Fortnite edges CSGO for biggest esports prizes halfway through 2019
Fortnite esports has shared the highest prize pool thus far in 2019, followed by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and League of Legends.
According to
Esports Earnings’ data, Fortnite had a total prize pool of $14,723,414.67 through 179 tournaments featuring over 1,500 players. Each of the Fortnite World Cup 2019 qualifier weeks has added a million dollars to the prize pool, and $3 million was added through the Fortnite Celebrity Pro-Am 2019.
CSGO’s prize pool so far is $10,071,270.71, totaled from 310 tournaments featuring over 2,200 players. Unlike with Fortnite, CSGO’s prize pool doesn’t mostly come from one tournament but is rather distributed among many, with tournament prizes between $50,000 and $250,000 being the average.
Dota 2 was played in 73 pro tournaments. A prize pool of $8,456,126.57 was shared between 573 players. There were a few tournaments with $1,000,000 prize pools, like MDL Macau 2019, EPICENTER Major 2019, and DreamLeague Season 11.
Heading towards The International 2019 we are likely to see Dota 2 jump back to the top of the list. TI9 already has a
higher prize pool
compared to TI8 with about 45 days left before the crowdfunding deadline.
League of Legends was played on 81 tournaments, and featured over 1,200 players fighting for a $3,926,611 prize pool. $1 million of that amount comes from the Mid-Season Invitational, and the rest mostly from the biggest regional leagues in the LPL, LCK, LEC, and LCS.
The top four esports titles are followed by Overwatch, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Rainbow Six Siege, Hearthstone, and Magic: The Gathering Arena.
The top of the list has shuffled a bit since the end of 2018, when Dota 2 had the highest total prize pool with over $40 million. The International 2018 alone contributed over $25 million to that amount, making it the tournament with the largest overall prize pool in all of esports.
At the end of 2018, CSGO was in second place while Fortnite and League of Legends remained at third and fourth, respectively.
Read Also
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons at BLAST Open Fall 2026: best predictions and picks
Owen Harsono
We’re in for a treat, as the BLAST Open Fall semi-final will feature a matchup between Team Spirit and Team Falcons, with the winner booking a spot in the grand final. It’s a battle between the world number one and number two, so this is a match you definitely don’t want to miss. Here are our BLAST Open Fall Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: BLAST Open Fall 2026 ...
Counter-Strike
Is CS2 Dying in 2026?
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike is one of the longest-standing esports franchises, having built a loyal fanbase over the course of two decades. However, if you’ve browsed through social media platforms across the past few months, you might have seen people claiming that the game is dying or on a steady decline. Below we’ll take a look at why people are talking about this and answer the question of “is CS2 really dying?” One ...
News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027
Ben Boland
The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
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 ...
