Top 10 Esports Prize Pool

KeyArena Seattle

The payouts in Esports has been crazy and shocking over the past few years. With a constant rise in the prize pool, players have begun to flock over to these games. While the prize pool may not determine the stature of the event, it is a huge incentive for players to participate in these competitive games. And with a larger and larger esports prize pool - with some even contributed by the casual gamers, vast number of playerbase and audience - the hype gets even bigger over the years, and this trend will seemingly continue in years to come. The esports prize pool is now so large that players can choose to retire upon winning a tournament. The following is a list of the top 10 esports prize pool in the world. Here we break down the biggest and highest prize pools in esports as well as the largest prize pools in history.

Let us take a look at the top 10 esports prize pool in the world:

1. The International 2017 - $24.6 million USD
The International 2017 (TI7) was the seventh iteration of Dota 2's flagship annual championship and again it took place at the KeyArena Center in Seattle, Washington.

This was the highest esports prize pool yet. It featured a eSports prize pool of $24.6 million USD.

2. The International 2016 - $20.7 million USD
The International 2016 (TI6) was the sixth iteration of The International, it took place at the KeyArena in Seattle in August. The tournament awarded one of the biggest eSports prize pool in the tournament history at over US$20 million.

3. The International 2015 - $18.4 million USD
The International 2015 (TI5) was the fifth edition of The International, an annual Dota 2 eSports championship tournament, which took place at the KeyArena in Seattle.

4. The International 2014 - $10.9 million USD
The International 2014 (TI4) was the fourth annual edition of The International, an esports Dota 2 championship tournament, which took place at the KeyArena in Seattle.

5. League of Legends 2016 World Championships - $5.07 million USD
The 2016 League of Legends World Championship was the sixth world championship for League of Legends. It was held from September 29 - October 29, 2016, in cities across the United States. The tournament's group stage was held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, the quarterfinals at The Chicago Theater in Chicago, and the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The final was held in front of a crowd of nearly 20,000 fans at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

6. Dota 2 Asia Championships 2015 - $3.05 million USD
The Dota 2 Asia Championships 2015, also known as DAC 2015 and as The Oriental, is a tournament organised by Perfect World and MarsTV. It features one of the highest esports prize pool in 2015, at $3 million USD.

7. The Kiev Major 2017 - $3 million USD
The Kiev Major was a professional Dota 2 eSport tournament that was held in April 2017 at the National Palace of Arts in Kiev, Ukraine. 

8. The Boston Major 2016 - $3 million USD
The Boston Major was a professional Dota 2 eSport tournament that took place in Boston in the United States.

9. The Manila Major 2016 - $3 million USD
The Manila Major, also known as the Spring Major, was a professional Dota 2 eSport tournament that took place in Mainla, Philippines.

10. The Frankfurt Major 2015 - $3 million USD
The Frankfurt Major, also known as the Fall Major, was a Dota 2 tournament which took place from November 13-21, 2015. The tournament took place at the Festhalle Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany.

As it stands right now in 2017, $3 million USD seems to be the lowest in the top 10 esports prize pool. The highest esports prize pool is The International 2017 (TI7) at $24.6 million USD. The second highest esports prize pool is The International 2016 (TI6) at $20.7 million USD. The third highest esports prize pool is The International 2015 (TI5) at $18.4 million USD. The fourth highest esports prize pool is The International 2014 (TI4) at $10.9 million USD. The fifth highest esports prize pool is League of Legends 2016 World Championships at $5.07 million USD. The sixth highest esports prize pool is Dota 2 Asia Championships 2015 at $3.05 million USD. The seventh highest esports prize pool is The Kiev Major 2017 at $3 million USD. The eighth highest esports prize pool is The Boston Major 2016 at $3 million USD. The ninth highest esports prize pool is The Manila Major 2016 at $3 million USD and finally the tenth highest esports prize pool is The Frankfurt Major 2015 at $3 million USD.

It is interesting to note that of these 10 highest esports prize pool, 9 of them are under Dota 2. With such a large esports prize pool, the competitive scene gets tougher and tougher.

Will the next upcoming esports tournament break the highest esports prize pool in history that is currently held by The International 2017 (TI7)? As we venture into the remaining of 2017 and onwards to 2018, we can only speculate that the esports prize pool will soar even higher. Let us wait and find out!