10 Esports Players to Watch in 2025

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With the growth of esports as a billion dollar industry, many of the top players are gaining popularity thanks to social media platforms. But a cool personality can only go so far as it usually takes serious gaming skills to get big in the esports world.

In unranked order, here are 10 esports players to watch in 2025 as real talents who have the ability to influence esports betting markets at trusted sportsbooks like BetOnline.

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends, T1)

The “Unkillable Demon King” from South Korea is a legend himself in League of Legends matchups where he is a 5-time World Champion, including 2023-2024. He’s also the 2024 Esports World Cup MVP and a good bet to do damage in LoL tournaments this year as T1’s leader. His annual salary is estimated at $5M.

Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish (Valorant, Team Heretics)

Benjyfishy is a 21-year-old gamer from the UK who has won over $780k from more than 150 tournaments in his career already. He’s a Fortnite prodigy who is also well known for his success in Valorant, so he is someone to keep an eye on in the Valorant Champions Tour 2025 this year as a member of Team Heretics.

Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro (Call of Duty, OpTic Texas)

Shotzzy grew up on Halo (2018 Halo World Champion) but has really mastered his craft on Call of Duty as a 2-time World Champion in 2020 and 2024. He’s also a 2024 World Championship MVP and eyes bigger things in 2025 as he plays for OpTic Texas. He’s been praised for his quick movements and aggressive play, making him a fun bet for kill-based props in CoD.

Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan (Valorant, DRX)

MaKo is from South Korea and plays for DRX. He was celebrated for a clutch performance in the 2024 Valorant Champions Tour, and he’s looking to do even better in the 2025 event in Paris later this year. MaKo is good at racking up high kill totals, making him a favorite for prop markets.

Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (Counter-Strike 2, Team Vitality)

ZywOo is France’s best Counter-Strike 2 player as HLTV ranked him as the No. 1 player in the world in 2019, 2020, and 2023. He currently reps Team Vitality and he dominated IEM Katowice 2024. He’s someone reliable worth backing in CS2 tournaments later in 2025.

Rasmus “Caps” Winther (League of Legends, G2 Esports)

Caps (nickname “Baby Faker”) is another great mid-laner in League of Legends. He helped G2 to multiple LEC titles with his game-winning plays. With roughly $500k in earnings, he’s a dependable LoL target for bettors with his aggressive play.

Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak (Dota 2, Team Falcons)

After being named the 2024 Esports Breakthrough Player, Malr1ne looks to lead Team Falcons to even greater glory with his Dota 2 dominance, making him a good pick for The International 2025 tournament.

Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf (Fortnite, Sentinels)

Bugha has continuously reinvented himself to remain a top player at Fortnite for the Sentinels where he’s a World Cup champion. He quickly adjusts his game to new strategies to keep up with Fortnite’s evolving game.

Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov (Counter-Strike 2, Team Falcons)

m0NESY was Rookie of the Year in 2022 and is a highly-accurate player in CS2 for Team Falcons. The 19-year-old Russian likely hasn’t peaked yet and has already earned over $700k in winnings.