Counter-Strike 2 has quickly reaffirmed its dominance in esports prize money with consistent events nearly every month. The new iteration of the classic FPS boasts packed arenas and seven-figure stakes at every major tournament (from IEM stops to the revived Majors), delivering clip-worthy moments year-round. The $1.25M championship at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh further cemented CS2’s status – a prime example of how even after replacing CS:GO, the Counter-Strike scene hasn’t missed a beat. Pros chasing reliable paydays know that grinding CS2 is still one of the surest paths to big winnings.

Dota 2 continues its “quality over quantity” approach to prize pools. With far fewer events than other top games, each tournament comes with a massive payday – the Esports World Cup’s Dota 2 championship alone put up a $3 million purse, and several Majors offered six- to seven-figure rewards. Even without a record-shattering The International this year, Dota’s prize offerings remain hefty enough to secure it the #2 spot. Fewer events doesn’t mean less cash in Dota land; it means every appearance counts and can be life-changing for the teams on top.

Fortnite has proven it’s far more than flashy dances and pop culture crossovers – it’s an esports cash machine. The 2025 FNCS Global Championship poured out a whopping $2,001,000 prize pool (with the winning trio taking $450,000), underscoring Epic’s commitment to competitive Fortnite. Beyond the global finals, constant regional events and seasonal tournaments keep the cash flowing for skilled builders and shooters worldwide. In short, Fortnite’s competitive scene quietly remains one of the most lucrative in esports, rewarding its cartoon mayhem with very real money.

Rocket League’s formula of “soccer with rocket-powered cars” continues to be a hit with both fans and sponsors – a winning combination that translates into serious prize money. The Rocket League World Championship this year featured a $1.2M prize pool, and numerous regional RLCS circuits and independent tournaments have kept pushing the total upwards. Easy to watch and universally understandable, Rocket League draws large audiences without the need for guns or fantasy lore, making it sponsor catnip and ensuring players can earn a solid living from its events. From high-flying goals to buzzer-beater saves, the scene stays lucrative and full of hype.

League of Legends trades frequency for prestige when it comes to tournaments. With a tightly managed season and fewer open events than the shooter titles, LoL still delivers massive stages and correspondingly hefty prize checks at its international showcases. The Esports World Cup’s League of Legends championship, for example, put up $2M in prize money – and that’s on top of Riot’s own events like MSI and the World Championship, which pack stadiums across the globe. Even though LoL’s ecosystem emphasizes salaries and franchised leagues, its biggest tournaments ensure the players are battling for life-changing sums whenever they lift the Summoner’s Cup.

Apex Legends has quietly cemented itself among the elite esports for prize money. The Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) delivered multiple million-dollar events in 2025 – both the ALGS Championship and the Midseason Playoffs each boasted $2 million prize pools – showcasing that the game’s competitive scene is alive and well. With its squad-based battle royale action, Apex continues to draw large crowds online and at LANs, even if it flies a bit under the mainstream radar. For those in the know, Apex’s consistency in high-stakes tournaments proves it’s a top-tier contender where it counts: the payout.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang reaffirmed itself as a Southeast Asian esports juggernaut in 2025. Its Mid-Season Cup at the Esports World Cup set a new bar for mobile esports with a staggering $3 million prize pool – Team Liquid’s squad walked away with $1 million for taking first place. The game’s passionate fanbase across SEA and beyond has turned MLBB into a money-spinner, with regional leagues and international events now rivaling some PC tournaments in stakes. If anyone still doubts mobile esports, MLBB’s prize payouts this year make one thing clear: the mobile money is very real.

While PUBG on PC has cooled off, PUBG Mobile continues to print money on the esports circuit. The mobile battle royale remains especially dominant across Asia and the Middle East, where tens of millions of fans follow each tournament. This year’s PUBG Mobile championship at the Esports World Cup put $2 million on the line for a single event, drawing the top teams from around the globe to compete in Riyadh. With national leagues and global finals regularly offering six or seven-figure prize pools, PUBG Mobile has firmly taken the mantle as the most lucrative branch of the PUBG franchise.

Street Fighter 6 has become the fighting game community’s flagship title, and it’s putting up prize money numbers that the FGC could only dream of in years past. There are certainly fewer major events in Street Fighter than in sprawling team-based esports, but Capcom’s official circuit ensures that the stakes keep rising – last season’s Capcom Cup awarded $1 million to its champion, and the upcoming tour is set to offer similarly lofty rewards. Add in the global pro tours and invitational tournaments, and suddenly being a top Street Fighter player is a viable (and potentially lucrative) career path. It’s a new era for the FGC, where legends can actually pay the bills with their combos and mind games.

VALORANT continues to deliver style, drama, and top-tier production value – and now it’s backing that up with hefty championship prizes. The 2025 VALORANT Champions (the game’s season finale) featured a $2.25 million prize pool, with a cool $1 million going to the winning squad, making it one of the richest FPS events of the year. Although the day-to-day Valorant circuit is structured around franchised leagues with modest prizes, all eyes turn to the international Masters and Champions events where the stakes soar. With its unique blend of tactical gunplay and hero abilities, Valorant has proven it can draw huge audiences and reward its champions with life-changing paydays in just a few short years on the scene.

Free Fire might not make much noise in North America or Europe, but in Latin America and Southeast Asia it’s nothing short of an esports phenomenon. The mobile battle royale enjoys massive diehard fanbases in regions like Brazil, Thailand, and Indonesia, translating to stadium-filled finals and seven-figure prize pools. This year’s Free Fire World Cup (as part of EWC 2025) featured a $1 million pot, underlining that the game’s competitive scene is both well-funded and fiercely contested. For a title that flies under the radar in the West, Free Fire continues to quietly rack up big dollars and even bigger viewership where it matters most for its community.

Pokémon UNITE – yes, the Pokémon franchise’s 5v5 MOBA – has quietly carved out a spot in the competitive scene. Its inclusion in the official Pokémon World Championships means that each year the top Unite squads battle for a six-figure prize pool (this year’s Worlds offered $500,000 total), proving that even a more casual-looking MOBA can have serious stakes. Throughout 2025, numerous regional qualifiers and smaller tournaments have kept the competitive fires burning, giving players a reason to train their Pikachu and Lucario just as hard as any League or Dota hero. The result is a niche but thriving esport that has earned its place in the conversation with prize money to back it up.

StarCraft II, the venerable 1v1 RTS classic, refuses to fade away even 15 years after its launch. The scene isn’t as bustling as it once was, but when opportunities come knocking, the prize money can still turn heads. Case in point: the StarCraft II tournament at EWC 2025 put up a $700,000 prize pool, with Finnish legend Serral pocketing $200,000 for his victory – not too shabby for a game that debuted in 2010. A handful of international and regional events throughout the year have kept SC2’s competitive flame alive, proving that “old but gold” titles can still cash significant checks thanks to their legacy and loyal fanbase.

Minecraft’s competitive scene doesn’t revolve around official leagues or developer-run tournaments – instead, it thrives on community creativity, influencer-driven events, and charity showdowns that quietly stack up serious prize money. Throughout 2025, a variety of Minecraft competitions (from custom challenge events hosted by YouTubers to invitational charity tournaments) have contributed to a prize pool total that would surprise many. For example, high-profile creators have put on survival challenges with $100,000 rewards and team-based Minecraft mini-game championships that, while lighthearted, come with real cash on the line. It’s a testament to Minecraft’s enduring popularity that even without a traditional esports circuit, community-first events can still win big for competitors.

Even under its new branding, EA Sports FC 25 proves that the digital soccer pitch keeps on paying. The highlight of the year was the FC Pro World Championship (held at EWC 2025), which featured a $1 million prize pool and gathered the world’s top virtual footballers in Riyadh. The winner’s share alone was a few hundred thousand dollars, and when combined with the payouts from regional leagues and qualifiers throughout Europe, the Americas, and beyond, it’s clear the competitive scene remains lucrative. With a massive global player base and continued support from EA’s esports program, the game formerly known as FIFA continues to deliver steady prize money and some of the largest player counts in esports.