The first half of 2025 in professional CS2 was marked by major tournaments, spectacular finals, and multi-million-dollar prize pools. Teams like Vitality and Team Spirit set new standards of dominance, with their stars — donk, ZywOo, and ropz — topping the list of highest-paid players. In this article, we break down who earned the most, which tournaments brought in key victories, and how the top 15 financially successful players of the first half of the year were determined.
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets – $224,625
Team Spirit’s star player brought in $200,000 for his team by winning PGL Astana 2025, where he was named MVP after a stunning clutch in the grand final against Astralis. Additional performance bonuses brought his total earnings to $224,625.
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire – $135,750
The Vitality captain earned a significant share of the team’s $2M+ prize pool. Vitality secured victories at IEM Dallas, IEM Katowice, ESL Pro League, BLAST Open Lisbon, IEM Melbourne, and the BLAST.tv Austin Major, giving apEX a total of $135,750.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut – $135,750
Vitality’s superstar not only shared in the team’s winnings but was also named MVP at IEM Katowice, IEM Dallas, and the Austin Major, while continuing to deliver elite performances across S-Tier events.
Robin “ropz” Kool – $135,750
After joining Vitality, ropz lifted trophies at Austin, Dallas, Melbourne, Rivals, Lisbon, ESL Pro League, and Katowice, earning his full share of $135,750.
Shahar “flameZ” Shushan – $135,750
A core part of Vitality’s success, flameZ took home $135,750 thanks to six title-winning campaigns: Dallas, Katowice, ESL Pro League, Lisbon, Melbourne, and Austin.
Will “mezii” Merriman – $135,750
As the team’s support player, mezii also received an equal portion of Vitality’s massive prize winnings — $135,750.
Leonid “Chopper” Vishnyakov – $149,625
As Spirit’s in-game leader, Chopper steered his team to victory at PGL Astana, securing $149,625 as his share of the prize pool.
Boris “magixx” Vorobiev – $149,625
A consistent performer in Spirit’s lineup, magixx earned $149,625 as part of the team’s Astana win.
Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia – $149,625
zont1x played a crucial role in Spirit’s title run at Astana, and took home $149,625 in prize money.
Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov – $149,625
sh1ro, one of Spirit’s key players, matched his teammates’ earnings with $149,625 following the team’s PGL Astana triumph.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov – $88,200
Former G2 sniper m0NESY maintained his individual star status despite his team’s shaky form early in 2025. After transferring to Falcons, his strongest showing came with a semifinal finish at IEM Dallas, helping him earn $88,200, keeping him among the highest-paid young talents in the scene.
Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás – $22,000
MOUZ finished second at IEM Dallas and won PGL Cluj-Napoca, with torzsi receiving $22,000 as his portion of the prize money.
Dorian “xertioN” Berman – $22,000
Like his teammates, xertioN earned $22,000 from MOUZ’s strong finishes at Cluj-Napoca and Dallas.
Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo – $22,000
Jimpphat’s key contributions to MOUZ’s campaigns in Dallas and Cluj brought him $22,000 in prize earnings.
Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin – $22,000
Brollan also earned $22,000 from MOUZ’s runner-up finish in Dallas and their title win in Cluj-Napoca.
The first half of 2025 has shown that consistency at top-tier events directly translates into impressive earnings. With six titles, Vitality proved their supremacy, while Spirit’s triumph at PGL Astana secured their place among the elite. donk emerged as the highest-paid player of the season so far, while the entire Vitality roster shared in massive team prizes. With the second half of the year still ahead, the scene is set for more shifts, surprises, and perhaps a new leader in CS2’s earnings race.
