Inside the Salaries of League of Legends Pros: What’s the Pay Like?

By LOLValue Team · October 23, 2025

Money is now a big factor in most sports, Esports inclusive. A decade ago, the primary focus of players was to win and entertain their fans, whatever their pay. Today, Players play to earn a living in addition to winning. 

In fact, the prize money of tournaments has been jacked up to reflect current realities. Because of this, many League of Legends (Lol) players now earn six-figure salaries, with top players like Faker earning even seven figures.

That said, the specific salary of lol esports players depends on several factors, which we'll briefly consider below.

Factors Determining League of Legends Player Salaries

While the average salaries of LOL players have increased over the last decade, the factors below explain the disparity in earnings per player.

Base Salary

This is the amount a team pays their player monthly, excluding bonuses, rewards, and other additions. On average, top players, especially in elite teams like T1, G2, etc., earn a base salary of between $100,000 and $500,000 per annum. Rookie players in development, tier-2, or tier-3 leagues earn significantly below the average, between $25,000 and $75,000 base salary per year.

Tournament Winnings

This is a performance-based income; hence, it is not stable or guaranteed. That said, the prize pools of major tournaments like League of Legends Worlds have seen an astronomical increase compared to previous years.

For instance, in 2024, it was $2.25 million, but it has now gone up to $5 million in 2025. Based on this, G2 esports players can earn between $50 and $500,000 per event.

Sponsorships and Streaming

According to Insider Esports, "Sponsorships and merchandise also factor into LoL esports players' earnings, helping provide a relatively stable income, although this can only be sustained so long as they perform."

While not everyone can be lucky enough to bag a lucrative deal, on average, a pro League of Legends player can earn an additional income of between $100,000 and $500,000 from sponsorships annually.

Similarly, the best players in some teams have access to the streaming revenues their team makes from streamers like Twitch and YouTube.

Stock Ownership

Some G2 Esports professional league players are stockholders of their teams. As such, their earnings can differ significantly from others. On estimation, some players earn as high as $100,000 per annum from merchandise deals with their teams.

Other Factors

Other uncategorized factors also determine player earnings. For instance, some players are also coaches in other teams. Others also make more money because of their location and exceptional skills. When put together, these things are what separate the boys of League of Legends esports from their men.

The Highest Paid Lol Players in The Last Decade

Several players have made their marks in Lol, both in terms of winnings and money earned. However, in the last 10 years, the name and face of this esport has been Faker, recording seven-figure earnings. Here is what he made compared to others.

| Player | Earnings (2016 to date) | Current Team |

| --- | --- | --- |

| Faker (Lee Sang-hyeok) | $1,922,084 | T1 |

| Ruler (Park Jae-hyuk) | $1,035,773 | Gen.G |

| Duke (Lee Ho-Seong) | $959,072 | BRO |

| JackeyLove (Yu Wenbo) | $926,556 | TES |

| Bang (Bae Jun-Sik) | $915,941 | Free agent |

| Wolf (Lee Jae-Wan) | $913,167 | Free agent |

| Bengi (Bae Seong-woong) | $810,882 | DK |

| Peanut (Han Wang-ho) | $793,351 | HLE |

| CoreJj (Jo Yong-in) | $782,465 | TL |

| Caps (Rasmus Borregaard Winther) | $767,619 | G2 |

League vs. Drop the Boss

While League is gaining traction in the Esports space, Drop The Boss is also pulling an interesting stunt in the Arcade genre. 

In Canada and globally, many players cannot hold their excitement at the physics-based and satirical gameplay of this release by Mirror Image Gaming (MIG). This has made the drop the boss slot one of the most popular in the country for playing. The crash game is all over social media, redefining casino gaming. Players can always try the free mode to grasp its rules and play.

LOL is not a casino game, but in some sense, its in-game cosmetics possess some casino attributes. 

A player on Reddit opines that "What needs to be well-understood and really ought to be part of typical discourse surrounding LoL is that it absolutely, completely, is a gambling game."

The multiplayer video game by Riot Games is skill-based but also has elements of chance. Its viewership is massive, with teams and players making cool money from it. The popularity of the game and million in prize are two of its selling points.

How LOL Compares With Other Esports

The prizes of Esports games vary widely due to sponsorship, viewership, and commercial differences. And while LOL is doing well in terms of popularity, Dota 2 (Hawk Live) by Valve has consistently edged it in terms of prize pools. 

For instance, its 2021 TI edition offered a whopping $40 million, an amount that none of its closest competitors could match. LOL, however, has millions of viewers that ensure that players are paid handsomely for their performance.

Conclusion

League of Legends Pro Players earn decently, with Faker and Uzi topping the list. Salaries may vary across teams and players, but the prospects look great in the coming years, given the current expansion into the mobile space. Other titles are also coming up, suggesting that Uzi's annual $300,000 salary could become paltry in less than five years from now.

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