When people talk the largest esports prize pools of all time, most of them will reference Dota 2’s The International, which has broken prize pool records in esports time and time again. However, esports history cannot be solely based on just one title. Furthermore, The International has substantially decreased its prize pools.
There are numerous other esports games across multiple genres, multiple platforms and multiple regions that have offered multi-million dollar prize pools that may or may not match Dota 2’s highest prize pool ever, but each one was large enough to change someone’s career or completely flip the pro scene.
Below, we rank the largest esports prize pool events for every major esports title.
Credits: PGL
Counter-Strike is one of the oldest esports games in the world that still continues to thrive today, but it has never been associated with the largest esports prize pool in history. This made PGL Major Stockholm 2021 a big deal. At the time of the tournament’s conclusion, PGL Major Stockholm 2021 had the largest Counter-Strike Major prize pool at $2 million. In addition, the tournament doubled the previous record.
It also occurred at a great time for esports. The tournament took place immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to global competitions, and it was the first CS:GO Major to be held since then. As such, PGL Major Stockholm 2021 helped to re-establish CS:GO’s pro scene.
Since its origins as a Half-Life mod, Counter-Strike has endured multiple generations of competitive gaming. Although its prize pools may not always match those of newer esports titles, its competitive structure has become a standard within the industry.
The upcoming 2026 Esports World Cup is expected to create a new record for Counter-Strike prize pools at $3 million.
Credits: Ubisoft
Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege has never been one of the loudest names in esports, but the franchise’s competitive environment has developed one of the most reliable tournament ecosystems in the world of shooters.
While the Six Invitational increased its prize pool over time through a combination of publisher funding and crowdfunding, it wasn’t simply the money that made it notable. Rather, it was the structure behind it. Unlike many other FPS titles that are more focused on spectacle, Rainbow Six esports emphasized strategy, long-term team development, and disciplined gameplay.
Credits: Krafton
PUBG made the battle royale genre into a global phenomenon, and PUBG Global Championship 2021 illustrated just how high the stakes can be when the competitive battle royale format is firing on all cylinders.
When it reached a prize pool of over $4 million, PUBG Global Championship 2021 exemplified PUBG esports at its competitive best. Battle royale competitive environments have generally proven to be difficult to sustain in the long term, primarily because of the unpredictable nature of the genre. However, PUBG’s flagship championship remains one of the largest financial achievements in battle royale esports.
Credits: Activision
The Call of Duty League Championship occupies a unique position on this list primarily because it represents the highest point for console esports prizes.
The event has shown that the CDL can hold its own with PC esports games. It also embodied the CDL’s transition to a more formal sports structure – including franchises, city branding, and a mainstream-friendly style of presentation.
Although the CDL system has struggled to maintain long-term momentum, the 2020 championship remains the largest prize awarded for Call of Duty.
Credits: Riot Games
Given that League of Legends is widely considered to be the largest esport in the world by viewer count, it is surprising that it doesn’t have larger prizes.
This can be attributed to Riot Games’ philosophy. While Riot has continued to emphasize the importance of developing sustainable competitive environments and providing long-term systems for players and teams alike, including guaranteed salaries and revenue-sharing models, the company has also chosen to prioritize stability over large prize pools.
Worlds 2018 still provided a prize pool of over $6 million, and while international events continue to grow, Riot has indicated that prize pools will evolve, but not at the expense of long-term league sustainability.
Credits: Tencent
The Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor) World Championship 2022 is the largest mobile esports tournament ever, and one of the least familiar to Western audiences. Since its release, Honor of Kings has been China’s most popular game, operating on a scale unmatched by any other title in the region. Its world championship is often likened to the Super Bowl for Chinese esports.
With a $10 million prize pool, the event proves that competitive gaming is not limited by platform or geography. As long as the community exist, esports will continue to thrive across PC, console, and mobile.
Credits: Gamers8
The Riyadh Masters 2023 will go down in history as the largest non–Valve-backed Dota 2 prize pool ever, offering approximately $15 million for a single tournament.
The event was part of Gamers8, a multi-title esports festival organized by the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sport (SAFEIS), which has since evolved into what is now known as the Esports World Cup.
The 2023 Gamers8 edition featured a combined prize pool of $45 million across multiple games, with Dota 2 alone taking roughly a third of it.
The event was ultimately won by Team Spirit, who added yet another major title to their growing legacy.
Credits: Epic Games
Few esports events have had such a lasting cultural impact as the Fortnite World Cup.
Epic Games created one of the most ambitious tournaments in esports history with the Fortnite World Cup, and its $30.4 million prize pool. And, unlike many other esports tournaments, this one was designed to be accessible. In essence, the idea behind the World Cup was to show that everyone could potentially qualify to participate.
That accessibility helped Fortnite transition into mainstream pop culture in a way that few other esports titles have. Although Fortnite’s competitive format has evolved significantly since 2019, the World Cup is a landmark moment for what esports could potentially be at a global level.
Credits: Valve
For years, Dota 2’s The International was truly in a league of its own. Much of that was due to Valve’s unique crowdfunding model.
When The International 2021 reached an incredible $40 million, it broke the record for the largest esports prize pool in history. This was achieved via the Battle Pass system, which allowed fans to contribute directly to the prize pool through in-game purchases.
The International 2021 represents the pinnacle of an era in esports economics in which community-based funding changed the way that fans participated in esports. While Valve later reduced the scope of that approach, the legacy of the prize pool growth of The International still impacts the way that esports organizations think of monetization and fan investment.
Credits: EWC
The largest prize pool in esports history, the Esports World Cup 2025, sits at $70 million.
However, the true value is in the fact that the event is a new model for esports gaming, bringing together several games, genres and competitive gaming communities under one global event.
Thousands of participants competing in dozens of different games, the event is truly an Olympic-style esports showcase.
The upcoming EWC 2026 is reported to have a prize pool of $75,000,000; with that in mind, it will be the largest esports prize pool in history once the event is done.
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