Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf has an impressive claim to fame: he’s the most financially successful esports star that doesn’t play Dota 2.

The 22-year-old American sits at number 23 in the all-time earners list, having amassed prize earnings of $3.78 million from Fortnite.

However, he is also a highly active streamer with millions of followers on Twitch and YouTube, as well as various business interests.

In our analysis of Bugha’s earnings, we reveal his background, the amounts he has won in tournaments, and where else he earns his money.

His real name is Kyle Giersdorf, and he’s a 22-year-old American who has earned $3.78 million in prize money from esports since 2018.

A remarkable $3 million of that overall total was made back in 2019 when he won the Solo Fortnite World Cup as a 16-year-old.

He has since won a string of other tournaments, as well as building up a following of around five million people on Twitch, YouTube and Instagram.

So, how much has Bugha made from Fortnite? 

We have based our Bugha net worth figure on the prize winnings from his 163 mostly Fortnite tournaments since 2018.

According to esports earnings, he has total earnings of $3.78 million, with the most lucrative being the $3 million received from winning the 2019 Solo Fortnite World Cup.

Although Bugha’s Fortnite earnings account for a large percentage of his income, he has also cleverly established other revenue streams. 

So, how much earnings does Bugha have in total? Let’s consider each of the areas that have contributed to Bugha’s earnings since 2018.

We start by asking the question: how much did Bugha make from Fortnite?

The answer is that he’s earned an impressive $3.78 million from 163 Fortnite tournaments in the eight years since beginning his professional career in 2018.

His second year was his most successful, during which he earned $3.08 million from 41 tournaments. It included winning $3 million for the Solo Fortnite World Cup.

However, he made six-figure sums for the next four years and $78,608 in 2024. As of November 4, 2025, he has earned $40,700 from 16 events held this year.

During the course of his esports career, Bugha has played for prominent teams such as the Sentinels and Dignitas.

While the contract details haven’t been disclosed, top esports players can earn more than $187,200 per year, according to the Influencer Marketing Hub.

He will have also benefited from the various endorsements and agreements over the years. 

For example, in October 2021, it was announced that Bugha had signed an exclusive partnership with Step, a financial solutions provider.

Around the same time, Abercrombie & Fitch unveiled Bugha as the chief gaming scout of Hollister, where he’d be charged with looking for up-and-coming streamers.

He is also understood to have endorsement deals with ExitLag and Xfinity, both of which began in 2024.

Burgha has an impressive social media following, with millions of followers on Twitch, YouTube and Instagram. As of November 2025, he has 5.5 million followers on Twitch and just over 900 subscribers, who pay around $5.99 per month, according to Twitch Tracker.

He also has 4.68 million subscribers to his main YouTube channel and 143,000 on his Bugha Live channel, where he posts content from his stream.

The amounts paid out by these platforms aren’t disclosed, but estimates suggest he could receive thousands of dollars per month.

Bugha also has 4.2 million followers on Instagram, although he hasn’t posted regularly since 2024.

Bugha became the first esports competitor to sign with VaynerGaming, a division of the VaynerSports agency founded by Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk. 

In Spring 2020, the new arrangement led to a nationwide licensing deal being signed with Five Below, a fast-growing value retailer.

Bugha employs an accountant to manage his finances and has invested in the stock market, specific cryptocurrencies, and his retirement fund.

Bugha was born in Pennsylvania, USA, on December 30, 2002. His gamer tag is actually the name his grandfather gave him when he was a baby. 

In an interview with Dignitas in April 2023, Bugha credited his father, Glenn, for introducing him to gaming and described those early days as “super cool.”

He recalled: “I was really young, and he would buy me consoles and let me and my close friend play with him. We were just super little kids, we had no one to play with, and we didn’t know what we were doing, but he let us play with his friends.”

Glenn has claimed in an interview with ESPN that Bugha played Battlefield 1942 when he was still in nappies, insisting he has proof on video.

He has been playing Fortnite since Season 1, starting as a console player before switching to PC in Season 3, as announced when he joined the Sentinels.

Previously, he played for team No Clout, a professional Fortnite duo project, and in pro Discord tournaments with fellow Sentinel teammate, Aspect.

In an interview with ESPN after he won the 2019 World Cup, his mother, Darcy, recalled how Bugha would play Fortnite for up to 10 hours a day.

She also revealed he usually followed a set routine of eating a specific Wawa sandwich and Gatorade before important online matches.

“I literally feel like I’m in a dream right now,” she was quoted as saying. “It’s so surreal… This is life-changing for him. He’s been playing video games since he was three, so this is his passion. He told us he could do this, he put his mind to it, and he did it.”

His most significant victory came early in his career, when he won the 2019 Solo Fortnite World Cup held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

So, how much money did Bugha win in the World Cup?

The then 16-year-old defeated the likes of Turner “Tfue” Tenney and Timothy “Bizzle” Miller to take home the trophy and $3 million top prize.

He told ESPN: “Emotionally, right now, I don’t feel too much, except I know that this could pretty much change my life forever,” Bugha said. “It’s just absolutely unreal.”

As well as the World Cup, Bugha has won two PC Gamer of the Year Awards, the Esports PC Rookie of the Year award, and multiple online tournaments and events.

In late December 2022, it was revealed that Sentinels were pulling out of competitive Fortnite, with chief executive Rob Moore making the announcement on X. 

Early the following year, Bugha joined Dignitas, where he won $17,260 from four tournaments.

In March 2025, Dignitas announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Bugha was leaving the team, noting they were waving goodbye to “the Greatest of All Time”. 

Bugha responded on the platform by praising his time with the team: “Amazing journey, will forever have a special place in my heart and career.” He also confirmed he would continue competing as a free agent.

Bugha doesn’t appear to live a lavish lifestyle. In fact, he has managed to strike a balance between being sensible, generous and frivolous since becoming an esports multi-millionaire.

He explained in a video last year how paying off the $200,000 mortgage on his parents’ house had been his priority after winning $3 million back in 2019. 

Bugha then spent $100,000 on a Tesla Model S and $50,000 on renovating his basement streaming room and installing home gym equipment.

The next stop was getting himself kitted out with new clothes and shoes, including designer names such as Gucci. This shopping spree also saw him purchase two watches, an AP Royal Oak and a Rolex GMT-Master II, for a combined $45,000.

At the time of the interview in August 2024, Bugha noted that he’d sent $50,000 in rent after moving to Dallas, Texas, as the Fortnite servers were located in the area.

He also admitted that $100,000 had been spent on food delivery services…including from a mix of gourmet dishes and fast food chains.

Bugha credited his family and his involvement with VaynerSports for launching his first charitable initiative with Gamers Outreach, which gives children in hospitals access to gaming.

His scheme, known as Code Bugha, saw a percentage of revenue generated by his Epic Store code donated to help fund GO Karts, portable gaming kiosks, across the country.

He also helped raise more than $10,000 for its Gamers for Giving 2021 through his charity stream, with his efforts being praised.

According to David Fraser, director of development at Gamers Outreach, partnering with the Fortnite superstar had made a difference.

He said: “Bugha provides us a platform to share our mission with a broader audience, and the generosity of his community has provided thousands of hospitalised children with access to gaming.”

Only 22 people have made more money from playing competitive esports, but all of them have done so via the notoriously lucrative Dota 2 tournaments.

Bugha’s Fortnite net worth makes him the most financially successful American gamer of all time and the richest Fortnite player.

Austrian David “Aqua” Wang is the second most successful competitive Fortnite player, with earnings of $2.19 million.

However, Bugha remains a long way behind the highest earners in esports, with Johan “N0tail” Sundstein leading the way with $7.18 million made playing Dota 2.

So, how much money has Bugha made from Fortnite? The answer is at least $3.78 million in prize winnings, not including salaries, endorsements and any business interests.

His status as a multi-millionaire in competitive esports is due to a combination of talent, hard work, and the support of his parents.

When you consider the success he has achieved, as well as the high media profile he has enjoyed, it’s hard to believe he is still only in his early twenties.

However, what sets him apart from many people is the effort he has put into streaming, as well as securing lucrative endorsements and establishing business interests.