Top 10 Largest Amounts Of Cash Won For Playing Games

Top 10 Largest Amounts Of Cash Won For Playing Games Whoever told you playing video games would amount to nothing... lied. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Largest Amounts Of Cash Won For Playing Games. For this list, we're looking at the games and tournaments that paid huge loads of money to their top players. We're basing our choices on total prize pools and the amounts paid to winners at each event.

#10: World eSports Games 2016

"Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" (2012) & "Dota 2" (2013) Professional gaming was so lucrative in 2016 that the World eSports Games hosted equally massive tournaments for 'Dota 2' and 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.' The 'Counter-Strike' tournament saw 23 teams competing in Changzhou, China for the 1.5 million dollar pot. France's Team EnVyUs swept the finals two to zero against Poland's Team Kinguin, earning 800 thousand and 400 thousand dollars respectively. The 'Dota 2' finals were much tighter as the Philippines' TNC scraped ahead of Denmark's Cloud 9 two to one. Though both games have managed even bigger showings recently, the symmetrical payouts had fans blown away.

#9: “World eSports Games 2017”

"Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" (2012) 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,' was a major highlight of the 2017 World eSports Games for prizes and viewers overall. With 893 tournaments in 2017 alone, 'CS: GO' boasted over 19 million dollars across all its tournaments. The World eSports Games made up 1.5 million of this total, however, which made it the biggest 'Counter-Strike' tournament of the year. Swedish team Fnatic beat Turkey's Space Soldiers and took home 800 thousand dollars for their efforts. While runners-up earned less money, more competitors received a payout overall. With such an active pro circuit, the high-stakes helped the 2017 tournament stand out.

#8: “Call Of Duty XP Championship 2016”

"Call Of Duty: Black Ops III" (2015) 'Call Of Duty' had repeatedly offered an impressive million dollar prize pool for years, until the XP Championship doubled it in 2016. XP invited players to the Forum in Inglewood, California, to fight in 'Call Of Duty: Black Ops III' for their piece of two million dollars. Compared to similarly sized tournaments, the extra cash allowed XP to pay the other top 10 teams handsomely. EnVyUs made 800 thousand dollars for their three to one win, with England's Splyce earning 250 thousand themselves. By doubling any previous payout, XP's 2016 event still holds the record for the largest 'Call Of Duty' prize ever.

#7: “Overwatch League Grand Finals 2018”

"Overwatch" (2016) The Overwatch League put together a 1.7 million dollar prize for their innaugural Grand Final. After hosting the early stages of the competition at the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, the teams travelled to the Barclays Center in New York City. The London Spitfire won the grand finals and the Philadelphia Fusion took second, which earned them 1 million dollars and 400 thousand dollars respectively. As the highest-profile and highest-paying 'Overwatch' event around, the league's season finale was a spectacle.

#6: “Halo World Championships 2016”

"Halo 5: Guardians" (2015) For the Halo World Championship in 2016, 'Halo 5: Guardians' pros from all around the world gathered in Hollywood at Raleigh Studios. Microsoft Studios fully backed the initial prize pool of 1 million dollars but allowed fans to increase the pot by buying in-game requisition packs. The crowdfunding effort increased the tournament total to 2.5 million dollars, the biggest in Halo history. Counter Logic Gaming won a million dollars for their four-nothing win against Team Allegiance. While the cash was a lot for 'Halo', it's also the biggest prize for any shooter or console game competition period.

#5: “The Frankfurt Major 2015”

"Dota 2" (2013) Instead of just offering money to improve the 'Dota 2' professional circuit, Valve started their own tournament. The Frankfurt Major was their first in a series of events, followed by Shanghai and Manila. Next to most of the smaller tournaments at the time, Frankfurt's 3 million dollar payout was a powerful draw. OG dominated Team Secret at the Festhalle Messe concert hall and took home 1.1 million of the total. The tourney series also helped build momentum toward the International, which we'll get to later. Frankfurt raised the stakes so competitive 'Dota 2' could grow as a whole.

#4: “Dota 2 Asia Championship 2015”

"Dota 2" (2013) Before the first Shanghai Major, The Dota 2 Asia Championship brought its own 16 teams to the Chinese city. The event started small with a meager 250 thousand dollar prize, with Valve letting fans contribute through an in-game compendium. Since this deal offered fans more items for raising more money, the total prize went over three million dollars. This funding also meant that Evil Geniuses won a shocking 1.28 million dollars for their perfect set against Vici Gaming. With so much love and fierce competition, the 2015 Asia Championship had fans excited for all aspects of the tournament.

#3: “Smite World Championship 2015”

"Smite" (2014) While 'Smite' hasn't had the consistent success of other MOBA's, Hi-Rez Studios made sure no one would forget their first major tournament. Even with only eight teams competing in Atlanta, Georgia, the 2015 Smite World Championship was a rare opportunity for Brazilian and Chinese pros to face-off against North America and Europe. Crowdfunding pushed to the overall pot over 2.6 million dollars, thanks to 'Smite's yearly Odyssey event. COGnitive gaming took home about half of this total after their nail-biting victory against Titan. The excessive cash convinced Hi-Rez gaming cap prize pools for future events, but 2015 is still their biggest showing ever.

#2: “2016 League of Legends World Championship”

"League of Legends" (2009) 'League Of Legends' has continued to grow as an eSport, and its last few World Championships have boasted massive prizes. The 2016 World Championship started its pool at two million dollars before proceeds from in-game skins more than doubled the total past five million. The 2017 edition was virtually identical in payouts, only underperforming the 2016 tournament by a few hundred thousand dollars. After teams played at stages all around the United States, both South Korean finalists faced off at the finals in Los Angeles. With SK Telecom T1 winning over 2M for their finish, the fireworks and hugs were well deserved.

#1: “The International 2018”

"Dota 2" (2013) Next to any other gaming tournament on the planet, 'Dota 2's The International series has continuously blown other cash prizes out of the water. The 2018 edition in Vancouver was the biggest yet and offered 25 million dollars total to top players. While funds from compendium purchases usually boost totals a bit, 23 million of the pool was from fans alone. OG's first place prize of 11 million dollars was equally insane, and even the team in sixth place took home over one million dollars. Thanks to 'Dota 2's massive community, The International is still the biggest event in eSports by a mile.