Since greeting the esports ecosystem in 2020, Valorant has established itself as a powerhouse rivaled only by a few other RIOT Games globally. The potential it holds in bringing life-changing fortunes along the path of its players is perhaps one of the reasons it’s soaring worldwide.
Many elite players have given different reports of how this tactical FPS esports has changed their financial status, but how much do Valorant pros make?
Here’s Wardell’s take on this Riot Game: “Valorant has been a game-changer for me financially. I was making around $3,000 a month playing CS:GO, but now I’m making over $20,000 a month playing Valorant.”
But the Canadian isn’t the only player having his life turned around by Valorant; others like Tenz also have good experiences to share.
“Valorant has been a blessing for me financially. I was making around $5,000 a month playing other games, but now I’m making over $50,000 a month playing Valorant.” — Tenz.
No doubt, the take-home salary of most elite players is in six figures. However, if you combine add-ons like tournament winnings, sponsorships, and deals, some earn hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly.
Although such success is not available to everyone, excitement and the desire to win unite cybersport and gambling. Cybersports and online casinos are seemingly different worlds, but they share a passion for excitement, strategy and the drive to win. Just as professional gamers at Valorant earn big bucks by combining skill and tactics, players in an online casino poland can achieve success by placing well-considered bets on trusted platforms. In both cyber sports and gambling, the key to success is choosing the right strategy and a trustworthy site, where integrity, bonuses and ratings play no small part.
How Much Money Do Valorant Pros Make?
Some Valorant players make as low as $8 per hour while some make as high as $61 per hour. However, based on ZipRecruiter’s estimation, the average income of Valorant players in the US is $26.34. This means that a mid-level player makes between four and five thousand dollars a month and about $60,000 per annum. Professional players make as much as $130,000 per annum and $10,000 a month.
Please note that these figures alone do not effectively answer the question: how much money do Valorant pros make? That’s because the accurate answer depends on multiple factors, which will be discussed below.
Factors Determining How Much Valorant Players Make
Depending on how a player fares based on the factors below, the amount they make weekly or monthly can differ, even significantly.
- Skills & Experience
Ascending the Valorant ladder of greatness demands dedication and skills. Those who are popular in the game today have spent time and money to acquire the skills that now fetch them the amount they make monthly. Some tournament roles are even skills-specific, ruling out rookies or less experienced players. Therefore, as it goes, the more tournament experience you have and the more of the game mechanics you know, the more you are likely to earn.
- Teams’ Financial Muscles
Even with all the experience and skills, the financial strength of a team can cap the amount its players can earn. When doing yearly budgeting, teams allocate resources to different aspects of the game, and the more money a team has, the more it can allocate to its players’ salaries.
Some teams secure sponsorships that directly affect their players’ pay while others don’t. And for most sports, sponsorships are often based on teams’ popularity, track records, and values. To retain or encourage some players, some teams share their sponsorship earnings with players based on some performance-based parameters.
- Region or Locality
Looking at how much do Valorant Pros make salary, we discover that the region the player is also matters. North American players or those based in this region earn more than others. In the US, for instance, it’s typical for an average player to earn at least $5,000 a month even with minimal skills and experience. This amount can drop significantly in other world regions where Riot Games hasn’t had a strong foothold.
- Tournament Prizes
How much do Valorant Pros make a year? The answer lies partly in the number of tournaments in that year and the winning prize(s) for each. Some tournaments throw as high as $40 million on players and teams as the winning prize, significantly pushing up the take-home amount of participating players.
- Players’ Reputation
Although Valorant esports is still relatively new, some players have already made a name for themselves. They do this through their consistency, impressive track records, and a demonstration of their understanding of the game’s mechanics. These earn a lot of money from tournaments, significantly higher than what an entry-level or mid-level player will ever earn.
Top Earners in Valorant Pro
The top earners in Valorant till date and their incomes are presented in the table below:
| Valorant Players | Earnings | Notable Tournament & Position | Teams Played For |
| Corbin Lee “CoM” | $327,366 | 2nd in Masters Tokyo in 2023, earning $250,0003rd at 2024 Valorant Champions, winning $75,000 | Leviatán & Evil Geniuses |
| Ethan Arnold | $288,266 | Earned a total of $693,647 featuring in 104 tournaments | 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, NGR Esports |
| Timofey Khromov “Chronicle” | $282,571 | 2nd position with Gambit Esports @ the 2021 Valorant Champions | Gambit Esports, Fnatic |
| Kelden Elden Pupello (Boostio) | $273,136 | In-game leader @ EG; helped Fnatic win several titles | Evil Geniuses, 100 Thieves |
| Erick Santos (Aspas) | $261,619 | 1st position @ 2022 & 2023 Valorisant Champions | LOUD, Leviatán |
Guess what? All these high-earning Valorant players are not older than 25 years.
Future Projections and Trends
Going by what many experts in Esports are saying, the future seems bright for Valorant and its players. Notably, players are going to earn more, with many organizations set to receive more financial backing from multiple sources.
Some of the projections include:
- Increase in Average Salary. Experts forecast players’ average monthly salary to increase to between $40,000 and $80,000 in the coming years, with some exceptional players even earning more.
According to Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, the reason for this is that “Organizations are willing to pay high salaries because they take anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of a team’s prize money earnings from tournaments.” - North America’s Edge. Players from and in North America are expected to witness a marked salary increase compared to their Asian or European counterparts. Consequently, how much do Valorant Pros make a month will be a question of which region a player is in the coming years.
- Expanded Size Pool. This Esports game will witness tremendous growth in years to come, necessitating the expansion of the tournament’s prize pool.
- Financial Backing Impact. How much a team or organization will be able to pay its players will be determined by available sponsorships and partnerships. Riot Games is expected to give more money to teams with more partnerships than others, which will help them pay their players more.
Conclusion
How much do Valorant Pros make a year? Well, while this depends on several factors already discussed in this piece, the future promises even bigger amounts given current trends. Valorant is a skills-demanding and intuitive FPS game that holds so much financial potential for teams and players.
