How Much Does s1mple Earn?

Many gamers dream of becoming professional esports players – traveling the world and making a living playing CS. One of the few who has achieved this at the highest level is Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, the legendary Ukrainian AWPer widely considered the greatest CS:GO player of all time. Over a career spanning more than 10 years (since 2013), s1mple has reached incredible heights – from winning a Major to breaking numerous individual records. It’s no wonder fans often ask: how much money does s1mple make? Let’s break down all of s1mple’s main income sources and estimate his total career earnings.

Career Prize Money, Stickers and Capsules, NAVI Salary, Twitch Streaming, Sponsorship Deals and Personal Branding, Total Career Earnings (2013–2025)

Career Prize Money

We’ll start with the most obvious – tournament prize money. Winning championships brings in significant amounts, and s1mple is far from being on the low end here. How much does s1mple earn? Over his career, Oleksandr has earned more than $1.7 million in prize winnings. More than half of that came in his incredibly successful 2021 season, when Natus Vincere won several major tournaments, including the historic PGL Major Stockholm 2021 and the Intel Grand Slam Season 3 bonus. Each of those victories brought Na`Vi around $1,000,000, and s1mple’s share made up a substantial portion of his yearly winnings.

Of course, not every year is as profitable, but s1mple’s consistency is impressive. In seasons without a Major win (like 2019, 2020, 2022), he still earned around $125,000–$160,000 per year in prize money. In the first months of 2023, he added another ~$37,500 in winnings. In other words, tournaments bring him at least a couple hundred thousand dollars annually (before taxes and team deductions). Key events where s1mple earned the most include, besides the Stockholm Major, BLAST Finals, IEM Katowice, and the Intel Grand Slam bonus (Na`Vi received $1 million for a dominant tournament streak).

Fun fact: By total CS:GO earnings, s1mple ranks in the top 10 richest players in the game’s history, holding 7th place worldwide (~$1.72M) by the end of 2023, behind only six Danish players (led by dupreeh with ~$2.2M). Among Russian and Ukrainian pros, s1mple is the undisputed record holder, surpassing the $1M prize mark back in 2020.

Stickers and Capsules

Prize money is only the tip of the iceberg. In CS:GO esports, there’s a unique income source – sticker and autograph capsule sales at Majors. Valve shares the revenue from these sales with players and teams, and sometimes these payouts can match or even exceed the tournament prize money.

Exact figures are kept secret, but some pros have revealed estimates. Sniper kennyS once said that reaching the playoffs of a Major – and especially winning – can bring $500,000 to $1,000,000 per player purely from sticker sales. Even in the worst case (e.g., being eliminated in the group stage), a pro could still earn at least ~$150,000 per event.

For s1mple, this is a huge boost. He’s been a regular Major participant since 2014 and has reached the playoffs 11 times in his career. Not all of those featured autograph stickers (earlier Majors didn’t include them), but in recent years CS:GO’s audience exploded, and sticker sales hit record highs. It’s safe to assume that at each Major, s1mple earned at least several hundred thousand dollars from capsules. For example, in 2022 alone (PGL Antwerp and IEM Rio), his sticker revenue may have exceeded $500,000. On average, analysts estimate around $200,000 per Major for s1mple. Over his career, that could easily add up to $2M+ – a massive “bonus” that many fans overlook when discussing his earnings.

Fun fact: Sometimes “sticker money” brings players more than the actual prize winnings from the tournament. The more popular the player, the more fans buy their autograph capsules – and s1mple is one of the most beloved CS players ever, with his signature stickers selling out almost instantly.

NAVI Salary

What is s1mple salary? Another major income stream is his team salary. Top organizations pay their stars a monthly wage, often equal to or greater than tournament earnings. s1mple has spent most of his career with Natus Vincere (Na`Vi), where he reached his peak. So how much did they pay him?

Exact contract numbers are usually confidential, but reliable estimates exist. British pro Owen “smooya” Butterfield has shared insider info: around ten of the best players in the world earn over $40,000 a month, and s1mple and NiKo earn over $50,000 monthly. That’s about $600,000 a year (not including win bonuses). This figure may sound unbelievable, but it’s realistic for superstars like s1mple. He’s not just a top player – he’s also the face of Na`Vi, with millions of followers (3.7M on Twitch, 1.6M on Instagram, 0.8M on Twitter), making him a major media asset.

It’s worth noting that Na`Vi is known for careful financial management, so some believe his real salary might have been slightly lower than $50K. Still, even skeptics agree: he earned no less than $40–50K a month. His contract terms also improved over time – salaries for top players skyrocketed as CS:GO’s popularity grew.

And what about other teams? In 2023, s1mple took a break and temporarily left Na`Vi. Rumors claimed that the wealthy Middle Eastern club Team Falcons offered him around $1M for a short-term contract. Even if exaggerated, the point is clear: s1mple’s market value is extremely high, and at his peak, he was arguably the highest-paid CS:GO player.

Twitch Streaming

Many esports pros earn well from streaming their gameplay. s1mple has 4M Twitch followers, and it could be a goldmine – but for him, streaming is more of a hobby than a job. He rarely goes live, sometimes streaming just a few hours a month. Subscription income at that activity level is minimal – around $100–150 per month.

Of course, his potential is enormous. When s1mple does stream, he consistently pulls in 15–20K viewers. With those numbers, a dedicated streaming schedule could bring him thousands in ads and donations. But he’s not chasing streaming money – he streams to connect with fans and play casually. In the future, after retiring from pro play, he could easily transition to full-time streaming. For now, though, his Twitch channel is more about fun than income.

Sponsorship Deals and Personal Branding

As the face of Counter-Strike, s1mple is a dream partner for sponsors. Advertising deals are a significant part of any star player’s income. In 2019, he became an AMD ambassador. That same year, he appeared as an exclusive character in the mobile game Raid: Shadow Legends. Each such deal likely brings hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

He’s also worked with gaming gear brands like Logitech. Many sponsorships may have been arranged through Na`Vi, but personal partnerships almost certainly brought him at least $100K+ per year.

And let’s not forget his personal brand. s1mple appears in interviews, media features, and show matches, and even has his own merchandise (NAVI clothing with his nickname sold out quickly). His massive visibility boosts the value of every contract he signs.

Fun fact: Despite his millions, s1mple is still a big fan of CS skins. He’s built an impressive inventory of rare skins, and even after big wins, he continues adding to his collection – sometimes even opening cases like any regular player, chasing that one dream drop.

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Total Career Earnings (2013–2025)

Let’s put it all together. Analysts estimate that s1mple’s yearly income in recent years has consistently exceeded $1M. About half comes from s1mple salary (~$600K/year), the rest from prize money, stickers, and sponsorships. Some years, like 2021, he may have made close to $2M in total.

Estimated total career earnings for s1mple by 2025: around $7–8 million USD. This includes ~$1.7M in prize money, nearly a decade of salaries, sticker capsule revenue, and sponsorship/streaming income. This is an estimate of total gross earnings – not net worth, as taxes and expenses take a significant portion.

These earnings put s1mple among the wealthiest esports players. But more importantly, his value to the game can’t be measured in money.