Are you dreaming of turning your passion for gaming into a professional career? You’re in the right place! Becoming a pro gamer isn’t just about relentless gaming sessions but strategy, dedication, and connecting with the right community. Whether you envision yourself dominating MOBA arenas or leading a squad in tactical shooters, this ultimate guide will lay out the crucial steps you need to transition from a casual player to a celebrated professional gamer. 

Let’s embark on this thrilling journey together and unlock the secrets to making your mark in the competitive world of esports. Get ready to level up your gaming skills and turn your dreams into reality!

Who Is a Pro Gamer?

A pro gamer is an individual who plays games for a living. It’s as simple as that: they make money professionally by playing games on a console, computer, or smartphone. 

Many people play games, but only some gamers get to go pro. Pro gamers get to compete in major esports tournaments, leagues, or other competitive events. As a pro gamer, you can choose to go solo or join an esports team, which allows you to participate in team-based esports tournaments. 

Aside from the thrill of playing games all day, pro gaming is among the highest-earning esports opportunities. They make money through esports prize pools, sponsorships, and representing gaming teams. 

Can anyone become a pro gamer? Yes, anyone can become a professional gamer. However, pro gaming requires a specific blend of talent and hard work to belong to that elite class of gamers. We all know that “practice makes perfect” adage; well, it also holds in gaming. A considerable percentage of pro gamers have natural gaming talent; however, the reality is that most pro gamers became “that good” through years of practice and dedication. 

Become a Pro Gamer or Become a Streamer?

Pro gaming and streaming are esports’ most popular and rewarding careers. But which should you choose? Ultimately, it comes down to your preference, but it’s important to note some variations between each career. Let’s explore a streaming vs gaming career. 

• Focus & Activities

The main job of a pro gamer is to play games; a large portion of their time goes into playing games. On the other hand, streamers spend most of their time developing content that helps them entertain and engage their audience. 

• Income Structure

Pro gamers make money from esports tournament winnings, sponsorships, and salaries(staff gamers). Meanwhile, streamers generate income through ad revenue, donations, subscriptions, and merchandise. 

• Entry Barrier

Unlike most career opportunities, you don’t need a professional certification or formal education to become a pro gamer. The same rule applies to being a streamer. However, it takes a good mix of elite-level gaming skills, top-of-the-line gaming gear, intense practice and training, competitive experience, and physical and mental stamina to be a successful pro gamer. In contrast, streamers need recording software and a gaming setup to stream their gameplay. 

• How Long It Takes

There isn’t a set time frame for becoming a pro gamer. It depends on your commitment, skill level, and the time you’re willing to set aside to level up your gaming skills. It might take a few months for some, while it might take years for others. What matters is being consistent and progressing constantly. For streamers, your journey begins upon setting up your platform.  

• Benefits & Challenges

Both careers are financially rewarding and can make you famous, but they are equally challenging. Pro gamers face intense competition heightened by a constant influx of new players. You’ll need to practice countless hours daily to stay on top of the competition or risk falling behind. 

Such long practice hours can also lead to physical and mental strain. Inconsistent income, short career span, and lifestyle changes are some challenges of becoming a pro gamer. Streamers don’t have it easy either; their incomes are more inconsistent than those of gamers because it depends entirely on your audience size; if it depletes, you’ll make less money. You’ll also have to deal with trolls, negative comments, and viewer harassment. 

Also, Pro gamers are less exposed to people than streamers who interact with viewers daily. If your personality doesn’t favor constant interaction with people, you should go the pro-gaming route. If you’re also good at creating content for viewers online, the best way to maximize your skills is to become a streamer.

How to Become a Pro Gamer: The 10-Phase Plan

So you’ve finally decided to become a pro gamer, yay! But wait a second; you still need to figure out how to go pro. How do you go from noob-average gamer to god-level pro gamer? 

The journey to becoming a pro gamer depends entirely on the route the gamer is willing to follow, which can be confusing. Luckily, you can follow our 10-phase approach to becoming a pro gamer.

1: Select Your Genre, Platform, and Game

The first phase of your 10-phase journey requires choosing the perfect game, genre, and platform. The most popular game genres include:

• FPS – First-person shooter
• MOBA – Multiplayer online battle arena
• RTS – Real-time strategy
• RPG – Role-playing game

Choosing the right genre can greatly determine your success as a pro gamer.

Choosing a genre you’re passionate about and enjoy playing would be best. This decision is because, on your road to becoming a pro gamer, you’d be playing thousands of hours of games in this genre. It needs to be something you enjoy, or you’ll get bored quickly. 

You might also have a particular game in mind, but that game still needs to have a viable competitive scene. You’ll just be playing for fun and won’t be able to participate in tournaments because such games still need to establish competitive environments. 

2: Practice Regularly to Improve Your Gaming Skills

You might think you’re a good gamer when competing with your friends, but one match with a pro quickly changes your mind. A considerable percentage of pro gamers have natural gaming talent, but the reality is that most pro gamers became “that good” through years of practice and dedication.

Professional gamers invest thousands of hours practicing and sharpening their skills to remain competitive. If you wish to become a pro gamer, you should also be ready to dedicate similar practice time to help you hone your skills. 

Practicing can get pretty tiring and repetitive; that’s why it’s essential to keep it structured in a way that keeps you productive. Instead of going on a practice marathon of uninterrupted playing time every day, you can have a gamer training schedule that spreads your training throughout the day.  

3: Connect with Other Pro Gamers by Joining A Community

Joining a community of like-minded individuals with similar goals is one way to fast-track your learning process. Countless gaming enthusiasts like you aspire to become professionals in the industry; you can connect with such individuals via platforms like Discord, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, etc. 

Gaming communities can guide you through the early stages of your pro gaming journey. They can also act as motivation and a reason to keep going; trust me, you’ll need a lot of motivation. 

4: Buy Yourself Some Pro Gaming Gear

Now we’re getting into it; it’s time to get some pro gaming gear. You can only reasonably be a pro gamer with a pro gaming setup. 

Competing against your fellow pros or aspiring pros with an inferior gaming setup puts you at a disadvantage. You’ll always be a fraction slower than those with better gaming setups, and sometimes, a fraction is all it takes to win or lose a match.

Gaming gear like high-performance PCs, controllers, and headsets is essential for your pro gaming setup. Now is not the time to cheap out on the graphics card or Wi-Fi; you’ll need top-of-the-line gear to stand a chance of beating any pro gamer. 

5: Do Battle with Other Pro Gamers

Enough Talk! It’s time to get in there and show off your skills. The only way to truly measure your ability and skill level is to compete against other pro gamers. You’ll underrate or overstate your gaming strategy or ability if you don’t compete with others.

99% of esports games have multiplayer matchmaking systems that match players based on their in-game rank—Esports platforms like Gfinity, ESL, and ESEA host online leagues for different esports games. You can visit any of these websites to compete against other pro gamers. 

6: Join A Pro Gaming Team

Joining a pro gaming team is a significant milestone in becoming a pro gamer. It requires a blend of elite gaming skills, visibility, and networking. 

First, you’ll have to master your gaming skills by practicing constantly and improving your gaming strategies and abilities. Then, you’ll need a solid online presence to get noticed by recruiters. 

You can build your online presence by streaming your gameplay on YouTube or Twitch, creating gaming content, and engaging with the Reddit, Discord, or Quora community.

You’ll get familiar with the industry in a few months, and a recruiter will soon contact you. If you don’t get contacted, you can take it upon yourself to reach out to your favorite teams. For example, if you wanted to join the gaming team FaZe Clan, you’d need to apply on their website. Afterward, they’ll send you an invite for tryouts if they’re impressed with your application. 

7: Compete in Amateur and Pro Gaming Tournaments

At this stage in your journey, your skills should’ve increased to the point where you can compete in amateur gaming competitions.

These types of tournaments usually have low-average audience coverage and a relatively small prize pool. Starting small is essential to feel safe and confident when competing against seasoned pros. 

You can start aiming for the big ones with worldwide coverage and mouth-watering prize pools when you’ve competed in a few local tourneys and won a few. No one’s expecting you to win the first global tourney you participate in; instead, getting the experience would help you progress in your esports career.

Before you compete in any esports tournament:

1. Ensure you’ve practiced regularly while improving on your flaws.
2. Ensure your gaming setup is in top condition; you don’t want your headset bailing on you during a tournament.
3. Familiarize yourself with the rules, formats, and schedule of the tournament. 

8: Bag a Sponsorship Deal

Sponsorship deals contribute to a massive chunk of a pro gamer’s earnings. They aid gamers with the financial support and resources needed to thrive in the competitive gaming industry. 

Sponsorship deals help stabilize pro gamers’ incomes, allowing them to focus on their gaming careers instead of worrying about how the bills are getting paid. Sponsors can also cover tournament participation costs and sometimes provide high-quality gear such as PCs and consoles.

Attracting sponsors as a pro gamer is tricky because of the market’s competition level. Sometimes, sponsors contact you directly and make you an offer. In other cases, you’ll need to pitch your offer to several brands, hoping to bag a deal with them.

However, growing your audience is the most efficient way to bag a sponsorship deal. Brands love to associate with gamers with a vast following; if you’re well-known in the gaming industry, sponsors will be flocking to your D.M., pitching you offers and brand deals. 

9: Distress as a Pro Gamer

The journey to becoming a pro gamer is long and sometimes seems futile. Like every other career journey, there are highs and lows. Finding out how to deal with the low points of your career will determine how successful you will eventually become. 

Managing stress is crucial to maintaining peak performance and a long and healthy career. I know we’ve hammered on practicing for long hours, but it’s essential to find a work-life balance to maintain mental health.

Getting a good night’s rest is one of the best ways to ensure productivity the next day; try getting about 7 hours of sleep daily to ensure your mind is well rested. You can also engage in physical workouts to reduce stress and relieve tension, especially after long gaming sessions. 

10: Keep Grinding to Level Up Your Gaming Skills

The term “hard” can mean different things to many gamers. Generally, becoming a pro gamer requires top-level gaming skills, countless practice hours, and dedication to your craft. If this counts as hard, you can say, “Becoming a pro gamer is hard.” Maintaining your status as a pro gamer is even more challenging as the world of gaming is a fast-changing industry. To stay relevant, you need to level up your skills constantly. Even as a pro, you can still learn a thing or two. You can also get an esports coach to help you refine your skills.

Staying up to date with game changes and community developments is a crucial aspect of pro gaming. You need to go with the industry’s flow; if there’s a new gadget in the works, try to stay on top of it. This prevents you from drifting away from changes in the industry, which can stunt the growth of your esports career. 

Is Being a Pro Gamer Worth It?

In general, Yes. Being a pro gamer is worth it. You get to do something as cool as playing games for a living and stand a chance of making serious money from it. Aside from the monetary aspect, becoming a pro gamer can bring recognition and fame, especially if you win a major tournament. 

Becoming a pro gamer is one of the coolest jobs in the world, and anyone can become an esports player, even at 20 or 30. Absolutely, Yes. You can become a pro gamer at 30 years or way older. Age is no barrier to mastering the skills needed to become a pro gamer. You’ll only have to find a gaming genre that fits a playstyle where strategy thrives over reflexes. 

The grass isn’t always green every step of the way; you’ll no doubt experience failures along the way. This situation gave rise to a very inspiring quote by Faker:

“Every single person who’s succeeded in life has experienced failure at some point in their lives, so I think failure takes a bigger part in people’s lives than one may think. It’s important to not lose yourself in the emotions from success and failure.”

If Faker, one of the most outstanding League of Legends players in history, could experience failures, you should at least take solace that you’re not the only one who goes through such experiences. Instead, use it as a motivation to keep you going throughout your esports journey.