By “Books will make you a gentleman, sports will ruin your life.” Remember hearing this line while growing up? Well, esports is turning that old saying on its head! Nowadays, playing video games can take you beyond your bedroom and onto the international stage, where you can compete, win prize money, and build a career. And this ain’t limited to a specific gender. This ecosystem offers the same opportunities to men as to women, which speaks volumes about its progressive nature. Players like Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn and Li “Liooon” Xiaomeng have made a name for themselves in competitive gaming. But making it big on the global stage is much more than just gaming skills. You need to be marketable, need to have a team behind you, apt management and people behind you. So, what does it really take for women to make it big in esports? Let’s find out by looking at real-life examples of women who have already made it!
The Women Behind the Leaderboard
When you look at women in esports, you will find that success does not happen in just one way. You can see this in the example of Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn. The StarCraft II player has earned around $472,111 in tournament prize money alone, across 283 tournaments. Then there’s Li “Liooon” Xiaomeng, a Hearthstone champion who has earned $241,510 in tournament winnings.
But here is something important you should know: these figures show only tournament prize money. They do not include other earnings, such as sponsorships, team salaries, or money from streaming. So, when you check the highest-earning women in esports, remember that prize money is only one part of their success story.
Meet the Top Five Highest-Earning Women in Esports
You must be thinking that once you win one tournament is what makes you a successful esports player. But if you look at the numbers, there is more to the story. According to Esports Earnings, Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn tops its female-player rankings with around $472,111 in recorded tournament prize money. She has competed in hundreds of tournaments and won $50,000 for finishing first at IEM XII – PyeongChang in 2018.
| Rank | Player | Main game | Recorded prize money |
| 1 | Scarlett (Sasha Hostyn) | StarCraft II | $472,111.31 |
| 2 | Liooon (Li Xiaomeng) | Hearthstone | $241,510.00 |
| 3 (tie) | Alexis (Alexis Guarrasi) | VALORANT | $131,289.52 |
| 3 (tie) | meL (Melanie Capone) | VALORANT | $131,289.52 |
| 5 | vilga (Ksenia Klyuenkova) | Counter-Strike | $127,757.72 |
Now, here is the thing that makes these players more interesting. Liooon became widely known after winning the 2019 Hearthstone Global Finals, while VALORANT players meL and alexis have earned the same recorded prize money. Their journeys show you that there’s no single path to success in esports. You can make your mark in different games, compete in different tournaments, and build your reputation over time.
The Career Barriers That Never Appear on a Leaderboard
“You are a girl. What do you know about gaming? Leave it to the boys!” and this is so sad and this type of mindset are making things harder for women in esports. Even today, many people see gaming as something boys are naturally better at, while girls are often expected to stay away from it. But why should your gender decide how good you can be at a game? A 2024 peer-reviewed study by Heather Crothers, Kenneth C. Scott-Brown, and Sheila J. Cunningham explored the experiences of eight women in amateur esports. Some participants shared how they were excluded from teams because they were women, while others faced sexist comments from fellow players. One participant even heard, “You played so well for a girl.”
Working hard to improve your skills, only to have people question your ability before you even start playing. That’s the challenge many women face. They aren’t just competing against other players; they are also dealing with stereotypes that make it harder to get recognised for their talent.
Beyond Prize Money: What Would Real Progress Look Like?
Well, everyone here is working for money and winning prize money is like a cherry on top but does it really tell you how much progress women in esports have made? Not entirely. If you want to see whether things are changing, you need to look beyond the money. Are women getting fair chances to join teams? Do they have access to good coaches and enough tournaments to improve their skills? Can they earn a living through gaming, sponsorships, streaming, and team salaries? And, most importantly, esports are famous all over the world can they move from women-only competitions to bigger tournaments where they can compete with the best?
According to The Times, women’s esports tournaments offered around $3 million in prize money in 2024. That’s one way to measure the opportunities available to women players.
However, the thing that large prize pools do not ensure is long-term careers. The real progress is when you can get into the industry, hone your skills, and make a name for yourself by being recognised and rewarded for your talent and skill level. After all, winning money is nice, but an equal opportunity to prove yourself is much more important.
