Overwatch is one of the most popular esports titles, but it’s not like other first-person shooters. Overwatch requires a particular skill set that doesn’t do much good in other first-person shooters. A great example of this type of game is League of Legends. A “League” player will always remain a League player. In the same way, an Overwatch player will remain an Overwatch player. 

The Highest Paid Overwatch Players

Overwatch also has a gigantic esports scene. Esports events for Overwatch have massive pools, with the Overwatch League 2021 prize pool crossing 4.5 million U.S. dollars. Overwatch pro players also make a ton of money. A lot of Overwatch pros earn hundreds of dollars. But which ones make the most amount of money? Well, here we will be taking a look at precisely that. Here is our take on the top nine highest-paid Overwatch pros. 

However, before you start reading any further, the following list only includes Prize pool earnings. A player at the fifth spot might have earned a lot more through sponsorships and other deals than the one at the first spot. Also, the list only includes top earners for recent years. Any player who accumulated a large sum till 2020 but did win much in the latest tournaments will not be on this list. For example, Grant Espe accumulated 353,964 U.S. dollars in prize money but only won 31,250 U.S. dollars in the latest event. 

1. Jun-woo Kang (Void)

Jun-woo Kang, or Void, is a South Korean Overwatch pro currently playing for the Shanghai Dragons Overwatch esports team. He is also one of the strongest tank players in the Overwatch esports scene, with his mains being D.VA and Sigma. 

Jun-woo Kang has acquired 315,990 U.S. dollars of prize money from a total of 16 tournaments. In 2021 he acquired 198,055 U.S. dollars worth of prize money. 

2. Byung-sun Kim (Fleta)

Byung-sun Kim is also a South Korean Overwatch player that currently plays for Shanghai Dragons. He is primarily a DPS player, with his mains being Genji and Pharah. 

Byung-sun Kim landed positions in a total of 17 tournaments through which he earned 291,833 U.S. dollars of prize money. He got 198,055 U.S. dollars of prize money in 2021. 

3. Min-chul Kim (IZaYaKI)

Born in South Korea, Min-chul Kim is also a part of the Shanghai Dragons, joining the team in 2019. His strong suit is the support role, with his main being Zenyatta and Ana. 

Starting from 2018 up until 2021, he landed positions in 13 tournaments which got him 288,185 U.S. dollars. His highest earnings from prize money were in 2021 when he made a total of 198,055 U.S. dollars. 

4. Jae-gon Lee (LeeJaeGon)

Jae-gon Lee is a pro Overwatch player from South Korea. After switching teams four times in just one year, Jae-gon Lee joined Shanghai Dragons. He is also a support player, with his main heroes being Lucio and Mecry. 

Jae-gon Lee landed positions in 17 tournaments, making him 279,731 U.S. dollars in prize money. He made a major chunk of that in prize money 2021, which was around 198,055 U.S. dollars. 

5. Pan-seung Koo (Fate)

Another player from South Korea to get a spot on this top ten list is Pan-seung Koo. He became a part of the Shanghai Dragons in 2020 and is still with them. 

From 2017 to 2021, Pan-seung Koo landed positions in 17 tournaments and won 255,260 U.S. dollars of prize money. Since he was also a part of the Shanghai Dragons in 2021, he too won 198,055 U.S. dollars 2021.

6. Jae-won Lee (LIP)

Born in South Korea, Jae-won Lee is one of the recent additions to Overwatch esports. He joined the Shanghai Dragons in 2019, just one year after he entered Overwatch esports. 

Jae-won Lee only managed to land positions in 12 tournaments starting from 2018 but managed to acquire 250,313 U.S. dollars in prize money, most of which was won in 2021. Being a Shanghai Dragons player, he also won 198,055 U.S. dollars in 2021. 

7. He Chengzhi (Molly)

You might be relieved to know that He Chengzhi is not from South Korea or a part of the Shanghai Dragons. He Chengzhi is a Chinese Overwatch pro that currently plays for Guangzhou Charge. 

He Chengzhi earned 228,682 U.S. dollars from 14 tournaments. However, because he was a part of the Shanghai Dragons from 2020 to 2021, he also made 198,055 U.S. dollars in 2021. 

8. Seung-jun Lee (WhoRU)

Seung-jun Lee is a South Korean pro Overwatch player that has been a part of nine teams throughout his esports career. He currently plays for the Shanghai Dragons as well. 

Seung-jun Lee has also landed positions in the most amount of tournaments, with a total of 22 tournaments, through which he won 268,761 U.S. dollars. In 2021, he made 190,277 U.S. dollars in prize money. 

9. Rak-hoon Chae (Develop)

Rak-hoon Chae is one of the youngest Overwatch esports players on this list, being only 19 years old. He is also from South Korea. He currently plays for the Guangzhou Charge team, but he was a part of the Shanghai Dragons for a brief while in 2021.

Rak-hoon Chae landed positions in only two tournaments in his career, netting him about 177,777 U.S. dollars in prize money. Also, both of these tournaments were in 2021.

Final Thoughts

You might be thinking, that’s a lot of players from South Korea. Well, there is nothing special about Overwatch that soo many people from South Korea are soo good at it. South Korean gamers are just good at gaming. They have the best PC Bangs and the fastest internet connection in the world. They have all the tools required to be among the top esports pros in the world.