What is the highest prize pool in esports? The quest for excellence in competitive gaming has always been coupled with lucrative prize pools. Different esports scenes offer varying prize money, with team games often seeing amounts split across multiple players.
Highest Prize Pool in Esports
The highest prize pool in esports to date was at The International Dota 2 tournament in 2021. Valve broke its own record set in 2019 by offering a staggering 40 million dollars to be shared among 18 teams and 90 players. This prize pool was 6 million dollars higher than the previous record.
Dota 2 stands out as a leader in prize pools due to a unique mix of developer support and crowdfunding. The Dota 2 TI Battle Pass allows fans to contribute to The International while receiving in-game rewards. This level of community involvement consistently propels Dota 2 tournaments to the top of the prize pool charts.
Source | The International 2021
Top 10 Highest Esports Prize Pools
Of the top 10 highest prize pools in esports, Dota 2 claims 8 spots. The International events and the Riyadh Masters 2023, all associated with Valve’s MOBA, dominate the list. Player numbers have varied over the years, ranging from 16 to 32 teams depending on the event size.
The remaining 2 slots belong to Fortnite’s 2019 World Cup, which catapulted several players into millionaire status overnight. Fortnite holds the record for the highest prize pool in esports for individual and small-team competitions.
Source | The New York Times
Even events like the Esports World Cup fall short when compared to the individual event prize pools of The Internationals. While the EWC boasts an overall prize pool of 60 million dollars, the distribution across multiple events means no single sport can match the staggering rewards offered at The International tournaments.
In the realm of league-ending events like Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, and League of Legends World Championships, the highest prize pool peaked at 6.45 million dollars in 2018 for League of Legends. Despite these significant amounts, none of them surpass the prize pools offered by Fortnite and Dota 2. Outside of these two giants, Arena of Valor’s Honor of Kings International Championships stands out with a 10 million dollar prize pool offered to 16 teams in KIC 2022.
