Aqua net worth: How much money has David “Aqua” Wang won during his esports career?

David “Aqua” Wang is the most financially successful Austrian esports competitor with career earnings of $2.19 million.

He became a millionaire at 17 years old after winning the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Duo Championship with Emil “Nyhrox” Bergquist Pedersen.

But the now 23-year-old has made only a handful of appearances since announcing his retirement from competition in September 2023.

In our analysis of Aqua’s net worth, we take a look at his tournament credentials, salaries, endorsements and other financial interests.

His real name is David Wang. He’s a 23-year-old Fortnite player who won the inaugural Fortnite World Cup Final – Duo with Emil “Nyhrox” Bergquist Pedersen in 2019.

Since September 2023, he has been effectively retired from competitive Fortnite, with only a relative handful of appearances over the past two years.

However, the $2.19 million earned from esports makes him the most financially successful Austrian gamer and puts him at 43rd spot on the all-time rich list. 

The most reliable estimate of Aqua’s net worth is from his tournament earnings. This figure had reached $2.19 million as of December 8, 2025, according to Esports Earnings.

However, most high-level gamers also make money from team salaries, endorsements, streaming, and other interests.

Let’s take a look at Aqua’s main revenue streams.

The vast majority of his wealth comes from prize money earned by competing in Fortnite tournaments.

More than 80% of this total was won in 2019, with $1.5 million coming from his victory alongside Nyhrox in the Fortnite World Cup Duo Championship.

He also won $171,350 in 2022 and $117,608 in 2020. His earnings since have fallen away because he has taken part in only a handful of tournaments.

The terms of Aqua’s contracts haven’t been disclosed for either Cooler Esports or LootBoy Esports, so an accurate figure is impossible.

However, a report from the Influencer Marketing Hub suggests that top esports competitors can earn up to $187,200 per year. 

It’s understood that Aqua played for Cooler Esport between June 2019 and April 2021, and then for LootBoy Esports from December 2021 to July 2022.

According to Companies House records, London-based Cooler Esport was incorporated on July 18, 2018, and dissolved on September 21, 2021.

This is a popular way for gamers to boost their income, and Aqua appears to have an active Twitch account that’s followed by 480,000 people.

He is thought to have 35 current subscribers, according to Streams Charts, although income is hard to estimate as players have individual contract terms. Viewers can also pay them tips.

Aqua has also had a YouTube channel since December 2015, though it doesn’t appear he’s shared anything in two years.

At the time of writing, it has 330,000 subscribers and contains 60 videos. The amount he earns will depend on his agreement with the platform.

There don’t appear to be any public records of businesses linked to Aqua or of the prominent investments he’s made.

Aqua was born and spent his entire life in Austria before embarking on a remarkable esports odyssey that has taken him around the world.

In a video interview from 2019, his mother recalled how Aqua’s father left when he was one year old after the couple decided to go their separate ways.

“When Aqua was growing up, he was very friendly, sporty and talented,” she recalled. “His first word was ball, not mum. Aqua was playing on a soccer team, and they won many prizes, so he got used to winning.”

She went on to say that although he had many friends as a young child, he was home-schooled from about the age of 13, so he didn’t leave the house. He spent all his time on the PC.

Aqua developed an early passion for video games, with his mother only realising he was playing Fortnite at the start of 2019.

“In April, Aqua suddenly began speaking English in his room,” she explained. “That was the first time I heard him, and then he informed me he’s playing with Nyhrox.”

In the same video interview, Nyhrox, otherwise known as Emil Bergquist Pedersen, recalled how he’d come across Aqua’s name when he appeared on various leaderboards.

The pair struck up a friendship, placing 10th in their first tournament together and earning $2,000. They then started practising a few weeks before the world qualifiers.

Aqua’s career-defining moment came when he was 17 years old at the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Duo Championship held at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Despite a challenging first three games, Aqua and 16-year-old Nyhrox fought back to emerge victorious in the 50-team tournament and claim the lucrative prize.

Aqua’s mother recalled how everyone was jumping up and down with excitement after the teenagers pulled off the seemingly impossible.

“I was very proud of him, but the most proud moment wasn’t winning the World Cup, it was in the hall when he was speaking to the other guys,” she said. “He wasn’t shy, he had friends, and was completely a part of something.”

To the surprise of observers, Aqua messaged Nyhrox the following day to say he wanted to end their partnership and instead play with Klaus “Stompy” Konstanzer.

At that time, Aqua and Stompy were already close friends, playing together constantly and sharing the German language.

The duo subsequently formed a trio with Thomas “Tschinken” Hörak and went on to win the FNCS: Season X Grand Finals – Europe. 

Aqua took to X in September 2023 to announce his departure from competitive Fortnite.

His post received more than a million views and 984 replies. One was from his former partner, Nyhrox, who wrote: “All the best for the future, my bro, thanks for all the memories.”

Less than two months later, Aqua announced his return. However, he has only made a handful of appearances over the past couple of years.

At the time of writing, Aqua had won 26 tournaments, been runner-up in eight and placed third in a further 12.

While his biggest earner was the $1.5 million made from the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Duo Championship, he has made six-figure sums from other tournaments.

The 2019 FNCS: Season X – Grand Finals Europe earned him $160,000, and he earned $150,000 from the 2022 FNCS: Chapter 3 Season 2 – Grand Finals Europe.

While there have been plenty of spectacular moments during Aqua’s career, there have also been some darker days.

In October 2020, Aqua explained on X (formerly Twitter) that Epic Games had given him a 14-day ban for posting two tweets in violation of its rules.

In early 2025, posts on X suggested that Aqua had been kidnapped. However, this was later revealed to be part of a marketing stunt.

In August 2025, Aqua took to X (formerly Twitter) to address comments attributed to him that had appeared on social media.

These referred to tweets in which he used offensive language, for which he apologised to the communities affected and to anyone hurt by his words.

In an interview after winning the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Duo Championship, he suggested he’d use some of his $1.5 million winnings on a new PC.

He also pledged to turn his attention to how he’s dressed. “I’ve never bought expensive clothes,” he said. “I think I’m going to buy expensive shoes, maybe Gucci shoes.”

Generally, Aqua chooses not to share much about his life on social media. The most recent posts on Instagram, for example, date back to November 2022.

He is more active on X, although the content is mainly gaming-focused. A report published last year ranked Aqua as the eighth most-followed esports competitor in the world. 

Aqua doesn’t appear to support any particular charities. However, he may have made donations that haven’t been publicly recorded.

Aqua is the highest earning esports competitor from Austria with his $2.19 million dwarfing the $634,421 of Klaus “stompy” Konstanzer in second place.

As far as Fortnite is concerned, Aqua is in second place behind Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, who has earned $3.7 million in his career.

However, he only ranks 43rd on the all-time esports rich list, with most of the biggest earners having made their fortunes from Dota 2. 

Johan “N0tail” Sundstein sits at the top, having earned a remarkable $7.2 million, while a further nine players have made more than $5 million.

David “Aqua” Wang’s time competing at the highest level of esports may have been relatively brief, but it was undoubtedly successful.

He became a millionaire at just 17 years old after winning the inaugural 2019 Fortnite World Cup Final – Duos alongside Emil “Nyhrox” Bergquist Pedersen.

However, he has faced some controversial episodes, including a 14-day ban for a game violation and an apology for using offensive language.

Although he’s limited his professional gaming to sporadic appearances over the last two years, no one can deny the impact he’s had on the game.