The cybersport disciplines that are pulling in the lot

In its early days, cybersport was dismissed as child’s play, but very soon it became so popular and advanced to the point where there are world-class players, multimillion dollar armies of fans and the prize pools of the tournaments rival or even surpass the prize pools of prestigious traditional sporting events.

Dota 2

It’s not the most popular game in the world, but it is the undisputed leader in terms of the size of the tournament prize pool. Already in the first tournament held in 2011, 1.6 million dollars were raffled off. By 2017, the championship prize pool was $23 million. And a record figure is recorded for the 2019 championships. The prize money for these events was $34 million. In addition to the DOTA 2 World Championships, there are all sorts of international and local tournaments, among which are competitions where you can take considerable prize money.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

 With all the great popularity of this eSports game among gamers from school age to almost retirement age the prize money in the competitions is more modest. In particular, the tournament in 2021 was held with a prize fund of $ 2 million. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments usually feature separate male and female teams.

League Of Legends

The popularity of this eSports discipline is simply off the charts. The number of registered players exceeds 100 million. Nevertheless the prize funds are rather modest. The first World Championship held in 2011 offered a measly $100k. A record prize fund of $4.6 million is registered for the 2019 World Championships. Of course, compared to DOTA 2 this is pennies, but compared to many other types of eSports – very decent prize money.

Overwatch

This action-shooter became a cyber sport in its first year of existence, unlike many other games. The first competitions were held in Asia. Very soon this type of eSports became popular in the U.S. and Europe. There is no shortage of people who want to compete. Even though regional tournaments offer rather modest prize money: not more than 300 thousand dollars. The prize fund of world championships reaches 5 million dollars. South Korea is the undisputed leader in this kind of eSports and a trendsetter.

Starcraft II

 The sequel to the cult strategy game predictably became a cyber sport discipline as soon as it was launched. The first World Championship for STARCRAFT II was held in 2012. Then the prize for first place was 100 thousand dollars. The last World Championship was held in 2018 with a prize pool of $500,000. Now this type of cybersport will not lose popularity only in Asia.

Heroes Of The Storm

This game announced itself as a cybersports discipline in 2016. The largest prize pool at the World Championships is $500,000. Now the cybersport discipline remains popular, but the tournaments are smaller and the prize money is around $100,000 or slightly more.