How Much I Earned in 2023 as a Counter-Strike Pro

[@Sparkles]

Really refreshing to see someone being so transparent and shedding a light on the pro industry

[@manonblackbeak399]

When is your video coming friend? :)

[@DandelionYudeul]

When are you gonna publish your income from gambling sponsorships?

[@rubikscub3]

What’s your income from gambling sponsorships?

[@AidosTheMan]

Ye unlike you, advetising shady gambling sites since day 1, and luring underage kids there

[@miruson]

That kinda backfired 😂

[@launders]

styko since you are in the self-improvement challenge pipeline. Can you test what 30 days of kz does to ur movement as a pro 😼

[@STYKO]

challenge accepted

[@JustaRandomGuy890]

Launders tries to keep the kz alive as hard as he can

[@ClaudioNoClip]

i want to see the kz movement as well because of launders

[@luissuarez8961]

we all want kz back@@JustaRandomGuy890

[@1bird_d]

reinstall go for kz pls

[@nartouthere]

thanks for being transparent, very good insight 👍

[@moritzmyrz]

rain’s figures are public as he lives in Norway. He made personally about 2.6M NOK in 2022, and has a net worth of 4.3M NOK. His company, Rainbot AS made 12M NOK in 22, with a gross profit of 10.2M NOK. All pointing towards that he invoices Faze for a larger turnover, in favor of taking home a higher income. Travel, food, etc. will also be qualified business expenses he won't have to spend much personal money on. I'd also assume Faze covers most of his costs when traveling either way.

[@moritzmyrz]

Source: Norwegian Tax Administration and the annual accounts from the Norwegian Business Registry. All public and legal to share.

[@user-ui5eu]

Same with players like Aleksib. Not sure about his personal, but his company Aleksib Oy turnover was 491 000€ in 2023.

[@MrWeenuk21]

@@moritzmyrz250k for a stud like rain is wild. im not really knowledgeable on the money aspect of counter strike pro scene but that doesnt seem like much.

[@sussybaka6856]

@@MrWeenuk21 TAX EVASION

[@moritzmyrz]

@@MrWeenuk21 as his company's revenue is about 1.2M USD for 2022, he probably tries to keep his income low to avoid getting taxed heavily. As of the 2022 numbers, he paid approx. 35% of the 250k in taxes. Companies pay 22% tax on profits, meaning he can deduct all related expenses (travel, gear, etc.), and come out ahead just taxing the profits. No wonder why he would like to have more turnover in his company, compared to having more income.

[@xMWx11]

I would just like to applaud you sir for your amazing talent of being able to control the content with your speaking skills and the ability to break down things without biases. You make it welcoming as well. Not everyone has this ability. You shine as a player and I can only hope one day to see you do even greater things whether that is away from esports, in the background running or representing an organization, as well as even representing or being involved in any player union involvement. You would be a great choice to represent players in that regard. Much respect for you making this video as well and continue making and building what you have going on here. As an older gamer (42) and hardcore CS nut for 20 years you are wise and mature beyond your years. Keep it up GLHF

[@STYKO]

🥹🥹🫶🏼 wow thanks for this message. Means a lot!

[@stef9019]

Great video, takes some balls to be transparent about this, but you are helping the future generations of players. Maybe you can make a video about negotiations/agents/etc.

[@borisstojanovic6646]

This showed up on my feed and I was thinking for some time if I want to skip or click since, no ofence, I did not follow you that much as a player. But wow, I was not dissapointed clicking on this. You are actually a great youtuber as well, great content, great reporting, very informative. Which is making me want to hop on the STYKO train. Nice job!

[@STYKO]

Glad I made this worth watching😊 Thank you for being here!

[@chuffer1486]

The 2018 lineup with you on mousesports is probably my favorite ever team. Glad to see you are still doing good!

[@ungezogenerbangel]

Ive always felt that you as a person contribute much more maturity to teams than just your KD ratio. This video was well written and produced and all numbers aside I am very happy, that you prosper.

[@CoJoMoCS]

It is so cool to see this type of video! Thank you for the transparency :D

[@L43M1]

Just wanted to let you know that your "narrator" skills are getting better and better, you are staring at the text a lot less, and, generally, the presentation "flow" improved a lot. Keep it up doing a great job! 🔥

[@FreddeLibre]

i thought i knew what people were making but ngl 150k base salary for a team like apeks is wiiiild. but no envy or anything u deserve it !

[@TheRandomguy225]

Makes you think what a team like G2 or Liquid is paying Twistzz or Niko etc

[@xddicant]

apeks is a really rich org relative to their popularity though, so not that surprising actually

[@AbhiramSaran]

@@TheRandomguy225 In 2021 NiKo was getting paid $720k/year on G2 salary alone (not counting sticker/prize money). His salary after the new contract last month must be 1 million+

[@versev0]

150k maybe is still healthy amount cause styko not fully tier 1 player he still play in some online tier 2 as well. Cause you know when player salary is bloated the scene gonna die quickly example like valorant NA tier2

[@xddicant]

@@versev0 the problem with valorant is franchising, the model means if you aren't part of franchising you basically don't have anything to play for, unlike CS where there are many TOs for different levels of play

[@kingdj3036]

Man glad this vid got recommend to me so I could subscribe, always loved you as a player when I use to watch CS a lot more. especially on Mouz

[@STYKO]

Thanks for the sub! Welcome on-board 😅

[@kamilkubica863]

Thank you for this video! It gives a nice inside for us watching the game!

[@alexsima8]

It's important to keep in mind that he made 460k/year after spending years and years in a video game, while it's cool that he's a little 'star' that might get recognized by a random person(most likely a cs player) every once in a while, don't try to go pro for the money, you'd be far more profitable getting a job, living with your parents and keeping all of your salary(as small as it is) and eventually you could do something else like classic real-world business like investing in real estate, if you go pro in a video-game, go for the competition of the game and if you enjoy it even better but don't do it for the money.

[@JoyThiefTheBand]

Gosh, this video was so eye opening that it makes me wish I was 20 years younger and could go for it in CS now the same way I went for it in music in the 2000's/10's. Thank you! I wish you lots of deserved success in 2024, Styko :)

[@Milos4SBC]

Hey STYKO, wish you the best of life, very substantive video, keep on going! Greetings from Serbia.

[@myytti16]

I would like to see a video about expenses aswell STYKO. :)

[@vawqer1744]

I love this! Hearing about the economics/finances behind esports is super interesting. I'd love to hear more about your expenses too!

[@DidrikZetterlund]

You are missed bro. You deserve to IGL a top team, top teams have the perfect opportunity here. Absolutely underrated player. Styko is really smart and good leader.

[@WaXeN]

I'd love to see the spendings as well! Ty for this amazing video Styko! Watched 100% of it

[@STYKO]

Glad you enjoyed it 🥰 Means a lot!

[@crisanbrian7278]

bro is living a good life

[@cs2forlife]

you have no idea what is ''good life''

[@crisanbrian7278]

@@cs2forlife yeah, life isn't stable at all when you earn 500k in one year, great reply

[@mrwalter1049]

It's interesting to see how much of the earnings of players are shrouded by NDAs/ND-clauses. I get that fans think that salaries are ridiculously high but they aren't anything out of the ordinary. In my field it's pretty normal to have the absolute top 1000ish people being paid 10+ times more than the average person. And we are already on the higher side of earnings in regular jobs. It seems that (e)sports, that is basically skill measuring + team popularity contest, just has steeper variability in earnings. Otherwise the difference seems minimal

[@laserboy909]

Wonderful video, with some excellent incite. Would definitely be interested in more videos in a similar vein.

[@STYKO]

More to come! 😊 Video about my yearly spendings is already cooking 👨🏽‍🍳

[@em34ev3r]

professional gaming is the next level!!!! I love it! Love the skills and dedication that goes into ESPORTS !

[@nicholasgaulin1085]

Making this video is an awesome idea and very transparent of you. I respect you and appreciate you even more than I did before.

[@Josipinho]

You got my sub just for this. Props to you. No bullshit. Good info. Expenses would be also very interesting

[@biskveeet8877]

You seem like a person who wasn't born with a silver spoon in a month, but the person who grinded a lot to get to the point where you are now. Thanks for sharing this through your personality and video, you make me keep going as well as I find many similarities.

[@MrPauloVidal]

Styko this video is awesome! love from Brazil. I hope you make a video about your expenses! THANK YOU

[@maximilianwindhager4387]

Great video nice to see someone talking about a point people are interested in in a way where you can make a picture of the topic for yourself 👏

[@JAYWAL]

Thanks for the transparency!

[@STYKO]

Always! 🫶🏼😊

[@ApoloKing8]

thats why i aprecciate you, i bought 2,700 styko holo paris 2023 at 0.42e each and sold at 1,20each !! so proud !!

[@jonasdamsgaard4303]

I love how u are not afraid of any topics! Very interesting to hear about the pro-scene from the inside :) Keep up your amazing work!

[@StanleyTheLazy]

I really appreciate the fact that there are no ads. It’s so great.

[@simpebiff]

Thank you for making this video and being as transparent as possible. I've followed professional CS since 2016 and always wondered how salaries works with the popularity of esports growing. Keep up the good work!

[@STYKO]

You are so welcome! 😊

[@TommyTarkov]

if you ask me styko was allways a cool guy and a top player, when i see him in game im allways like: he is solid.

[@krullex4924]

The first time I saw you was in Hellraisers back then I've always admired the way you played. You kinda played cs how it is supposed to be played on a team level. Very well deserved to be where you are now. Thanks for transparency.

[@kushiwa5506]

u have big potential styko idk anyone else who talks about this and its really important for any aspiring esport pro especially in the cs scene to have a look at this kind of stuff although it might not show the big picture its really nice that someone tries talking about this

[@zonixx]

Great Video, Thanks!

[@nicolau2]

Yes to expenses video This was super informative. Good for you styko for sharing this. More power to you

[@tagliabue9566]

Love the insight, been watching you play for at least 6-7 years now, keep up the grind. Love from America

[@thatisbadass]

okay i can see why ropz is so motivated

[@RC_723]

THE best CS content on KZbin. Happy Holidays Martin, glad to see you will be competing in 2024. Cheering you on from Canada! I would love to see more demo reviews or basics style of videos (how to default as T or CT on certain maps).

[@ZapataOil]

no drama no childish silliness. you want a true professional to represent your org? styko is ur guy!

[@VildAspen]

Amazing video, interesting information for sure. Keep up the good work Styko!

[@ABCurry30]

Great info. I'm glad there is a lot of money now in the scene (though only at the top). But people need to understand, these pro players only play like 10-15 years so, still need to save some for that retirement money. 😅

[@forsakenbanksy1269]

Appreciate the transparency. You be surprise of how much something like this can help an individual.

[@stapcs]

Great video. Tip: lock the white balance, leaving it in auto causes those color that you can see mostly in the white wall.

[@naits82]

Thanks for the insights Styko. Please do one on expenses

[@isMINE-wp2ms]

thats awesome and way more $ than I thought ! congrats to you styko, I found you recently and I love your content

[@artempertsovskiy7596]

I would really like to know about expenses. I understand that in EU you can spend up to 50% from earnings on taxes and etc. Subscribed for that! Thx for interesting content and GL in 2024:).

[@dr0elf]

Thanks a lot for the interesting content, especially this vid. I'd highly appreciate not only a video about your expenses, but also about the daily life of an esports pro. Thanks again, subbed and liked. ;-)

[@ThourCS2]

Awesome content buddy, keep it up.

[@kolbeist2.010]

Always wondered about this thanks for the insight Styko!😃

[@ryuga_x_mgs9402]

I just found out about your channel just as this video dropped and I really liked it I always dreamt of becoming a professional gamer, but as luck would have it, I was able to start playing cs2 just a few days ago... I subscribed, pls upload some videos for new players, it would help... Thanks and have a good day

[@finalfps]

You make great content, very clear and full of information. I don't know about have another player in scene which make a good content like you. I would like to suggest a theme of video: can you could make a really informational video of a difference between a good player (like 3k ~ 4k elo on Faceit) to a pro player in you vision?

[@frannmira]

Brooo, a nice tip here. Set your camera to manual White Balance, so the colors and temperature doesn't change!

[@endribega2124]

You are a pro outside and inside the game , congrats.

[@jonginny9879]

What a great fucking video. Really suprised me about the kind of money that is being thrown around being a professional gamer in cs!

[@philiprennert7730]

A German KZbinr named Trilluxe made a reaction to this video wich was really interesting to watch so now I’m here 👍🏻✌🏻

[@sum8347]

Wow. Don't know who you are as a player but I love you as a person. +1 fan, go SYTKO go SYTKO go

[@yavzicle1337]

Such an important video! Most of the parents doesn’t think about esport more than waste of youth. Even tho the prices of some big tournaments are good, they cant be relied on. There is no transparency on the salaries too so kids cannot convince their parents. This video is going to be an important example that kids gonna show their parents and put some pressure off.

[@ryuichinakano3184]

styko this video is so good to giving us insights on how pros earn their money. please keep it up!

[@ChArLyWaFFeLs]

Great video! Also super interesting how much trust Apeks had in this team while you didn't win Fragadelphia in 2022 but had a huge Major run in you in 2023. High risk, high reward!

[@kasziR6]

absolutely fascinating stuff, thank you for putting this out there because you're obviously going to catch some heat for this but its incredibly important for up-and-coming players to know about this side of esports. so many people are out there grinding and get put off/quit because they're unsure about their financial situation moving forward.

[@mutdmkd]

It's always good when someone is transparent regarding this. Toast did it for twitch a few years back. Parents in certain countries need to see this to be fair. Even after taxes, there is still an amount remaining which is more than decent for every country in the world.

[@philippm.3244]

Very interesting video! Would love to see a follow-up video on your expenses and investments 👍😃

[@boda5449]

Thanks for your work

[@Xenolicz]

Damn these videos just keep getting better and better

[@jdx4174]

Wow. Actually useful numbers. Also really well presented video. Well done Styko!!

[@tanelhunt8829]

Thanks Styko, i have watched cs scene since you were on Mousesports with Ropz, always thought of you as a underdog, you are very smart player. But as the Estonian interview with Ropz went, estoninas ask allways the salary and money situtations, i know because i am estonian too >D

[@Striiker]

You deserve so much credit for all of your insights, pleasure to watch you!

[@Hulkk]

Great video, loved the editing and the overall quality! And appreciate the transparency

[@bigdave9188]

This is some top notch content love ya Styko

[@IAmxZki]

I've only just come across your content but I'm so glad I did. You've always come across as a likable player and this video was very well put together and a lot more transparent than I was expecting. Kudos to you and I look forward to more videos! :)

[@dxmanu2729]

great video and thanks for being transparent

[@anomalyvideosnotscripted3036]

WOW, nice to see that you make a good living from your hard work, you absolutly deserv it! One of my favourite players

[@oguzsemerci705]

Truly great video Styko.. Thanks for sharing. All the best from Turkey. Play bad against Eternals :) Also woxic's sallary was 35K at Cloud9

[@mckwin23]

We would love to see your spending Styko! Daily life of a CS Pro!

[@NiceGamingHU]

awesome vid styko thank for sharing best of luck in 2024

[@Kalle38]

love to see a video about your expenses! keep up the good work!

[@ElfishguyAUS]

Loving your content mate, keep it up

[@Rayechel]

Absolutely commendable video. I think its necessary to also highlight that sharing wages is important, in every profession (even sports) you are all workers and are all working hard, being able negotiate fair wages requires this openness that you have provided and i hope you and others advocate for more open contracts so you can all negotiate for fair wages.

[@OndrejEF]

Respect for sharing personal information. Good luck in the future!

[@LoopInc]

Styko, do most of your fellow csgo pros use any financial planners and plan for future since the short career span or are do they let their parents/agents deal with it? also do pros return to school?

[@ChrissBetz]

Great content as usual, can't wait to watch you boys grind in the RMR

[@georgigazeto4650]

I found it really interesting and I think you are a great guy. Wish you all the best. Btw I never played cs:)

[@viacheslavkiselev3125]

thanks a lot for sharing your personal earnings as well as giving estimate on the whole market. I wish every aspiring to be a pro kid saw that chart. my own piece of anecdotal information: there are no-name teams (below 100 hltv) that sign multi-year contracts with promising "Russian faceit grinders" with a salary of 50-200 euros, that prohibit them to switch to a different team. Such orgs then "sell" those players to better teams for profit when offers come-in.

[@sighheinrich]

Hey Mr Styko! Thank you for this video. You are great at making these videos and are really great on video. You are really good at structuring the video and also presenting it! I'm really impressed. Happy new year :)

[@4yh4m55]

Great content as usual

[@PieLSiPi]

Thanks for that video Martin, very well explained as always!

[@intuitiont.y6103]

great video! much needed insight for the esports scene

[@csswessel]

🐐 would love to see the expenses or perhaps more concrete schedule of pro teams/players

[@thomasblanco352]

This video is gold! Keep posting bru!

[@voicefulspace5]

this video was very interesting and enjoyable. thank u, amazing content as usual!

[@ddvoziligath8995]

Very very interesting video, great work and great move to keep the eposrt world kinda transparent.

[@prebb]

Great content. Subcribed 👍

[@realgoodpower]

ty bro for info

[@_El_Jefe1]

Good to see solid content from a fellow Slovak 💪

[@1Bonezinho]

really cool styko, lets get those expenses!!