If you’re not an esports fan, you might find believing the tournament prize pools difficult. They are literally off the charts. The largest esports prize pool is a staggering $45 million, recorded in the 2023 Gamers8 Festival, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The next in line was recorded in The International 2021 Dota 2 tournament. Esports came back in a big way after the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Liquid took home a mouth-watering $18.2 million of the total $40 million prize pool, the largest won by a single team in esports history.

As expected, esports had its humble beginnings. Forget fancy arenas and online tournaments. In the 1980s, college students gathered in dorm rooms or basements, hooked up their computers within a LAN, and played for fun or maybe a small prize. 

The concept of prize pools in esports emerged alongside its professionalization in the 2010s, thanks to streaming platforms and its growing mainstream appeal. Now, how are these prize pools generated?

Esports prize pools come mainly from the organizer’s funds, sponsorships, advertisements, revenue from ticket sales, and even crowdfunding. After the organizers take a significant chunk of the generated funds, the rest goes into the prize pool to be shared among the tournament winners and as performance bonuses for the best players.

The International – Dota 2 Championships

The International, written short TI, is the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament organized annually by its USA-based game creators, Valve. The tournament has the top seven spots in the world’s largest esports pool prizes list.

The International started strong in 2011 with a record-breaking $1.6 million prize pool, which drew the attention of Dota 2 fans worldwide. Since then, there has been no break for the “mecca of Dota 2.” 

Since 2013, fans have taken up the gauntlet, contributing to the prize pool by buying the “Compendium” (later called Battle Pass). A quarter of the sales Valve records goes into boosting the prize pool. 

Hence, The International is a bounty that selected teams to fight for. The eventual winner secures the lion’s share of the massive tournament prize pool and has their name engraved on the Aegis of Champions. 

For instance, Johan “N0Tail” Sundstein—the highest paid esports player in history—made his mark by winning the TI 2018 and 2019.

Thanks to fan support, the International used to have a growing prize pool every year. This pool surpassed $10 million in 2014, $20 million in 2016, $30 million in 2019, and $40 million in 2021. Unfortunately, the TI 2023 marked a historical low of $3 million; this is blamed majorly on the reworked funding system for the edition.

The International Prize Pool

The table below highlights the trend in The International Prize pool over the years:

Year	Prize Pool Amount	Winners	Runner
TI 2011	$1,600,000	Na’Vi	EHOME
TI 2012	$1,600,000	IG	Na’Vi
TI 2013	$2,874,380	[A]	Na’Vi
TI 2014	$10,923,977	Newbee	VG
TI 2015	$18,429,613	EG	CDEC
TI 2016	$20,770,460	Wings	DC
TI 2017	$24,787,916	Liquid	Newbee
TI 2018	$25,532,177	TSpirit	PSG.LGD
TI 2019	$34,330,068	OG	Liquid
TI 2021	$40,018,195	TSpirit	PSG.LGD
TI 2022	$18,930,775	Tundra	Secret
TI 2023	$3,380,455	TSpirit	GG
TI 2024		TBD	TBD

Fortnite

Epic first launched Fortnite in July 2017. However, its popularity only exploded in 2018, when it became one of the most-played games ever. The survival game gained wide acceptance that year due to the new realistic fighting zone they added. Aside from that, and for the most part, Fortnite was open and free to everyone.

Also, popular streamers like Ninja helped propel the game into the mainstream spotlight.

Fortnite Battle Royale raked in a historic high of $2.4 billion in 2018, primarily from in-game purchases. Epic Games set aside a percentage of that revenue to turn Fortnite Battle Royale into a serious esports extravaganza. The prize pool was put at $15,287,500 and $15,100,000 for the Solo and Duo category, respectively.

The first and only Fortnite World Cup was held in July 2019 in New York City, United States. The tournament was a big moment for 16-year-old Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf (USA), who took home the US$3 million grand prize after emerging as the champion of the solo category.

It’s important to note that while there haven’t been any Fortnite World Cups since 2019, Fortnite still organizes various competitive tournaments throughout the year.

Arena of Valor

When Tencent—a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate—acquired Riot Games in 2015, there were few mobile games in the market. Vainglory was the major player at the time. So, Riot Games controversially took inspiration from League of Legends. This move ultimately paved the way for Arena of Valor (AOV).

When the AOV was launched in 2015, it set some standards for emerging mobile games. Arena of Valor also has two annual world championship tournaments: the Arena of Valor International Championship (AIC) and the Arena of Valor World Cup (AWC). 

In 2018, the first AWC tournament was held in Los Angeles, United States. A total prize pool of $500,000 was set, making AWC one of the mobile games with the biggest esports prize pool. The tournament, which brought together regional leagues from Europe to Asia, is still held.

PUBG

PUBG is one game whose mobile and PC versions are known worldwide. However, there are separate tournaments for PC and mobile players, allowing competition fairness. 

Since 2019, PUBG has hosted over 50 official tournaments and numerous regional and third-party events. Their “Road to PGC” system even helps players climb the ranks to reach the big leagues—the PUBG Global Championship (PGC).

With a whopping $34 million in cumulative prize pool, PUBG esports is the clear leader in the battle royale scene. 

League of Legends

Developed and published in 2009 by Riot Games, League of Legends (LoL) is a pioneering game in esports tournaments. It is fun to play and watch with friends and often features epic plays and comebacks. 

LoL has a tournament where teams are made to compete for the champion title, the Summoner’s Cup, and a prize pool of a million dollars. In 2018, the final was watched by 99.6 million unique viewers worldwide, making it one of the most-watched esports games ever.

Largest Esports Prize Pool for 2024

Later this year, the esports industry will witness a monumental event that could change its history forever. The Esports World Cup 2024 will be the first of its kind, held every summer in the heart of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

From the strategic depths of MOBAs to the frenetic action of battle royales, the World Cup promises to provide a borderless level ground for gamers of all skill levels. It’s esports like never before!

The 200-billion-dollar esports industry has yet to attain its full potential. Three billion people worldwide play video games, but only 15% of these gamers follow esports. The Esports World Cup Foundation aims to boost this to 50% or more by creating a global stage committed to the growth of the esports ecosystem. 

The best clubs will compete across multiple games for the largest prize pool in esports history. In the end, the world’s best esports club will emerge as the champion. The unique cross-game competition will feature popular games including:

• Apex Legends
• Counter-Strike 2
• Dota 2
• EA FC
• Fortnite
• Freefire
• Honour of Kings
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Overwatch 2
• PUBG Mobile
• PUBG: Battlegrounds
• Rainbow Six Siege
• Rennsport
• Rocket League
• Starcraft II
• Street Fighter 6
• Tekken 8

The tournament will feature a record-breaking total prize pool of $60m. 

Wrap Up

While League of Legends players receive decent salaries, Dota 2 players rely mainly on tournament prize pools. So, huge prize pools are crucial in the esports ecosystem to motivate players to dedicate themselves to rigorous training and peak performance.

In the future, we want to see a more equitable system where organizers pay players for every second of their playtime. You can follow up on esports by following top gamers and cup organizers of your interest or by reading more articles on our blog.