eSports is growing bigger and more popular every year. Many people now consider it a mainstream sport, on par with traditional sports like basketball or football. And with this increased popularity comes larger and larger prize pools.
In this guide, we'll take a look at the biggest eSports tournaments in history, from the earliest days of competitive gaming to the present day. The tournaments that are going down in the history book.
Let's go.
#1 - DOTA2: The International 2021: $40 Million
The single biggest export tournament prize pool of all time is The International 2017, with a whopping $40 million in prize money awarded to players and teams competing in the DOTA 2 tournament.
This was impressive for any competitive gaming event but even more so for an eSports tournament. It was also the first-ever tournament to offer a $20 million grand prize winner.
Even the DOTA 2 The International 2017 had a prize pool of $24.6 million, which goes to show how much more popular the eSport has become over the years.
#2 - Fortnite World Cup 2019 - $100,000,000
Back in 2019, at the peak of Fortnite's popularity, Epic Games did the unthinkable and showcased a $100,000,000 prize fund for their World Cup series. This astonishing prize pool shattered all previous records in the industry and ushered in a new era of eSports prize money.
While Fortnite's popularity has certainly decreased slightly over time, the game is by no means dead and still offers tens of millions of dollars out within its prize pools. Even individual players outside an eSports team can win big.
Kyle "Bugha" Giersorf won the first-place prize of $3 million at just 16 years old.
#3 - League of Legends World Championship 2018-2019: $6.45 Million
The League of Legends World Championship 2018-2019 was the second highest-paying eSports tournament in history, with a whopping $6.45 million prize pool. This tournament was witnessed by millions of people around the world and featured some of the best players in competitive gaming.
While the League prize pools are not as large as other gaming tournaments, there are certainly one of the most popular. During the 2022 Worlds Championship, the viewer count hit 5.15 million concurrent viewers.
#4 - Call of Duty World League Championship 2019: $2 Million
The Call of Duty World League Championship 2019 was a large eSports tournament held in California, $800,000 of which went to the winners, which ended up being 100 Thieves. With a prize pool of $2 million, this tournament was the first major Call of Duty tournament in history and featured some of the best teams in the world.
However, Call of Duty is, of course, a competitive game that's been around for years. The first tournaments started back in 2013 with Black Ops II on Xbox consoles. However, even back then, in 2014, the total prize fund still sat around $400,000.
#5 - Overwatch League Grand Final 2019: $1.7 Million
The Overwatch League Grand Final 2019 was the biggest eSport tournament of its kind at the time, featuring a prize pool of $1.7 million dollars. This tournament was held in Philadelphia and featured the world's best Overwatch teams competing for the top spot.
The Grand Final was won by the San Francisco Shock, who took home $1 million in prize money with an incredible 4-0 sweep against the Titans.
#6 - Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore: $2 Million
While perhaps unbeknown to some, the Garena Free Fire World series is actually the most-watched eSports tournament event of all time, clocking in at 5.14 million concurrent viewers. Garena, if you don't know, is a mobile battle royale game, and its World Series had a prize pool of $2 million.
#7 - CS:GO Blast Pro Series 2019: $500,000
The CS:GO Blast Pro series was the first major tournament in Counter Strike's long history, and it certainly did not disappoint. The prize pool was $500,000, a sizable sum for any eSports tournament at the time.
This tournament was won by Astralia, who took home $350,000 of the prize pool. This team has since gone on to win several other major tournaments, cementing its place as one of the most famous eSports teams in history.
#8 - Honor of Kings World Champion Cup 2021 – $7.7 million
The Honor of Kings World Champion Cup, hosted in Beijing in 2021, saw 12 of the best Honor of King's teams battle for the No. 1 spot in the world. The tournament was a huge success, with millions of people tuning in to watch the best players compete.
The tournament was won by QC Happy, who took home a prize of $3.2 million. This team has since gone on to win several other major tournaments, cementing its place as one of the most successful eSports teams in history.
#9 - PUBG Global Invitational.S 2021 - $7.1 million
One of the biggest PUBG events of all time took place in Incheon, South Korea, the home of modern eSports, took place in 2021, where the Susquehanna Soniqs won, taking home an incredible $1,296,189 in prize winnings.
#10 - Six Major Rainbow Six Siege - $3 million
Six Major is considered one of the biggest Rainbow Six Siege tournaments in the world, pitting 20 of the world's top teams against each other, with the winning team taking a total of $800,000 in prize money.
The first-ever Six Major tournaments were held in Paris in 2018, with the European G2 taking home the grand prize. Since then, they have gone on to become one of the most successful Rainbow Six Siege teams in history.
Summary
These are the biggest eSports tournaments in current history, and these are clearly going to be some tough records to beat. However, with the popularity of eSports growing each and every year, there may be some hot competition over the coming decade. So, keep an eye out for what's to come!
Overall, it's been amazing to witness the rise of eSports and the sheer amount of money that is being poured into these events. Competitors now have more incentive than ever to do their best and participate in some of the most prestigious tournaments worldwide. From Call of Duty to PUBG, there is no shortage of competition and excitement in the world of eSports.
So what are you waiting for?
Get involved and take part in some of the biggest tournaments this industry has to offer! Who knows, maybe one day we'll see your name amongst the champions here. Good luck!