The amount of prize money in Call of Duty esports may not match the same figures seen in titles like Dota 2, but that hasn’t stopped numerous players from collecting massive paychecks over their careers.
Since the 2011 CoD XP, which featured the esport’s first $1 million prize pool, there have been 11 world title events, all of which have boasted large prize pools. This has allowed players to dedicate more time and energy to the game and truly make competitive CoD into a career. Some have made those careers very, very financially beneficial.
Here are the top 10 Call of Duty players in event earnings.
Top 10 highest-earning players in Call of Duty history
10) Kenny – $912,228
A superstar player from the beginning, Kenny came up just short in his first two CoD Champs appearances, finishing second in 2018 and 2019. He eventually got his world title win, though, when the Los Angeles Thieves defeated Atlanta FaZe to win the 2022 CDL Championship and claim the $1.2 million grand prize.
9) Priestahh – $966,417
Like his former 100 Thieves teammate, Priestahh had been unable to win the big one despite reaching the grand finals in 2019 and 2020. That is until he and the New York Subliners capped off the 2023 season with a dominant 5-0 victory over the Toronto Ultra to win Priestahh his world championship and a nice chunk of change as well.
8) SlasheR – $1,008,433
Long regarded as one of the best assault rifle players in the world, SlasheR won his first and only world title to date back in 2016 as a part of Team Envy. He has had some near misses, however, with second-place finishes in 2017 and 2019, in addition to a third-place result in 2023.
7) Scump – $1,063,130
The most popular player in Call of Duty, Scump finally won his first world championship in 2017 by defeating arch-rivals Team Envy in the grand finals. That win not only gave him one of the only achievements he was missing from his career résumé, but it also added over $100,000 to his prize money total.
Scump retired from competitive CoD during the 2023 season.
6) Clayster – $1,195,572
Clayster is arguably the most vocal and exciting player in esports. He’s not afraid to stand up and yell across a venue at his opponents after he makes a good play. And it’s worked for him a lot to this point, as seen from his prize earnings total.
He won CoD world titles in 2015, 2019, and 2020, becoming one of three players to do so, as well as one of the first two players in console esports history to break the $1 million prize earnings mark.
5) Cellium – $1,326,149
Similar to his Atlanta FaZe teammates, Cellium has been incredibly valuable to every team he has been on since he became eligible to compete among the pros.
In addition to a second-place finish at the 2020 CDL Championship and 2022 CDL Championship, as well as three Major titles in 2021, Cellium and FaZe topped off their incredible 2021 season with a lucrative win at the CDL Championship.
4) Crimsix – $1,388,543
The winningest player in Call of Duty history, Crimsix joined his former Empire teammate Clayster as the first two players in console esports history to earn more than $1 million from prize winnings with their world title win at the 2020 Call of Duty League Championship.
His several dozen LAN event wins obviously allowed him to climb up that far, but his three world titles helped the most. By winning the most prestigious tournament in the esport in 2014, 2017, and 2020, Crimsix collected $550,000 from just those three events.
Crimsix officially retired from the esport in late 2022.
3) Arcitys – $1,391,737
Like his twin brother Prestinni, Arcitys had his biggest payday when they, as a part of eUnited, won the 2019 CWL Championship. That was until, however, Arcitys and his dominant Atlanta FaZe team ran through the rest of the league to win the 2021 Call of Duty League Championship.
2) Simp – $1,543,703
Since becoming eligible to compete on the pro circuit during the 2019 season, Simp has arguably been the best player in the world. In the less than five full seasons he has been competing with the most skilled teams out there, Simp has won two world titles, qualified for four Champs grand finals, and won the 2019 CWL Championship MVP and 2021 CDL season MVP.
1) aBeZy – $1,576,881
Known as one of the fastest and most aggressive players in the world, aBeZy’s impact on his teams since becoming a pro player is invaluable. The slightly older half of the “Tiny Terrors” duo, aBeZy has already won two world titles and qualified for four consecutive world championship grand finals from 2019 to 2022, a massively impressive feat.
All tournament earnings were recorded via Esports Earnings. This article was last updated at 3:02pm CT on Aug. 1, 2023.
