Christina Gough
Research expert covering sports and video gaming
eSports in the United States - statistics & facts
Long gone are the days of gaming simply being a hobby enjoyed by teenagers in the comfort of their own homes. The global phenomenon of eSports has transformed video gaming into a multi-billion dollar industry, with high stakes tournaments and eye-watering prize pools to be won. The revenue of the eSports industry in the United States increased more than fourfold between 2018 and 2022, and was forecast to exceed 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2028. Cementing its place as an eSports powerhouse, the United States had the highest number of active eSports competition players worldwide in 2023.
Professional gamers in the US
The United States is home to some of the best professional gamers and eSports teams across the globe. Among these, notable mentions include Quinn Callahan, known within the industry as simply Quinn, who was the eSports athlete with the highest earnings in the U.S. in 2023, after top four finishes in The International 2023 and the Riyadh Masters 2023, as well as winning the Bali Major 2023. Katherine Gunn, also known as Mystik, is another industry icon from the United States. As of 2024, she was the highest earning female professional eSports player in the country. Overall, the combined earnings of eSports players in the United States amounted to almost 30 million U.S. dollars in 2023.eSports fans in the US
As with any other professional sport, eSports is nothing without its fans. In April 2023, almost 40 percent of male respondents to a survey in the United States stated that they were interested in eSports. However, this figure fell to just under 15 percent among female respondents. One of the main ways in which fans keep up with the latest eSports events is through video live-streaming service Twitch. As with the overall trend of eSports fans, the distribution of Twitch users by gender also showed a predominantly male audience. Yet the future nevertheless looks bright for female eSports. Some of the most popular female eSports events in 2023 attracted hundreds of thousands of peak viewers, suggesting that there is still huge growth potential for this still relatively new eSports industry.
