Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
E-sports market - statistics & facts
The size of the global e-sports market is expected to steadily increase up until 2030, reaching a value of 6.2 billion U.S. dollars within the next few years. However, this revenue growth belies the underlying struggles – since 2023, the e-sports scene has been going through the same struggles affecting the wider gaming industry and was particularly impacted by financial challenges caused by slowed investment and reduced sponsorship deals.
Where are the biggest e-sports markets?
Revenues within the e-sports industry come from betting, merchandise and ticketing, sponsorship and advertising, media rights, publisher fees, and streaming. The United States is the biggest e-sports market worldwide, accounting for revenues of over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars as of 2026. The industry shows no signs of slowing down within the North American country, as the number of e-sports users in the U.S. was forecast to surpass 72 million in 2029. E-sports are also particularly popular in East Asia, with China and South Korea being the most prominent e-sports markets in the region.
What are the most popular e-sports games and tournaments?
The most popular e-sports titles include multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games like League of Legends, Mobile, Legends, or Dota 2, as well as shooter games such as Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant. In fact, League of Legends was the most watched e-sports game worldwide in 2025, racking up over 735 million viewing hours combined across the whole year. League of Legends also topped the charts when it came to the most watched e-sports tournaments.
How much money is there to be made in e-sports?
Given the immense popularity of games such as these across the world, official e-sports tournaments can offer huge jackpots for the best players in the world. The cumulative prize pools for the top e-sports game exceeded six million U.S. dollars in the first half of 2025, offering transformative sums of money to professional gamers. As a result of the increasing money in the market, the top players in the world can make a living from video games, something that would have been almost unthinkable in past decades.Â
The now-retired Johan Sundstein from Denmark (Faroe Islands), also known as N0tail, still holds the title as the highest earning e-sports player worldwide. Having won 4 Majors and 2 Internationals, Sundstein is also the most decorated Dota 2 player of all time. In a market that is very male-dominated, female e-sports players still earn considerably less, with Sasha Hostyn, known as Scarlett, having recorded the highest earnings out of any female e-sports gamer.
Outlook: Olympic Esport Games
Are e-sports real sports? The International Olympic Committee seems to think so. In July 2024, the IOC made headlines when it decided to create the Olympic Esport Games, with the inaugural edition to be held in 2027 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF), host of the Esports World Cup tournament, will become a co-founder of the Esports Olympic Games. The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) will also be involved in preparing the Esports Olympic Games.
Saudi Arabia, via its Public Investment Fund (PIF) and its subsidiary Savvy Games Group, is heavily investing in the gaming and e-sports sectors. These investments, coupled with an industry transformation during the recent lean years and increased mainstream acceptance, could lead the e-sports scene to another time of innovation and growth.
