DOTA 2 is well-known for its grand tournaments that offer the largest recorded amount of prize money for the esports scene. Its annual tournament called The International presents tens of millions of dollars in prizes.
Valve, the official publisher of DOTA 2, already held 11 times of The Internationals, and many other world-scale tournaments throughout history with each giving large prize pools. But which players get the lion's share of this most lucrative esports?
The five richest DOTA 2 players by tournament earnings go to the former OG Team who currently holds the record for consecutive TI wins with the same roster. The majority of their earnings come from wins at TI8, which brought in $11.2 million. A year later, in TI9, they have brought a winner prize of $15.6 million.
Here is the list of 10 richest DOTA 2 players from their total earnings in all of the official tournaments!
1. N0tail - $7.1 million
The richest DOTA 2 player based on esports earnings is Johan "N0tail" Sundstein. The Dane was part of the original OG team that achieved 4 Major wins which each offered over a million USD in prizes.
Plus the addition of two TI wins, N0tail outperformed all other esports and DOTA 2 players to become the richest in tournament earnings. After establishing the record, he took a long break and returned to the scene with Old G in 2023.
2. JerAx - $6.4 million
Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka got his start in esports and has been very consistent in his career. The Finnish support player was in great form with Team Liquid in 2016, finishing 2nd at two Majors and in the top 8 at TI6.
JerAx had became the first player to reach four consecutive Valve Major grand finals, half with Team Liquid and the other half with OG. He then made history winning two TIs in a row and retired soon after. But he returned to playing with rival Evil Geniuses and went on to coach Team Liquid. However, in late December 2022, he announced his departure from the role.
3. ana - $6 million
Anathan "ana" Pham started his esports career only in 2016 but he skyrocketed quickly to success. The carry started out in China with Invictus Gaming and then moved to play in Europe with OG. His debut year has earned his first DOTA 2 Major victory, the 2016 Boston Major.
The Australian has won two Majors and back-to-back TIs in total in 2018 and 2019. After an intermittent retirement, ana played as stand ins for Team Liquid at 2022 Riyadh Masters featuring a $100,000 grab team. His last stint was brief with T1 and he is currently inactive again.
4. Ceb - $5.8 million
Sébastien "Ceb" Debs started competing in early 2011 but met with disappointing results. He then went into long retirement as he moved into the world of broadcasting and training. But he did take OG's call for help in 2018 and helped the team win back-to-back TIs.
In 2022, despite no longer committing to pro Dota, Ceb won his first DOTA 2 Major as a replacement for the new generation of OG. He then formed Old G with N0tail and Topson to compete in the DPC qualifiers. However, that campaign fell through and the team is currently inactive.
5. Topson - $5.7 million
Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen has the shortest career span of any player in the top 10. He started competing in 2017 and was practically a nobody when he won TI8 with OG. Because of this, he is also considered the greatest underdog in esports.
After winning two TIs and placing in the top 8 at TI10, Topson took a long break and focused on streaming. He now plays with Old G.
6. Kuroky - $5.2 million
The next player on the list consists of former TI7 winning Team Liquid which earned the team $10.8 million. Kuro "KuroKy" Takhasomi is a DOTA 2 veteran with a myriad of accomplishments in his career. He had his first big feat with NAVI where he finished 2nd at TI3 and top 8 at TI4.
At TI5, KuroKy played with Team Secret and finished top 8. He then amassed two second place finishes at the Valve Majors in 2016 and a top 8 finish at TI6. But his biggest win was at TI7 and finished 2nd at TI9.
7. Miracle- - $4.88 million
Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi is one of the most popular DOTA 2 players after he became a star in 2015. Originally a pub star, he was picked up by OG and the team saw immediate success. The Jordanian won a three million dollar Major with OG and emerged victorious with Team Liquid at TI7.
He would later remain with Team Liquid and consistently appear in tournaments, earning $500,000 in winnings at the China DOTA 2 Super Major, $1.7 million at TI8, and $4.4 million at TI9, among many others. Miracle- is currently on a health break and remains an inactive Nigma Galaxy member.
8. MATUMBAMAN - $4.87 million
Lasse "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen is the third Finn in the top 10. He recently retired after his last hurray with Team Liquid at TI11. His first major milestone was with Team Liquid, where he secured multiple top 3 spots in 2016 and eventually claimed Aegis at TI7.
MATUMBAMAN left the team months before TI9 and was stuck in a rocky timeline. But he found major success in his later years finishing third with Team Secret and Team Liquid at TI10 and TI11 respectively.
9. MinD_ContRoL - $4.7 million
Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov started competing in 2014 but got his big break with 5Jungz which was later taken over by Team Liquid due to their successful performances.
The Bulgarian sticks with the Team Liquid roster, now under the Nigma Galaxy banner. He had consistent form in 2017 – 2018, winning TI7 and finishing second at TI9.
10. GH - $4.3 million
Lebanese pro player, Maroun "GH" Merhej, has only played for four teams in his career, two of which are Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy. GH is known as one of the most positive Dota 2 players on the planet, GH started his career back in 2013 but found perfect chemistry with his Liquid teammates.
With a TI win in 2017 and a 2nd place finish at TI9, GH earned enough prize money to be among the top 10 richest esports and DOTA 2 players of all time.