Big Money in CS2: What Are the Stars Really Cashing In?

Think winning trophies is where the money’s at in CS2? Think again. Behind the scenes, some pros are raking in six-figure salaries every month—before they even fire a shot. From ZywOo’s rumored USD 104K per month to ropz’s Porsche-buying dividend moves, the business side of CS2 is as cutthroat as the game itself.

The days of playing CS for skins and bragging rights are long gone. The top players in Counter-Strike 2 are living like rockstars, and not just from tournament wins. Salaries, sticker money, and smart side hustles have transformed some of them into full-blown millionaires.

dupreeh - The Danish Millionaire

• Tournament Winnings: Over USD 2.22 million from nearly 200 events.
• Team Salary: Estimated at around USD 20 to 25 thousand per month during his peak years with Astralis and Vitality.
• Sticker Revenue: Valve pays players a cut of Major sticker sales. It’s believed dupreeh earned over a million just from stickers alone.

Add it all up and dupreeh’s total haul is probably in the USD 6 to 7 million range, making him one of the wealthiest players ever to touch a mouse and keyboard.

ropz - Clean Aim, Cleaner Accounting

Reddit sleuths recently dug into financial reports from ropz’s own company. Here’s what was revealed:

• His official salary was around USD 208 thousand for 2024.
• After taxes and deductions, he only saw about USD 9 thousand net income from that salary.
• But don’t worry—he also received about USD 500 thousand in dividends.
• And threw down nearly USD 182 thousand on a Porsche, because why not?

Including sticker revenue and prize money, his yearly take is estimated at around USD 728 thousand. Vitality clearly knows his value.

The Golden Boys

• Names like dev1ce and xyp9x have each raked in over USD 2 million from tournament winnings alone.
• The classic Astralis lineup—often referred to as the Golden Five—ruled CS:GO and built legacies that now carry over into coaching, ownership, and media work.

Even players who aren’t winning every event are still pulling massive checks behind the scenes.

The Social Media Salary Leak

A juicy image recently made the rounds showing what are claimed to be the monthly salaries of some of CS2’s biggest stars. Here’s what it listed:

• ZywOo – USD 104,000
• NiKo – USD 90,000
• s1mple – USD 50,000
• KRIMZ – USD 40,000
• YEKINDAR – USD 40,000
• Magisk – USD 40,000
• ropz – USD 30,000
• sh1ro – USD 25,000
• chopper – USD 17,500
• magixx – USD 15,000

If these numbers are real, it means some of these guys are making** over a million dollars per yea**r before stickers, endorsements, and prize money even enter the chat.

Let's Talk About It

1. Sticker Sales – The Hidden Giant: Valve’s sticker cut can be game-changing, but it’s all behind the curtain. Could a top player earn more from stickers than from playing?
2. Salary > Tournament Wins?: With contracts reportedly hitting six figures per month, is winning even the primary income anymore?
3. Luxury vs Longevity: Some players buy Porsches. Others squirrel away their cash and invest. Which lifestyle wins in the long run?
4. Who Deserves What?: Is ZywOo really worth over double what s1mple earns? How do team roles, marketing value, and public perception factor into salaries?

Final Thoughts

In modern CS2, prize money is just the tip of the iceberg. The real fortune is in the contracts, the stickers, and the branding deals. Some players are becoming CEOs of their own empires—while others might still be underpaid and underappreciated.

Now we want your take:

• Which salary surprised you the most?
• Do you think sticker revenue should be more transparent?
• Is the gap between stars and role players getting too wide?

Let's see.