Astralis CSGO stars hit historical money marker
Three of the founding members of Astralis have cleared a long-standing Counter-Strike hurdle.
According to
Esportsearnings.com, Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth, Nicolai “device” Reedtz, and Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen have become the first players in Counter-Strike history to earn over $1 million in prize winnings. The threshold was passed at the Esports Championship Series Season 6 finals.
Astralis’ 2018 has been one of the most successful years in the game’s history. After opening with a poor showing at the 2018 ELEAGUE Major, the team rallied and has taken first place in a whopping eight tournaments thus far, including the 2018 FACEIT Major London, ESL Pro League Season 7, and ECS seasons 5 and 6.
That success has ballooned the organization’s total winnings to $4.5 million, and put its players at the top of the all-time earnings hierarchy. Long trailing behind the ex-SK Gaming squad in historical winnings, Astralis’ 2018 has seen its three remaining founders top the leaderboard, with Xyp9x leading with $1,038,721.90.
Not counting Dota 2 competitors, Astralis’ core are the highest paid players in esports behind League of Legends star
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.
The trio have a substantial lead over the rest of the pack. Brazilian rivals Epitacio “TACO” de Melo, Marcelo “coldzera” David, and fellow Astralis member Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander are all currently sitting between $850,000 and $875,000.
While the players have been undeniably successful, these numbers are not exact. Organizations often take a cut of players’ winnings, and pros also receive money from contract salaries, streaming revenues, and sponsorships.
Regardless, Astralis show no signs of contentment with what they’ve raked in thus far. With how hot the team has looked this year, don’t be surprised if their lead grows further.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
View full profile
Read Also
Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
Counter-Strike
CS2 at the EWC 2026 Preview: Odds, Details, Predictions and More
Owen Harsono
Top-tier Counter-Strike action returns at the Esports World Cup, as 32 of the best teams will take the trip to Paris to compete for millions of dollars. If you’re looking to watch the event, here’s everything you need to know and which teams to keep an eye on. The Esports World Cup is one of the largest CS2 events if we’re looking at prize pools, as $2,000,000 will be distributed ...
News
Opinion: Is Esports Tracing the Same Evolutionary Path As Traditional Sports?
Cecilia Ciocchetti
What happens when an industry compresses centuries of sporting evolution into less than a decade or two? Communities become global audiences overnight, rivalries spread through social media within minutes, and tournaments turn into entertainment products faster than ever before. And so what took traditional sports centuries to build has taken esports a fraction of that. From local communities to sold out arenas, and from informal matches to Olympic-style events, the ...
Counter-Strike
BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-final predictions: who’s making it to the grand final?
Owen Harsono
The top four teams we’re seeing at the BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-finals are far from what anyone would expect before the tournament began, but here we are. We’re only three matches from crowning a winner, so let’s take a look at the best BLAST Bounty semi-final predictions for both upcoming matchups. Starting the semi-finals off is a banger of a series between FaZe Clan and Team Spirit, which is one ...
Counter-Strike
We Ranked The Top 5 Most Hated CS2 Maps
Owen Harsono
If you’re a Counter-Strike player, you probably have that one map you always ban first in every Premier game — and you're not alone as almost everyone has one too. Below, we’ll take a look at the most hated maps in Counter-Strike history and explain why they are disliked by the community at large. Anubis is one of the newer releases in the Counter-Strike 2 map pool, but it has ...
Counter-Strike
The Top 10 Best Clutches in Counter-Strike History Ranked
Owen Harsono
Pulling off an impossible clutch is one of the greatest hits of dopamine any Counter-Strike 2 player can ever feel. However, pulling them off at the highest level can be a little tricky since everyone is so coordinated. That’s exactly why mind-blowing clutches are remembered forever. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the 10 best clutches in Counter-Strike history. We’re opening the list with former mousesports ...
Counter-Strike
Is the CS2 Esports Nations Cup Going To Be a Huge Disappointment?
Owen Harsono
The Esports World Cup recently rolled out a new tournament series called the Esports Nations Cup, where participants can only compete under their country’s flag — just like the FIFA World Cup. 2026 is going to be the first time the Esports Nations Cup plays out, and though there was a lot of hype surrounding it, there are concerns it might fall short of expectations. The qualifiers for the CS2 ...
