How Much do Professional CS:GO/CS2 Players Make?
First, we need to preface that there’s a substantial disparity between the salaries of players employed by the biggest A tier organizations and of those who play in smaller teams, maybe even on a regional level. The more productive and popular the team is, the more attractive it becomes in the eyes of potential sponsors, which results in higher salaries and performance bonuses. We’ll be covering the highest paid athletes and their salaries, since this information is somewhat easier to uncover. Don’t forget that a professional CS2 player, just like any regular worker, is obliged to sign an NDA, agreeing to not disclose certain information and details regarding his financial compensation.
A fixed salary that is provided directly by the organization varies depending on its size and financial capabilities. It is given that these orgs provide accommodation, practice facilities, travel expenses and cover some equipment needs. Many esports orgs collaborate with various PC hardware manufacturers, providing players with the necessary gear. It is also worth mentioning that aside from salaries, the tournament winnings make up a solid portion of players’ earnings. The biggest CS2 tournaments tend to have solid prize pools, whereas some other esports disciplines are built around salaries and sponsorships, like League of Legends. While today’s tournament earnings can easily rack up $500,000 per team (in case they win a Major or other Tier 1 tournament with a big prize pool), the biggest payday just 15 years ago in the CS 1.6’s heyday was just $50,000 for entire team, as seen on the photo down below. Nevertheless, look at the happy grimaces of markeloff and Zeus :)
What is the Average Salary in CS:GO and CS2?
As to the size of a fixed salary, players in the upper echelon (Tier 1) earn between $5,000 to $80,000. However, these big paychecks are extremely rare – they are reserved only to the crème de la crème of CS2. For example, once donk and m0nesy decide to move from their current teams, they’ll surely break the $80,000 barrier, considering the combination of talent, experience and their young age. On the flipside, the majority of Tier 2-3 teams cannot offer big monthly paychecks, fluctuating somewhere between $1,000 to $5,000. As soon as we can see the rise of yet another promising talent on the scene, he’s most likely to be scouted by a larger Tier 1-2 organization. Plus, the nature of a lower tier CS2 competition is very volatile, since orgs are being establish and then disappear all the time.
Back in 2022, smooya revealed that the players of Copenhagen Flames earned only $2,000 per month, despite being the top 8 side at the Major. He also mentioned that GamerLegion players would get around $5,000 per month, while ZywOo and s1mple would rack up $40,000 and $50,000 respectively. However, these figures are outdated, since GamerLegion gained some traction, while s1mple went on a hiatus, followed by a short stint at Falcons. It seems like CS2 pros make humongous wages, but in reality, it is true only for a small number of players. There is a chart of estimated monthly salary budgets of top teams’ players and coaches combined, courtesy of Mauisnake. Considering the recent changes in Falcons, Heroic, FaZe and G2 rosters, it’s not as precise, but still gives us a ballpark figure as to how much each org spends on wages.
Highest Paid CS:GO/CS2 Players Salary
Currently, the highest paid CS2 player has to be NiKo, considering his recent move to Falcons. The Saudi team has a pretty significant advantage in negotiating deals thanks to their immense budget. Since the latest roster change at G2 didn’t work, the Bosnian star rifler decided to try his luck with the newly-reassembled Falcons, where he’ll be accompanied by Magisk and ex-Heroic trio of TeSes, degster and kyxsan. It is rumoured that NiKo’s salary will be around $95,000, making him the highest paid CS2 pro.
Who is the Richest CS:GO Player?
The website Esports Earnings lists the Danish legend dupreeh as the highest earning CS:GO player with impressive $2,200,000, mostly due to his five Major wins with Astralis and Team Vitality. For each Major win with Astralis, the danes would bring home 90% of winnings, according to the 2019 report. Unfortunately, not everyone are as generous as the Astralis management, this practice of letting players keep almost everything is rather unusual and unheard of, as most organizations take a substantial percentage of players’ winnings. What can possibly make dupreeh the richest CS2 player is the sheer amount of money earned from stickers, considering how often he qualified for the Major. For many players, having a Major sticker is the big prize itself, thanks to the system that Valve built.
How Much do CS:GO/CS2 Players Make From Stickers
Many CS2 fans know how it is important for any team to qualify for the Major in order to be eligible for the tournament sticker participation. According to NickelBack, each player can make from $200,000 to $250,000 from sticker sales, and that is life-changing money for the majority of players. A few years back, Valve announced that the CS community managed to raise $70 million for orgs and players, which is kind of impressive.
By the way, if you’re looking to get a cheap tournament sticker, then head to Skin.Land by this link and scroll down to the filter section where you can see a ‘Stickers’ tab where you can select a specific tournament collection.
How Much do CS:GO/CS2 Analysts and Coaches Make
Although there’s no open information regarding coaches’ salaries, but some speculate that they start from $1,000 for a lower tier organization, and can reach up to $8,000. The esports equivalent of a performance bonus is also in play, with Astralis revealing that they offer 10% of the winnings to their coach. It is only fair to compensate guys like zonic and B1ad3 for their hard work and strategic ingenuity.
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