Who Has the Most Earnings in Fortnite? (2025)
Fortnite is one of the most popular competitive games with massive prize pools, global tournaments, and a strong streaming community. Epic Games provided $100 million for Fortnite esports tournament prize pools in the first year of competitive play, with the Fortnite World Cup happening in 2019.
Since then, the competitive scene has continued to grow, with the 2025 FNCS prize pool reaching $8 million. The highest earners aren't just one-time winners. They're players who dominate season after season, securing top placements in regional qualifiers, Majors, and championship finals.
Some have built careers spanning multiple years of competition, earning millions in prize money through their skill and dedication to the game. In this article, we'll explore the top players with the highest earnings in Fortnite, highlighting their careers and major tournament victories.
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Summary (Who Has the Most Earnings in Fortnite)
Bugha leads all Fortnite earnings with $3.7M+ — Won the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Solo ($3M prize), still competing in 2025 with 3 FNCS Championships
Aqua ranks #2 with $2.2M total earnings — First-ever World Cup Duos champion with Nyhrox ($1.5M each), won 2 FNCS titles, retired September 2023
EpikWhale sits at #3 with $1.9M earned — Placed 3rd at 2019 World Cup Solo ($1.2M), won 6 FNCS Championships, currently plays for FaZe Clan
2019 World Cup created Fortnite's biggest earners — Over 60-80% of top players' total earnings came from this single event, with $30M total prize pool
FNCS prize pools hit $8M in 2025 — Competitive scene continues growing, offering opportunities for new players to climb earnings leaderboards
1. Bugha
Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf is an NA player born on December 30, 2002, and holds the title as the number one player with the most earnings in Fortnite, winning approximately over $3,700,000 throughout his career.
Bugha's career took off when he signed with esports organization Sentinels on March 25, 2019. His biggest career achievement came just a few months later at the Fortnite World Cup in July 2019, where the 16-year-old dominated from the first round and took home the $3 million grand prize for individual players, which was the largest-ever payout for a single player in an esports tournament. He ended with 59 points, nearly doubling the second-place winner, who had 33 points.
His World Cup victory alone makes up 79.28% of his total prize money won, and 84.60% of his total prize money was earned before December 30, 2020. Beyond the World Cup, Bugha has won 3 FNCS Championships with 13 Top 10 finishes, and has consistently been at the top of every power ranking and leaderboard in Fortnite history.
His three FNCS wins came in 2021 and Chapter 3 Season 1. Bugha is still competing professionally in 2025, earning approximately $47,375 this year. He is not currently signed to an esports team, though he previously played for Dignitas after leaving Sentinels.
2. Aqua
David "Aqua" Wang is an Austrian player born on July 14, 2002, who has won approximately $2,200,000 throughout his competitive career. Aqua's biggest achievement came at the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals on July 27, where he and his duo partner Emil "Nyhrox" Bergquist Pedersen, 16, won the duos competition and took home a split of $3 million, earning $1.5 million each. The European duo dominated with 51 points and two Victory Royales, becoming the first-ever Fortnite World Cup Duos champions.
Aqua's World Cup victory alone makes up 68.26% of his total prize money won, and 87.97% of his total earnings came before July 1, 2020. Beyond the World Cup, Aqua qualified for eight FNCS Grand Finals and won two of them, with his last FNCS victory coming alongside Harry "Veno" Pearson in Chapter 3 Season 2. He also revolutionized playing the high ground, a strategy many players still utilize today.
Aqua retired from competitive Fortnite on September 3, 2023, after not competing in any tournaments since FNCS Major 3 on July 27. His earnings chart shows he earned $5,526 in 2024, though this appears to be from events before his retirement announcement.
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3. EpikWhale
Shane "EpikWhale" Cotton is an NA player born on August 3, 2002, winning approximately $1,900,000 throughout his competitive career. EpikWhale's biggest achievement came at the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Solo Finals on July 28, where he placed 3rd and earned $1,200,000, making up 64.60% of his total prize money. He qualified for the World Cup twice in 2019, first placing 4th in week 1 for solos in April, then placing 2nd with 4DRStorm in week 10 for duos in June. During the duos competition on July 27, he and 4DRStorm placed 12th, each earning $50,000.
Before EpikWhale turned 18, he earned $1,359,916.54 in cash prizes from 42 tournaments, with 73.21% of his total prize money earned before August 3, 2020. Beyond the World Cup, EpikWhale has won six FNCS Championships in the North American West region. His notable wins include first place at Gamers8 2022 Fortnite, earning $125,000, first place at FNCS Grand Royale 2021 NA West, earning $35,000, and first place at FNCS Chapter 2 Season 5 Grand Finals NA West, earning $25,000.
EpikWhale is still competing professionally in 2025 and currently plays for FaZe Clan. His earnings chart shows he earned $27,600 in 2025 and $66,292 in 2024, demonstrating his continued presence in competitive Fortnite. In the last 90 days, he has won $7,500 in cash prizes from 2 tournaments.
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Final Words
The highest earners in Fortnite have built their fortunes through a combination of World Cup victories and consistent FNCS performances. Bugha leads with over $3.7 million, followed by Aqua with $2.2 million and EpikWhale with $1.8 million. While the 2019 World Cup created the foundation for these massive earnings, players like Bugha and EpikWhale continue competing at the highest level in 2025.
“ GameBoost - Mustafa Attyea has been writing about gaming and esports since 2023, specializing in competitive game content and player improvement guides. At 24, he brings both hands-on gaming experience and professional SEO writing expertise to the GameBoost team.”
