CS2 is 2025’s top esports title based on prize pool

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) is 2025’s top esports title based on the total amount of winnings that various tournament organisers offered.

Valve’s first-person shooter title saw $32.2m (~£24.1m) in prize money awarded to teams competing in events over the past 12 months.

According to esports data platform Esports Charts, CS2’s total prize pool increased by 41.5% compared to 2024. The increase in the total prize pool comes as a result of an expanded tournament calendar, giving teams more opportunities to compete in high-profile events.

Throughout 2025, several event organisers launched new tournament series, attracting some of the largest organisations in the world. January saw BLAST launch its BLAST Bounty series, while PGL hosted an expanded slate of Tier 1 events between February and October.

Alongside ESL, BLAST, and PGL, Serbian organiser FISSURE hosted the first two events of its FISSURE Playground series, with $950,000 (~£711,759) in prize money split across each tournament.

In addition to several tournaments taking place across Europe, China’s Counter-Strike scene has also continued to show signs of impressive growth. Hero Esports hosted the Asian Champions League in May, and ESL held an Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) event in Chengdu.

$2.5m (~£1.8m) in prize money covered the BLAST.tv Austin Major and the recent StarLadder Budapest Major. French esports organisation Team Vitality won both tentpole tournaments, taking home $1m (~£749,295) as a result.

According to Esports Charts, more than $270m (~£202m) was awarded to players and teams in 2025, a 15.5% increase from last year. Alongside CS2, Dota 2 placed second on the list with $23.14m (~£17.33m) in prize pools. Meanwhile, mobile MOBA Honor of Kings has continued its global expansion, increasing its total prize pool by 3.8% to $21.77m (~£16.3m).

With more prize money up for grabs alongside an ever-expanding tournament calendar, the Tier 1 Counter-Strike ecosystem is in a healthy place. With several high-profile organisations fielding rosters in the title, tournaments continue to attract large viewing figures.

To adhere to Valve’s Tournament Operating Requirements, several organisers have already mapped out event calendars until the end of 2028, aiming to build a sustainable, open ecosystem featuring several events run by the industry’s biggest event organisers.