one of the best in the world. Sadly, his team was unable to qualify for TI 11 after failing to win the EU Qualifiers.
#9 Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen – $4.5M
MATUMBAMAN is another Dota 2 player that was a part of Team Liquid for many years. In fact, he played for the team when they won The International, which automatically makes him one of the best core players in the world.
Aside from Liquid, MATU was also a part of several other teams, including 4 Anchors + Sea Captain. After he was removed from Liquid’s roster, the player had the chance to shine in Chaos EC and Team Secret.
Nowadays, he is back with Liquid, but this time, the organization has a new roster that includes Alliance’s ex-team.
#10 Maroun “GH” Merhej – $4.2M
Lastly, we have GH, one of the all-time best supports in Dota 2. The Lebanese player is not like others on the list regarding the teams he was a part of. In fact, he only played for 2 teams before joining Team Liquid in 2017.
Many fans were sceptical about what to expect, but GH quickly proved them wrong. He became famous for being one of the world’s best IO and Rubick players. His quick reaction time and ability to adapt allow him to have an irreplaceable role in the team.
Although he won many tournaments over the years, GH’s most significant accomplishment was winning The International in 2017. He and Team Liquid were the best in the world back then and dominated.
Conclusion
Since Dota 2’s prize pools for almost any event are much higher than what’s available on other games, only 4 players in the top 40 highest eSports earners do not play Dota 2. The most successful one is Kyle “Budha” Giersdorf, the Fortnite player who won $3.48M.
