How Much Money Do Pro Dota 2 Players Make?
You don't hear a lot about MOBAs during busy release periods They aren't really talked about during E3. But these games are huge around the world, and Dota 2 in particular is one of the most played games you'll find. Dota 2 has a robust competitive scene, and that got us wondering: How much money do pro Dota 2 players make? What does that money look like?
We took a peek at the website EsportsEarnings.com to see what Dota 2 players have been earning, and the answer is a whole lot.
The highest money-making player in Dota 2's pro scene is N0tail, who's banked nearly $7 million by competing in tournaments. The next five players on the list earned less, but only slightly, as their lifetime winnings are still above $5 million. You have to go way down the list to #64 to find the first player who's made less than $1 million playing Dota 2 professionally. That is wild.
After that, the earnings continue to lessen the further down the list you go. But those who compete are still making plenty of cash thanks to the game's competitive scene. Would you consider $100,000 a lot of money? That might be a year, or two years, or three years of income for some. But a slew of Dota 2 players have made that much by simply playing in tournaments and other events. The 219th player on the list is the very last to have made over $100,000, but just think about that for a moment. That means there are 218 players in front of that person who've made more than that playing Dota 2, a game that came out in 2013.
So could you make a living playing Dota 2? If you're a skilled enough player, absolutely. You could make plenty of money just on tournament winnings, and if you have any kind of personality, you could parlay that into streaming or perhaps locking up some sponsorships. But you have to put things into perspective: there are few players who can pull this off. Just as there are only a few hundred players in the NBA, there are only a few hundred who make enough playing Dota 2 to do it as a career.
And now you know how much pro Dota 2 players make. If you're shooting to become a pro someday — and you expect to be in the top tier — this should give you an idea of what you'd be able to earn.