CS2 Pro Player Salaries

The world of professional gaming has grown exponentially in the past decade, with Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) at the forefront of the esports scene. With this massive esports community, tournament winnings have grown to a significant amount, with skilled players making up to 2.2 million throughout their careers! This substantial amount of money comes from a variety of sources, including tournament winnings, salaries from their esports organizations, sponsorships, and much more. This article explores the financial landscape of professional CS2 players, including their sources of income and total earnings.

Tournament Winnings

Esports tournaments are a significant source of income for pro CS2 players… or at least those who win. At Major tournaments like the one this year at Copenhagen, top teams compete for the insane prize money of $1,250,000, with the top team, Natus Vincere, taking home $500,000. The prize money won at Copenhagen is not even close to the prize money offered at the Stockholm Major in 2021, with a total prize pool of 2 million dollars, with the winning team taking home 1 million dollars. The prize money from tournaments is split among the organization as well as the five players.

CS2 Pro Player Salaries

CS2 pro player salaries are given by their esports organizations as a way to provide them with a stable source of income. The salary of a pro player fully depends on how well they are performing, their experience within the team, as well as the team tier. Top players signed onto renowned teams such as Faze and NaVi receive monthly salaries of anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. In comparison, the monthly salaries of players in tier 2 and below are paid anywhere from $1,000 and $8,000. This number is mainly determined by the tournament winnings and the success of the team.

Sponsorships

Another revenue source for pro players is their many sponsorships and endorsements from major companies. Companies such as Intel, Red Bull, and HyperX are prominent sponsors of individual players and teams. The sponsorship contracts are often worth hundreds of thousands annually, depending on the player’s popularity and reach.

Streaming and Content Creation

Many pro CS2 players also generate significant income through streaming on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. When they’re not spending their day practicing with their team, they often spend their free time interacting with fans. Through subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships, players can generate a significant amount of money when not playing in tournaments. Players even take on streaming as a full-time career, often after their time in competition, with prominent players such as Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek and Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert.

Top Earning Players

Now that we know the sources of income for pro players, who rules the charts?

Dupreeh – $2,223,917

As a former Astralis player, Peter “Dupreeh” Rothmann Rasmussen has made the most money of all pro players. His career is nothing short of impressive, as he took home 5 Major wins out of the 19 he attended. Dupreeh continues to dominate games now that he has joined Falcons.

dev1ce – $2,046,878

Adding another former Astralis member to the list, Nicolai “dev1ce” Hvilshøj Reedtz is considered one of the best counter-strike players of all time. During the Astralis era, he has won 4 Majors, 2 of which he was MVP.

Xyp9x – $2,015,280

Dupreeh’s former Astralis teammate, Andreas “Xyp9x” Fullon, during his time in professional play, took home 4 Major tournaments along with 20 other notable tournaments. Living in history as one of the most influential CS:GO players and revered to as the “clutch minister,” he now coaches for MOUZ.

Karrigan – $1,977,352

Finn “Karrigan” Andersen is crowned as one of the top CS players, with his skill as the in-game leader unmatched by any other. At the age of 32, he’s currently the oldest player to win a Major, contributing to his team’s success as the IGL in PGL Antwerp 2022. Just like the others on this list, Karrigan played with Astralis, though the majority of his success came from his time with Faze.

s1mple – $1,727,047

Ranking number six on this list, Oleksandr “s1mple” Olehovych Kostyliev is the only player not to come from the country of Denmark. Regarded as one of the most successful careers in esports history, s1mple solidified himself without a doubt as the face of CS:GO. Though rather inactive in CS2, the amount of money he’s garnered throughout his career in tier-one CS is truly remarkable.

Wrapping Up!

Professional CS2 players’ income comes from various sources, from tournament winnings, salaries, sponsorships, and streaming. The exact amount widely depends on the players’ skill, team, and even individual influence on fans. With esports showing no signs of slowing its expansion, the earnings potential for CS players is likely to increase further, hopefully attracting even more talent to the scene.