While some might assume that the glory days of esports are over, especially compared to the market peak between 2019 and 2021, the industry continues to grow, attracting more sponsorships, generating higher revenues, and awarding hefty prize pools to its most successful players.
According to data presented by Betideas.com, the top 20 esports players in 2025 raked in more than $8 million in total, and only one of them earned over $1 million. Here are the players who made the list.
Top 5 Players Made an Average of $617,400 in 2025
Although the esports market is definitely maturing compared to its pandemic-era peak, the industry is still bringing serious prize money to top-tier players. From Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 to Rocket League and Fortnite, elite competitors continued to make six-figure payouts over the past year. However, the gap between the top performers and the rest of the field remains wide.
According to Esports Earnings data, which tracks the highest-earning esports players, the top 20 most successful and highest-paid competitors in 2025 raked in more than $8 million in total. Still, only one of them, a Japanese player known as Kakeru, reached the $1 million mark, earning it by playing Street Fighter 6. He is also the only Street Fighter 6 player on the top 20 list.
All other players were far below this figure. The following five, Dan Madesclaire ( apEX), Shahar Shushan (flameZ), Will Merriman (mezii), Robin Kool (ropz), and Mathieu Herbaut (ZywOo) each made $521,000 by competing in Counter-Strike 2 tournaments. Another five Dota 2 players made $351,000 while four raked in around $340,000 over the past year. The remaining names on the top 20 list made close to a quarter of a million through Rocket League, Fortnite, and CrossFire.
The earnings gap between the top and the bottom of this list becomes even clearer when comparing averages. According to Esports Earnings, the top five players earned an average of $617,400 in 2025, while the bottom five made roughly $269,000, or 2.2 times less.
Russia Dominates the List with 6 of the Top 20 Players
While it`s easy to assume that most of the top 20 list would come from China and the United States, the world`s two largest esports markets, it was Russian players who dominated the 2025 earnings. Although the highest-earning player of the year, Kakeru, is from Japan, a total of six players on the list are from Russia, far more than from any other country. Together, these six players earned over $2 million in the past year.
France ranks second with three players on the list who collectively made just over $1 million. Statistics show that Israel has two names on the list, while the remaining players are spread across nine different countries.