What Is the Average Pro Gamer Salary?

Home » What Is the Average Pro Gamer Salary?

Imagine: It’s the beginning of the 2000s, and you’re telling your parents that you chose a career in gaming and that a pro gamer salary will be able to pay all your ups and downs sometimes in the future. You then proceed to your room with a smirk on your face and boot up Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

After a few seconds, your parents walk in, unplug your PC and tell you that you need to take things more seriously and that you’re grounded. “Why don’t you look up a profession that everybody has use for, say something to do with oil or gas,” they add as they close the doors to your room. So you say to yourself that being a gamer cannot be a serious profession, and you need to start preparing your exams for Oil Engineering school.

Now, it’s 2021, and you’re looking on your phone screen at environmentally conscious gamers showing their cribs while your dusty Oil Engineering diploma hangs tilted on your wall. Your parents invest in cryptocurrency, drive a hybrid, and have a smartphone that your friend, a part-time streamer, recommended to them. Now, the closest to gaming you came to is that browser T-Rex jumping over a cactus on your company’s laptop when the office wi-fi goes down. Your days of gaming career are long over.

Or are they?

Get Paid to Play

If you could say ten years ago that your gaming skills could earn you on average $1,000 to $6,000, nobody would believe you (or you’d probably end up grounded again). However, it’s 2021, and professional gamers earn $1,000 to $6,000 in average salaries a month. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

With the abundance of mobile, console, and PC game users, more and more people turn to games in order to make a few bucks. Whether through competitive gaming, streaming, or even beta testing, pro gaming resurfaces as one of the most lucrative professions in today’s job market.

However, many people tend to forget that no matter if it has “gaming” added to its name, a profession is still a profession. Pro gamers sometimes work even more hours than you’d on a nine-to-five job. Tough competition, strict discipline, ever-changing trends, and tight schedules are just a few factors that make this complex profession harder than you’d think.

That’s why professional gamers have some of the best bonuses and sponsorships nowadays. It’s not just money on the line anytime you enroll in a tournament; it’s your place in the eSports clan as well. Read on to see compensations and sources of income that pro gamers earn by engaging in this ruthless profession.

Average Pro Gamer Salary

Prize Money

When we think of pro gamers’ earnings, the first thing that comes to mind is the prize money won at tournaments. That’s the financial creme de la creme of eSports. Thanks primarily to gaming tournaments, the gaming profession brought other pro gamers to the mainstream.

Back when streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube weren’t popular or used like they are today, large gaming companies hosted tournaments that gathered pro gamers worldwide and amassed public attention. There were live TV broadcasts that had all kinds of gaming enthusiasts glued to the screens. Matches in StarCraft, WarCraft, Counter-Strike, (IceFrog’s) DotA, etc., had the most loyal fans waking up in the middle of the night to watch games live.

Today, however, we can easily stream many tournaments and watch replays with various commentaries on YouTube or other social platforms. More eyes pointing to a game equals more prize money. For instance, in 2021, the prize pool for Fortnite, DOTA 2, Player’s Unknown Battleground, and other popular titles are measured in millions of dollars. Compare that prize pool with some of the 2000s, and you’ll see that older tournaments, even combined, could not reach a million-dollar prize pool.

So, if you are a pro gamer that competes in one of the prominent tournaments and ultimately wins it, you wouldn’t need to worry about average monthly salaries for the rest of your life. For instance, in 2019, an annual World Cup in Fortnite, with the final events taking place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, the first prize was $3,000,000. It was estimated that a total of $30 million was dedicated for competitors that year!

Monthly Salary

Scoring first place in a tournament is not an easy feat. Given there are thousands of great pro gamers, just a percentage of them can be at the top. That’s why pro gamers usually agree on a monthly salary within their game clan so they’d have a steady income throughout the year.

An average monthly income depends on the type of game a pro gamer competes at and the popularity of that game. If pro gamers compete in popular games online (say Fortnite, League of Legends, or PUBG), they could score a monthly salary of around $5.000 to $8.000 or even higher, depending on their name. If you are a pro gamer who takes part as a practicing buddy for more prominent names, you can earn under $4.000. 

However, if you still compete in older games such as StarCraft or Warcraft 3, then you’d have less of a chance even to find a gaming clan that will be willing to pay you a monthly salary. Usually, older games don’t generate new sponsors or fans, so tournaments have smaller publicity and prize pools.

Let’s say you are a veteran pro gamer that still plays unpopular games on a high competitive level, your option for making income will not be in a monthly salary or pro tournament. You’d have to count on your gaming skills to try out a new popular game, stream, or develop and test other gaming projects.

Streaming

Many gamers use their practicing time for streaming. Skilled online gamers have become so popular that they could make their whole career out of streaming. Millions of views, subs and giftsubs on Twitch leave you with a fat paycheck at the end of the month. Depending on your account status, you can earn around $7.000 a month by online streaming alone. Of course, if game streamers make sponsorship deals or sell their merch, they could easily make more than $10.000 a month.

However, remember that you’d have to be ready to stream for hours and be at the top of your game. Usually, viewers like to have a chatty and witty streamer to keep their attention every single day. That can sometimes be so hard that you could feel like you’re working in a sweatshop.

On top of streaming for eight or more hours most days during the week, you’d have to be engaged in two-way communication with your fans. That sometimes means you’ll read rude comments that can impact your mood. And no matter how toxic these comments can get, you need to keep calm and spread positivity to avoid being negative or getting banned from the platform.

You’ll also need to count on the not-so-little expenses. If you opt to have moderators on your stream, you’ll have to pay them. And not to mention that you need a complete streaming setup to begin with! To be able to stream, you’d need a beast of a PC in order to process the stream seamlessly. Nobody wants to experience choppy gameplay, loss of connection, or your pixelated reactions.

Pro gamer setups start from $1,500 and up. As your popularity grows, you’ll need to expand your studio, find a dedicated streaming room, have it soundproofed, get a better microphone and camera, lights—the list goes on and on. Luckily, if you end up with thousands of viewers, these investments won’t be hard to get.

Sponsorships

One thing that keeps the money pumping into the gaming industry is sponsors. You often read about money pro players earn during tournaments or signing up contracts with gaming clans. However, the truth is a lot of cash flow is unknown to the public eye when you look at sponsorships.

For instance, if you sign a contract to promote a company or their product, you could end up with bonuses that are way higher than the unsuccessful tournament you just played. The same goes if you stream and promote a product or offer an expiring deal to your viewers. Companies tend to invest a lot of money in streamers, given they are, in fact, the targeted audience and know how to sell their product to their peers.

Sponsors can be an extended source of income or a one-time deal. Whether you’ll attract sponsors or not has to do with the nature of your stream, the language you use, and political correctness. Many gamers made an on-stream faux pas that could’ve cost them not just sponsorship but their whole gaming career. You can lose everything if you show any signs of misogyny, chauvinism, or other political incorrectness in a matter of seconds.

On the other hand, if you are a big streaming name, you show your real face with your sponsorship selection. Many streamers may endanger their careers when they sign a deal with a controversial brand. Signing sponsorship with an oil company generates different reactions than signing an agreement with an eco-friendly corporation. That’s why you should think twice if a dubious/unethical corporation offers you high-paying contracts.

Other eSports-Related Income

Many factors influence the length of your gaming career. Your skills, reflexes, and interest have a shelflife, unfortunately. Like in regular sports, your reactions won’t be as quick in your thirties as they were in your teen years. That’s why many pro gamers turn to other gaming-related professions when they choose to wrap up their career.

Average Pro Gamer Salary

eSports Journalism

One of the great ways to implement your gaming knowledge is to become an eSports journalist. What’s better than giving your opinion to the public that’s also your fanbase?

You can opt to be a live tournament eSports commentator. Your knowledge of the game can be better than that of commentators that have never played the specific game. Niche game mechanics and unique in-game strategies are what pro gamers know inside-out. Why not make some extra money by telling people things that only you, as a former or current pro gamer, can see?

Commentary is not the only thing you can shine in. Pro gamers are excellent journalists, reviewers, and social media managers for some gaming companies. With the knowledge they possess, pro gamers can make a comfy living by writing gaming articles or vlogging a video game review. Whenever a well-known gaming name appears to a review, it can automatically generate more clicks and views.

Coaching

Former pro gamers earn money by coaching younger talented gamers. As a pro gamer, you can quickly distinguish between a lost cause and a rising eSports star. That’s why many clans employ former pro gamers to coach and teach, which can hugely benefit inexperienced players when competing against experienced tournament winners.

It’s not just an on-screen battle when it comes to competitive playing. It’s also about mind games players need to conquer if they want to be at the top of the game. That’s where pro gamers’ coaching pays out greatly. With years of competitive gaming on their resume, pro gamers can help their clan while making money.

Game Development/Beta Tester

Lastly, pro gamers can find a job within the companies that made their favorite game. Usually, when playing a specific game successfully for years, you’ll end up with lots of contacts from the game’s development team. Thanks to your excellent knowledge of game mechanics, you can use those contacts to join the company and be a part of the team that can make the gaming experience even better. Imagine being the game creator for the upcoming games based on the one which you played for so many years and getting paid well along the way!

Other deals companies like to make with pro gamers are beta testing. Whenever a new game patch needs to go public, companies send out beta versions to loyal pro gamers so they could give them their feedback. Despite being privileged to play the new game patch and send valuable feedback, pro gamers usually get some kind of financial reward for their efforts.

Conclusion

As shown above, being a pro gamer in 2021 still harbors some risks. It’s not just RGB lights, flashy uniforms, and let’s-get-ready-to-rumble all the time, but gruesome discipline and dedication, too. In order to make worthwhile money, pro gamers must practice daily and find time to stream while having a social life on the side.

Another thing to keep in mind is that long sedentary sessions usually take a toll on your body. You’ll need to check your eyes and get physical from time to time. On the other hand, not all gamers can enjoy the pro gaming lifestyle equally. Minors need parental permission, and a lot of traveling will leave them out of school for a long time. If you are a gaming veteran, then you’ll need to be in shape with your reflexes and know when your dexterity reaches its limit.

Finally, suppose you want to become a professional gamer, streamer, or something revolving around the gaming industry. In that case, you’ll need to have a significant income to invest in all the gadgets required. These gadgets cost more than thousands of dollars, so good luck convincing your loved ones that the rig and setup you’re buying isn’t just for fun but for earning money. But it’s 2021, and people around you will definitely have more understanding than twenty years ago.

By the way, did you know that there’s a game called Oil Tycoon?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

eSportsBFF.com
eSportsbff is an independent source of information unrelated to any sportsbook. Our autonomous expert team creates all of our reviews honestly, according to their best judgement and knowledge. However, our reviews are written solely for informative purposes.