Gaming Champions Rich List

Global video gaming is a billion-dollar industry that has been around for many years.

The gaming market is expected to hit roughly $190 billion in revenue this year, officially making more money than Hollywood.

The first Fortnite World Cup Finals, held in 2019, featured one of the biggest cash prizes in Esports history, with a prize pool of $15.38 million. There are competitive championships for a wide range of games these days, from chess and esports to Warhammer. But who are the faces behind the top-ranking players of all time, and who is raking in the millions?

In this research, we will look at the champions of the gaming industry to see who has won the most, which gaming events had the biggest prizes, and their social media following. We will create the ultimate gaming-rich list and rankings from these figures, revealing the biggest earners and influencers of one of the world’s most profitable markets.

While some prefer to compete in gaming tournaments to earn cash, those less skilful might prefer to gamble safely. Be sure to check out the nearest casinos near you to be in with the chance of winning extra bucks in your wallet.

• Gustavo Herdina - Herdsz
  Country of residence: Brazil
  Rich list score: 8.38

Gustavo "Herdsz" Herdina is a 23-year-old Brazilian Rainbow Six Siege player who last played for w7m Esports. Despite his young age, Gustavo has built up quite a reputation for his gaming talents and most recently placed first in the February Six Invitational 2024, winning a prize of $1 million, and was awarded the “Most MVP Wins.” In 2023, Gustavo won many other awards and prizes for his Rainbow Six gameplay, consistently placing at the top of the rankings. Gustavo currently has an Instagram following of over 15,000, which is expected to grow, and his earnings are estimated at $218 per post.

• Vitor Corrêa - VITAKING
  Country of residence: Brazil
  Rich list score: 7.36

Vitor Corrêa is another young Brazilian player in our top three making moves in the gaming industry, scoring 7.36. Vitor is only 13 years old and has already made his mark in the gaming industry, with his best prize win of $90,000 in the Six Invitational 2024, where he placed second behind fellow Brazillian contestant Gustavo Herdina. 

Since the age of six, Vitor has dominated the gaming and technology world, participating in six championships at the start of his career. Vitor, aka VITAKING, has also bagged sponsorship opportunities with the Brazilian gaming attraction Marica Games. With a following of over 578,000, Vitor has already won the hearts of gamers worldwide, becoming a major influencer with earnings estimated at $6,910 per post!

• João Vitor - Jv92
  Rich list score: 7.04

João Vitor is a 17-year-old Brazillian player, concluding our top 3 list of all Brazillian Esports players. Scoring 7.04 out of 10 in the ranking, João, or Jv92, is a Rainbow Six Siege Player who ranks eighth in esports for his country. His top win was $200,000, which he bagged in the Rainbow Six Invitational 2024, taking first place alongside Gustavo Herdina. João’s passion for the gamer universe is reflected on his Instagram account, where he is growing a steady following of almost 9,000 followers.

• Magnus Carlsen
  Rich list score: 9.26

Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian chess grandmaster and a five-time World Chess Champion. Scoring 9.26 in the ranking, Magnus received his best prize of $1.53 million when he won the 2013 World Championship match against Viswanathan Anand, becoming the new world chess champion at 22. Carlsen’s father first taught him how to play chess when he was five, and he entered his first tournament at eight. With an Instagram following of 1.46 million, Magnus has firmly established himself as a chess champion and Youtuber for young players to aspire to become.

• Anatoly Karpov
  Rich list score: 7.40

Anatoly Karpov is a 72-year-old former Soviet chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, ⁣and politician living in Russia. Scoring 7.40, Anatoly is widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players ever. He won his best prize of $1.3 million during the FIDE World Championship 1998 against Viswanathan Anand. Karpov's chess tournament successes include over 160 first-place finishes. Despite his older age, Anatoly has built a following of over 65,200 fans on Instagram, and his estimated earnings are $774 per post.

• Garry Kasparov
  Rich list score: 7.39

Garry Karpov is a 60-year-old Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, political activist and writer. Scoring 7.39, Garry Karpov became the youngest-ever undisputed world champion in 1985 at age 22 by defeating then-champion Anatoly Karpov. They played five World Chess Championship matches together, with Kasparov winning the remaining four. The Kasparov-Karpov rivalry is considered one of the greatest in chess history, as their matches were intense psychological battles that often lasted hours. Kasparov’s game prizes were higher than Karpov’s, but he ultimately lost points for his social popularity (40,594 followers) and earns $506 per social post.

• Ryoo Kyung-hyun 
  Player ID: SeleCT
  Total earnings: $45,000

Ryoo “SeleCT” Kyung-hyun is a 35-year-old retired Korean Terran player who first competed in Warcraft III and Dawn of War (DOW). He found his greatest success in DOW, becoming the World Cyber Games champion twice. He later switched to StarCraft II, where he played Terran, before retiring to play DotA. Ryoo earned over $45,000 in Warhammer and won his largest prize in 2006 when he bagged $25,000 during the World Cyber Games 2006 (Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War). 

• Gregorio Costa
  Player ID: xdeathgun
  Total earnings: $10,000

Gregorio “xdeathgun” Costa is a Brazillian Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War player and has earned over $10,000 thanks to his Warhammer gameplay. In 2006, he entered the World Cyber Games tournament and placed second in the race behind Ryoo Kyung-hyun (SeleCT).

• André Zilio
  Player ID: QuanChi
  Total earnings: $10,000

André Zilio is another Brazillian Warhammer player on our list, with $10,000 winnings. The Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War player came runner-up behind Ryoo Kyung-hyun (SeleCT) in the 2005 World Cyber Games tournament.

• Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
  Total earnings: $1.09 million

Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is a 36-year-old Brazillian Magic: The Gathering player. In 2011, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa became the youngest player ever to reach 300 lifetime Pro Points. Damo da Rosa is the all-time leader in prize money won playing Magic at the professional level, winning over $1 million in tournaments. Damo da Rosa has been praised for being a rare talent and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, and is the first South American to do so. As one of the top Magic players in history, Damo da Rosa still plays with a passion for the game, and his 2019 winnings continued into 2020 with his victory at World Championship XXVI, putting him firmly at the top of the game.

• Gabriel Nassif - France
  Total earnings: $740,760

Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player who is known for his continuous success on the Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. Nassif is often regarded as one of the best Magic players of all time and was the 2004 Player of the Year, winning two Pro Tours: PT Atlanta 2005 and PT Kyoto 2009. Most recently, Gabriel competed in the February 2023 Magic Pro Tour and ranked eighth. 

• Seth Manfield - USA
  Total earnings: $716,930

Seth Manfield is a 33-year-old American Magic: The Gathering player and former World Champion, winning the 2015 World Championship. Seth also has five Grand Prix wins and five Pro Tour top eights, including wins at Pro Tour Ixalan in 2017 and PT Karlov Manor in 2024. In 2018, Manfield was voted into the Hall of Fame, and later that year, it was announced that he would be one of 32 players joining the upcoming 2019 Magic Pro League. After finishing in the Top 4 in the 2021 season, he was rewarded with a place in the 2021 World Championship. Seth has won over $716,930 for his gaming efforts.

The Esports players with the highest earnings were taken from Esports Earnings on 04/03/2024.

The chess players with the highest earnings were taken from Chess.com on 04/03/2024.

The Warhammer 40,000 players with the highest earnings were taken from Esports Earnings on 04/03/2024.

The Magic: The Gathering earnings were taken from Magic Pro League on 04/03/2024.

The number of Instagram followers for each Esports and chess player was taken from Instagram, where available. For chess and esports layers without an Instagram account, their score was left blank. Social data was unavailable for Magic: The Gathering players and Warhammer 40,000 players, so this factor was removed. This data is accurate as of 06/03/2024.

Each player’s estimated Instagram earnings per post was taken from InBeat and HypeAuditor on 07/03/2024.