Esports

Top esports titles in terms of prize money so far this year

25 August 2021 - 14:23 By Wessel Minnie
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The stats below showcase the top 10 esports with the highest total prize money, as well as the number of tournaments played this year so far, as of 24 August 2021.
The stats below showcase the top 10 esports with the highest total prize money, as well as the number of tournaments played this year so far, as of 24 August 2021.
Image: Supplied

 Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, esports continues on. This is, in part, due to the possibility of competing in tournaments against others from across the globe, without the need to physically be at an event. However, even esports did take a bit of a dive in terms of prize money.

According to EsportsEarnings, there was a total of $237 million in esports tournament prize pools in 2019, while in 2020, there was just over $120 million. As we head into the final quarter of 2021, the total prize money for esports tournaments sits at $72,186,965. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that's roughly R1.1 billion in esports prize money this year.

Top esports titles for prize money

The final quarter of 2021 shows a lot of promise, with tonnes of great tournaments featuring massive prize pools still to come, for example, the PGL Major for CS:GO, and The International 10 for Dota 2. The latter features a prize pool of $40 million on its own.

If you've been wondering which esports titles are top in terms of total prize pools for 2021 so far, then we've got you covered. Check out the video below featuring the top five esports, and the mouthwatering amount of total prize pool money in Rand at the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate.

The stats below showcase the top 10 esports with the highest total prize money, as well as the number of tournaments played this year so far, as of 24 August 2021.

  1. CS:GO - $9,833,341 total prize money over 281 tournaments.
  2. PUBG - $7,854,153 total prize money over 8 tournaments.
  3. Fortnite - $6,120,128 total prize money over 35 tournaments.
  4. PUBG: Mobile - $5,974,74 total prize money over 9 tournaments.
  5. Dota 2 - $5,621,750 total prize money over 49 tournaments.
  6. Rainbow Six Siege - $4,184,227 total prize money over 17 tournaments.
  7. Arena of Valor - $3,831,414 total prize money over 4 tournaments.
  8. Call of Duty: Warzone - $3,391,186 total prize money over 115 tournaments.
  9. Rocket League - $3,320,697 total prize money over 188 tournaments.
  10. Valorant - $3,300,212 total prize money over 126 tournaments.

When The International 10 finishes up on 17 October, Dota 2 will jump to the top of the list.

Please note that these stats come from EsportsEarnings.com, and while they appear to be mostly accurate, it isn't impossible that some tournament prize pools were not counted especially smaller ones. With that being said, smaller tournaments shouldn't make too big of a difference in terms of these huge numbers.


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