Esports is a fast-growing market that more and more people are participating in every day. Games like Fortnite and Call Of Duty are even included among the rankings now too, making sports tournaments more than just the Super Bowl or World Cup. Esports betting is also just as popular, with fans enjoying online sportsbooks and the thrill of a gamble. However, just like physical sports, you might think that it’s a man’s world. But nowadays this isn’t the case. Women are doing just as well in esports and even surpassing some of the male player’s records. So, here are the top 5 female esports players!
- Rumay Wang (Hafu)
With over 1.3 million Twitch subscribers, Rumay Wang is definitely one of the top female esports players. Although she’s been gaming since 2008, she’s still just as successful, if not more so in 2022. World of Warcraft and Teamfight Tactics are her esports of choice and she’s seen many a win in these too. In 2019 she was named as the number one player for Teamfight Tactics and in the same year came 2nd in Hearthstone, showing that she’s definitely one player to be excited about. That tournament alone won her a whopping $20,000 too! Wang is one of the most popular esports twitch streamers of this generation and will most likely continue her winning streak well into next year.
- Katherine Gunn (Mystik)
Katherine Gunn was named as the highest earning female gamer by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2015, cementing her place in the industry. In 2010, she came 1st place in WCG Ultimate Gamer Season playing Halo and took home an impressive $100,000! Gunn is famous among fans for being able to play multiple esports extremely well too. Call of Duty: Warzone and Dead or Alive 4 are two of her favourites, demonstrating how versatile she can be as a player. Although she’s not the most popular twitch streamer, she still has an impressive 261K followers on the platform. Aside from esports, Gunn also invests in cosplay and gets fans involved during her streams. Gunn may have been knocked off her highest earnings spot by Sasha Hostyn, but she’s still on track to be an esports star for a long time to come.
- Li Xiaomeng (Liooon)
Li Xiaomeng has made a killing from playing esports! With take-home winnings totalling over $240,000, Xiaomeng is definitely one of the best female esports players in the world. As a Hearthstone player from China, Xiaomeng has made a name for herself in the Asia Pacific tournaments. As well as being a great player, she’s also a history maker! In 2019 she became the first woman to ever win the BlizzCon Esports tournament at only 23 years old! After winning, Xiaomeng gave a compassionate speech encouraging women to join esports and not be afraid to try. In a male-dominated industry, hearing these words has gone on to inspire hundreds of new female players to join in with esports, instead of watching from the side-lines.
- Ricki Ortiz (HelloKittyRicki)
Gaming since 2003, Ricki Ortiz is showing the world just what she can do. She’s most commonly known for playing as Chun Li in the Street Fighter series, but she’s also widely popular in Marvel vs Capcom too. In 2016, Ortiz came 2nd in the Capcom Cup playing Street Fighter V and won a staggering $60,000. This brings her total winnings up to $80,000 and counting. Overall, Ortiz has won over 10 Street Fighter tournaments, demonstrating just how skilled she is at the game.
- Janet Rose (xchocobars)
A former esports YouTube streamer, Janet Rose is a Twitch star and has been nominated for Streamer of the Year in 2019. Rose is a Canadian player who’s main esports include League of Legends, Fortnite, and Apex Legends. Her first big win was in 2019 when she took home the trophy at Twitch Rivals while competing in League of Legends. She’s also successfully beat tough competitors in other games like Hearthstone, showing that she’s not a one trick pony. Although most of her following is based on her League of Legends skills, she’s still a firm favourite among other esports fans and will always compete in the tournaments.
Although esports has been dominated by male players for a while, more and more female players are becoming stars and showing women that it’s possible to play. No matter your gender, esports can be extremely fun and the competitions are for everyone. So, if you’re thinking of taking up esports, use these female players as inspiration and get playing! You never know where it could take you…
Ashley Rosa is a freelance writer and blogger. As writing is her passion that why she loves to write articles related to the latest trends in technology and sometimes on health-tech as well. She is crazy about chocolates. You can find her at twitter: @ashrosa2.