Faker’s net worth in 2025: How much is the LoL legend worth?

If you’ve ever wondered whether esports could be a well-paid job, let’s see how much Faker makes in 2025. The popular South Korean professional League of Legends player and streamer has been one of the biggest esports names, having taken Riot Games’ MOBA by storm since he joined the fold professionally in 2013. 

We’re going over far more than just Faker’s net worth in 2025. We’re also outlining all of his different revenue streams, charity work, prize pool earnings, real estate developments, and early childhood, so you can get the full picture on “The Unkillable Demon King,” who is also sometimes referred to as the “God” of League of Legends. 

Faker, whose full name is Lee Sang-hyeok (이상혁), is a 28-year-old South Korean League of Legends professional player. Faker has been with T1 (formerly SK Telecom T1) since 2013, when he joined the organization as a mid-laner. In 2020, he signed a new three-year contract with T1, which included becoming a part-owner of the organization.

Faker is generally regarded as the best League of Legends player in the world and has been for over a decade. He’s established himself as “The Unkillable Demon King” for his world-class performance as a mid-laner. 

As of April 2025, he has 17 trophies, including five World Championship wins and 10 League of Legends Champions Korea results. In June 2024, LoL Esports inducted him into the Hall of Legends in Seoul. 

According to Liquipedia, Faker’s earnings in 2025 currently stand at approximately $1,803,082, which is the cumulative of the LoL World Championship prize pots and other top-level events since 2013. 

With that said, Faker’s net worth far exceeds just his League of Legends tournament winnings. It’s believed that Lee Sang-hyeok is currently worth $10 million, as reported by ClutchPoints. 

That makes Faker one of the richest Esports players in the world, with T1 being regarded as one of the best League of Legends teams on the planet. 

Faker’s salary and investments come from diverse revenue streams outside of playing on the world’s stage in League of Legends. While Lee Sang-hyeok has won nearly $2 million playing competitively since 2013, the bulk of his income comes from his Twitch and YouTube earnings, as streaming makes up a substantial portion of his net worth. 

Looking at Faker’s official Twitch channel, the League of Legends champion has 3.9 million followers. Many of them likely donate through the dedicated button on the streaming page, as well as the likes of Super Chats and more. 

The T1 Faker YouTube channel currently has 1.99 million followers. As a result of his immense following and success, brand deals and sponsorships make up a strong portion of Faker’s income. 

Through T1, Faker has prominent brand deals represented by CAA Sports, such as sponsorships with Razer, Nike, and Red Bull, which are among the highest-paying Esports supporters. 

Faker’s net worth in 2025 is also due in part to his prominent role as the Global Ambassador for Stealer’s ‘Steel by Stealer’ eyewear, as well as a lucrative collaboration between Secretlab and VANDYTHEPINK for a custom-designed Titan Evo model. 

A major revenue stream for Faker’s income is his investments in real estate, more specifically the Faker Tower, which is located in his hometown of Seoul in the Gangseo District, near his childhood home. 

While his company operates on the top floor, the remainder of the building is leased to 10 other companies; the exact amounts are undisclosed. The property was believed to cost roughly $8.3 million in 2020, and it reportedly earns a steady profit. 

Additionally, while Faker’s contract salary is believed to be around the $6 million mark, it’s said that Sang-hyeok also owns a stake in T1. It’s said that his ownership is around 6% of the company. The organization is currently valued at $220 million, meaning that Sang-hyeok’s shares are worth approximately $13.2 million and counting. 

Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok was born in the Gangseo District of Seoul, South Korea, on May 7, 1996. He was raised by his grandparents and his father, Lee Kyung-joon. Faker has described his family as not being very well off financially. 

He began playing League of Legends when it arrived in South Korea back in 2011 (despite the title launching in 2009 in North America and Europe), and quickly became enamored with the release. 

Before playing League of Legends, he was a big fan of fighting games such as Tekken and King of Fighters before getting into PC gaming with MapleStory and Warcraft 3. 

While attending Mapo High School, he started taking LoL more seriously, even asking his father to drop out and pursue esports full-time, which his father fully supported. 

He was shortly scouted by T1 in 2013 and has been a major player in Riot Games’ popular MOBA. 

Despite Faker’s salary and substantial net worth, the League of Legends champion leads a notoriously frugal and humble lifestyle instead of splashing his wealth unnecessarily. This is likely due to his poor upbringing and how his father raised him. 

Despite raking in around $6 million from his contract salary at T1 alone, Sang-hyeok is believed to only spend around $170 a month (or roughly $2,040 a year) on himself, due in part to T1 providing both food and board for him.

Faker has a famously packed 24-hour schedule which allocates his free time, practice, sleeping, eating, and Scrims, with half the time spent between the Scrims and playing on the LoL Solo Queue. 

When not playing League, it’s believed he spends most of his time watching VODs, with equal allocation to watching his own replays, checking regional metas, and using stats sites. 

He aims to sleep only six hours at a time, eliminating time wasted on his phone to improve sleep quality, with the bulk of his waking life spent on League. 

While living so humbly and making smart business investments is what Faker is known for, he’s equally well-regarded for his charitable donations and philanthropy. 

Faker’s net worth of $10 million makes him one of the richest esports stars in the world. However, he’s not the highest-paid in the competitive scene. 

With estimated prize pool earnings of around $1.8 million solely from playing League, he’s in the top five internationally but pales behind the likes of:

However, it’s worth remembering that the competitive scene for League of Legends (and its respective prize pools) can be smaller than that of Honor of Kings, CS2, Fortnite, and Dota 2. 

After all, Faker’s salary and prize winnings are only a small part of what’s made him so rich and successful over the years, as brand deals, real estate, frugal living, and sponsorships will eclipse T1’s winnings. 

Faker’s net worth is estimated to be $10 million, which takes into account his yearly salary from T1, his real estate ventures with Faker Tower, sponsorships with the likes of Razer and Secretlab, and his part ownership in T1. 

Lee Sang-hyeok is one of the richest esports and most famous Esports players in the entire world, transcending more than just League of Legends, which is impressive given the game is now approaching 20 years old. 

It’s unknown how long the South Korean champion will continue to play League, but it’s said he will take an operational role in T1 and continue his landlord duties and charitable efforts in the future. 

For more on Riot Games’ premier MOBA, we recommend checking out Esports Insider’s League of Legends coverage. It covers not just Faker and T1 but also other competitive teams, the gameplay changes, and esports events.