Study reveals Dota 2 is the most profitable esport in history

Dota 2 has been revealed as the most profitable esports title of all time.

According to Esports Charts, the esports industry has handed out over $1.68 billion (~£1.3 billion) in prize money over 62,000 tournaments. The most profitable scene to compete in has been Dota 2, which has paid out $377.4 million (~£285.3 million) since 20211.

In the chart above, you can see that Dota 2 is the esports scene with the most prize money, far and ahead of the competition. However, the other most lucrative esports scenes include:

Another interesting point on the charts is that PUBG Mobile surpassed PUBG, with $89.8 million in prize money compared to the PC version’s $67 million.

Dota 2 is one of the most popular esports titles in the world, with the classic MOBA known for its talented veteran players, high skill ceiling and massive prize pools at The International. The 2021 International tournament had a record-breaking $40 million prize pool thanks to Valve’s support and players purchasing special bundles, with part of the profit going toward the tournament.

As expected, this means Dota 2 also has the highest-paid players in esports. Johan ‘n0tail’ Sundstein is the top earner, with prize money going over $7.18 million. Of course, this is due to the scene’s big prize pools.

The past few years have seen a decline in The International’s prize pool. The 2023 iteration had a $3,380,455 followed by the 2024 iteration with a $2,776,566 prize pool. This is clearly a far cry from the $40 million back in 2021. This was due to Valve removing the game’s Battle Pass, which was largely keeping the esports scene afloat.

While Dota 2 remains ahead for now, the sudden drop in the prize pool will allow other esports scenes to catch up as they grow.