The Richest Online Gamers in 2022 — Based on Net Worth

Remember everyone who told you that playing video games all day wouldn’t pay the rent? They may have to swallow their words. Professional gaming is a thing, and it can pay so much more than just the rent. Those at the top of their, well, game have become millionaires thanks to platforms like Twitch and YouTube. For many top earners, however, it looks like it may still very much be a man’s world, though: Canada’s Sasha Hostyn, also known as Scarlett, is the richest female gamer we found, with between $2.54 million to $4.45 million to her name, as estimated by Celeb Networth — while that’s certainly a high net worth, that’s less than a tenth of what the richest male gamer on our list makes. So who are the richest online gamers in 2022? Let’s find out.

Note: all figures are estimated, in US dollars and based on sources like Esports Earnings, Net Worth Planet, Net Worth Spot, Celebrity Net Worth, CA Knowledge, Techie + Gamers or Wealthy Gorilla.

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15. JerAx (Estimated net worth: $6.5 million)

Jesse Vainikka, better known as JerAx, hails from Finland. He started his professional esports career playing Heroes of Newerth, but had to join the navy to do his Finnish compulsory national service. Back on civvy street, he switched to playing Dota 2. He is now not only a player but a coach too. According to Esports Earnings, he’s made around $6.5 million in prize money so far. This doesn’t include earnings from sponsorships or merchandise, so his actual net worth could be higher.

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14. W2S (Estimated net worth: $6.7 million)

Harry Lewis is the real name of W2S, also known as wroetoshaw. The youngest member of Sidemen — a British YouTube group that also includes KSI and creates gaming content, challenges and sketches — W2S first got into gaming when his parents bought him a Nintendo GameCube from a garage sale. They got it at the bargain price of about eight bucks. He started with several YouTube channels and in 2014, a few months after joining Sidemen, he dropped out of school to focus on creating content. This has paid off, with Net Worth Planet estimating his fortune at $6.7 million.

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13. N0tail (Estimated net worth: $7.2 million)

The grandson of a former Faroese prime minister, Johan Sundstein started playing video games when he was only two. Raised in Denmark, he was 15 when he became a professional gamer, playing as n0tail and focusing on Heroes of Newerth. He later switched over to playing Dota 2 and has twice been The International champion. According to Esports Earnings, his career winnings so far have been around $7.2 million. His actual net worth may be more, however, due to sponsorship deals.

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12. Fernanfloo (Estimated net worth: $8.4 million)

In 2011, then-18-year-old El Salvador native Luis Fernando Flores Alvarado combined his names Fernando and Flores to create his YouTube channel name, "Fernanfloo." At first he focused on tutorials, but he soon switched over to gameplays. His channel has since become the fourth most subscribed Spanish-language channel. He’s launched his own app, has a very successful Twitch channel focusing on Fortnite, has done a bit of acting, has published a graphic novel and has even appeared as a zombie in the remake of the Resident Evil 2 game. According to Net Worth Spot, he has a fortune of around $8.4 million.

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11. Germán Garmendia (Estimated net worth: $9 million)

In 2011, Germán Garmendia started uploading funny videos to his YouTube channel, HolaSoyGerman. Two years later, the Chilean added another channel, JuegaGerman, that focused on gameplay videos. Both channels took off: HolaSoyGerman was at one stage the second most subscribed YouTube Channel, while JuegaGerman is still the most subscribed Spanish-language channel. He has won several awards, has a successful side gig as a musician and has published two books. He’s also spoken out about the bullying he’s had to endure because of being thin. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has an estimated $9 million to his name.

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10. TimTheTatman (Estimated net worth: $10 million)

TimTheTatman – known to his family as Timothy John Betar – began streaming on Twitch in 2012, playing games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and World of Warcraft. His viewership and gamer fame skyrocketed after Fortnite was released. It wasn’t long before he appeared in a commercial during the Super Bowl and landed an exclusivity deal with YouTube. He’s also part owner of and content creator for Texas-based esports franchise Complexity Gaming. In 2018, it took him only four hours to raise a record-breaking $106,000 in charitable donations on Twitch. According to CA Knowledge, he has an estimated net worth of $10 million.

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9. Shroud (Estimated net worth: $20 million)

Shroud is actually a Canadian called Michael Grzesiek. He started out as a professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player before turning to full-time streaming. He’s had his YouTube channel since 2014, but it’s been his Twitch channel that has really brought him online-gaming fame. His channel is among the top 10 most subscribed on the platform. He also had a stint streaming exclusively for Mixer, until that platform was shut down. Earlier this year he signed with the Sentinels to play on their Valorant team. He has an estimated fortune of $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

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8. Preston Arsement (Estimated net worth: $20 million)

Preston Arsement creates YouTube content on several channels. These include his Call of Duty channel TBNRFrags, the Roblox channel PrestonGamez, and the Minecraft channel PrestonPlayz. He also has channels focusing on non-gaming content, such as challenges and pranks, animation and reaction videos. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has an estimated $20 million to his name. And to think he originally wanted to become a surgeon.

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7. VanossGaming (Estimated net worth: $25 million)

Toronto native Evan Fong quickly learned that there was a more fun way to land one of those Canadian jobs that pay more than $300,000 than to study economics, so he dropped out of college to focus on YouTube instead. He started his gaming channel, VanossGaming, in 2011 and by 2014, he had over 10 million subscribers. His subscribers have since grown to more than double that number. He has also created his own game and animated series and has embarked on a music career under the name Rynx. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his fortune at $25 million.

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6. KSI (Estimated net worth: $25 million)

KSI, or "JJ" Olatunji, started his YouTube career in 2009, when he was still in his early teens, uploading commentaries on the FIFA videogame series. Soon the British YouTuber was making so much money that he dropped out of school to focus on creating content instead. His gaming videos were the springboard for his music career – which has him well on his way to becoming one of the world’s richest rappers – as well as forays into acting, boxing, videogame publishing, writing and the drinks company Prime Hydration. KSI has an estimated net worth of $25 million, according to Wealthy Gorilla.

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5. Jacksepticeye (Estimated net worth: $25 million)

Jacksepticeye is the online moniker of Séan McLoughlin, who has Ireland’s most subscribed YouTube channel. His nickname comes from an eye injury during a soccer match when he was a kid. His YouTube channel focuses on gameplay content. A mention by PewDiePie got him thousands of new subscribers within four days, and it wasn’t long before he could make YouTubing his full-time job. He’s interviewed a host of celebrities on his channel and has often collaborated with other gamers, such as PewDiePie and Markiplier. In fact, he and Markiplier are co-founders of Cloak, an athleisure label for gamers, and he’s also known for his charity livestreams. According to Techie Gamers, he has an estimated $25 million to his name.

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4. Markiplier (Estimated net worth: $35 million)

Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, hails from Honolulu — but it was in Cincinnati that he started his YouTube channel, intending to do sketch comedy. His playthroughs of indie and horror games proved so popular though that he changed his focus. Comedy is still a passion and he’s been including sketch comedy in his videos, even collaborating with Jack Black and Jimmy Kimmel. He’s co-creator of athleisure brand Cloak and has hosted several podcasts too. He’s also raised millions for charity through livestream events. According to Wealthy Gorilla, he has an estimated net worth of $35 million.

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3. DanTDM (Estimated net worth: $35 million)

DanTDM, whose parents named him Daniel Middleton, created his YouTube channel in 2012, providing game commentaries aimed mainly at kids. This not only earned him three Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and multiple Guinness World Records, but has also made him one of the most popular YouTubers. His graphic novel was a New York Times bestseller, which certainly helped boost his $35 million fortune, as estimated by Celebrity Net Worth. He’s also done some voice acting and appeared as himself in a few movies and TV shows.

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2. Ninja (Estimated net worth: $40 million)

Once he graduated high school in the Chicago suburbs, Tyler Blevins decided to become a professional gamer, so he entered tournaments and joined professional organizations. It wasn’t long before he started livestreaming his games as Ninja. As he was streaming Fortnite Battle Royale in 2017 and the game became more popular, his own popularity grew. By March the following year, he became the first Twitch streamer to have more than 3 million followers. He was the first professional esports player to make the cover of ESPN The Magazine. He also has a substantial following on YouTube. Endorsements like the $1 million he got for promoting Apex Legends and an exclusive deal with Mixer have added to his $40 million fortune, as estimated by Wealthy Gorilla.

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1. PewDiePie (Estimated net worth: $56 million)

According to CA Knowledge, PewDiePie – real name Felix Kjellberg – has an estimated net worth of $56 million. The Swede started a YouTube channel in 2010 to provide commentaries on games, but it was his Let’s Play content that had people hit that “subscribe” button. By 2013 his was the YouTube channel with the most subscribers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that he’s also one of the richest YouTubers.