Nolan Rosen is an avid gamer and esports aficionado. Over the years, he has paid close attention to the gaming industry’s expansion—one sign of which is the many tournaments that now offer millions of dollars in prize money. Competitive gamers, through team and individual competitions in online and offline settings, can make a lucrative living playing games like Dota 2, League of Legends, and Fortnite. Nolan Rosen esports insights highlight how the scene has transformed into a multi-million-dollar industry.
According to EsportsEarnings.com, more than 200 players have made more than $1 million in career earnings. Here’s a look at the top six earners.
Johan Sundstein (N0tail)
Thirty-one-year Danish player Johan Sundstein, known online as N0tail, leads all players worldwide with $7.2 million in career earnings. Like every other player in the top 20, he has made the bulk of his winnings (99.84%) in Dota 2 competitions. He earned the rest ($11,726) through Heroes of Newerth.
Sundstein made most of his money in 2018 and 2019, earning more than $5.36 million via first-place finishes at The International, the annual world championship for Dota 2. In 2019, he was part of the five-person team OG that received the $15.6 million first-place prize. He also made at least $100,000 in six other events, including The International 2021, The Manila Major 2016, and The Boston Major 2016.
Jesse Vainikka (JerAx)
A member of Sundstein’s OG team that won The International in 2019 and 2018, Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka of Finland has $6.5 million in career earnings from 68 tournaments. That total also includes more than $375,000 with Team Liquid and smaller amounts from winnings with Evil Geniuses and Team Tinker. Vainikka has won all but $548.76 of his career earnings in Dota 2.
Yaroslav Naidenov (Miposhka)
Twenty-seven-year-old Russian player Yaroslav Naidenov, also known as Miposhka, has won all of his $6.3 million in career earnings on Dota 2. He earned a career-best $3.6 million with a first-place finish as part of Team Spirit at The International 2021 and collected another $1 million at the Riyadh Masters 2023. Most of his winnings have come from offline/LAN tournaments, but Naidenov has won more than $350,000 in online competitions.
Miposhka became a household name in the esports community at The International 2017, when he won $123,000 for his team’s seventh-place finish and led all players with the highest average deaths per game at 8.38. More recently, his Team Spirit squad won the Tier 1 Esports World Cup 2025, beating Team Falcons in the grand final.
Anathan Pham (ana)
A native of Australia, Anathan “ana” Pham was just a teenager when he won The International in 2018 and 2019 with JerAx and N0tail. He also exceeded the $100,000 threshold at The Boston Major 2016, The Kiev Major 2017, and The International 2017. His career prize winnings total just over $6 million.
A skilled Dota 2 player at an early age, Pham dropped out of high school and moved from Melbourne to Shanghai, China, at just 16 years old. He began his professional career months later as a replacement for Ferrari_430 with Invictus Gaming.
Sébastien Debs (Ceb)
Formerly known as 7ckngMad, Sébastien “Ceb” Debs is the co-founder of OG along with Sundstein. The 33-year-old native of France was part of The International-winning teams in 2018 and 2019 and has $5.9 million in career earnings from 82 tournaments. He also has top-10 finishes at ESL One Stockholm 2022, OMEGA League: Europe Immortal Division, and DreamLeague Season 21, among other events.
Magomed Khalilov (Collapse)
A teammate of Naidenov on Team Spirit, Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov also has $5.9 million in career earnings, including a $3.6-million prize at The International 2021 and $1 million at the Riyadh Masters 2023. He was also part of the teams that won The International 2023, Esports World Cup 2025, DreamLeague Season 21 and 25, PGL Wallachia Season 1, and PGL Arlington Major 2022.