Faker’s net worth in 2026: 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 2026.

The popular South Korean professional League of Legends player and streamer has established himself as one of the biggest names in esports.

In our analysis of Faker’s net worth in 2026, we examine his various revenue streams, charity work, prize pool earnings, and real estate investments.

We also delve into the childhood of “The Unkillable Demon King,” who is widely regarded as the best to have ever played League of Legends.

He has been with T1 (formerly SK Telecom T1) since joining as a mid-laner in 2013, signing a three-year contract in 2020 that made him a part-owner of the organisation.
In July 2025, he signed a new four-year contract with T1 that will keep him there until 2029, at which point he’ll be 33 years old. The announcement was made in a glitzy video that has garnered 1.4 million views and 84,000 likes on YouTube so far.

The re-signing is understandable given that Faker is regarded as the best League of Legends player in the world and has been for over a decade. 

He established himself as the so-called “Unkillable Demon King” for his world-class performances as a mid-laner and was inducted into the Hall of Legends in Seoul in June 2024.

In August 2025, he achieved another milestone by becoming the first player in League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) history to record over 700 career victories.

As of January 2026 has 20 trophies, being the first LoL player to ever do so, winning a record-setting six World Championships, and that’s without taking into account a myriad of individual awards. Throughout 2025, Faker has proven to be a record breaker and a front-running legend in the LoL esports scene.

Faker’s total net worth is comprised of his prize winnings, sponsorships, salaries, and other investments. Let’s take a look at each in turn.

According to Liquidpedia, as of January 2026, before the start of the competitive season, Faker’s tournament earnings stand at approximately $2,136,648, having won 20 titles in 98 events since his 2013 debut. This also includes a record-breaking six World Championships, being his biggest contribution to his tournament earnings.

Now at over $2 million in total tournament prize money won, he is the most successful League of Legends player of all time, being one of the few to have earned over $1 million in the LoL esports scene.

Gen.G’s Park Jae-hyuk, better known as Ruler, is the second-highest earning player in LoL, totalling $1,200,752, showing how far ahead Faker has been.

Faker’s most lucrative victory came at the LoL 2016 World Championship, where he walked away with $338,000. This helped make 2016 his most successful year with total earnings of $418,365, although he has won more than $100,000 in eight separate years 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. 

This makes Faker one of the richest esports athletes in the world and one of the most highly regarded LoL players ever. His team, T1, is also regarded as one of the best in League of Legends, having been World Champions three years in a row and a consistent force in the ever-competitive LCK.

However, other sources suggest this figure is conservative and that his actual net worth could be closer to $25 million.

It is common for many LoL pros to keep their true earnings from public knowledge, and even their split in prize money isn’t always clear. The best we will ever get, unless Faker comes out to say how much he earns, is an estimate.

Faker’s long-term wealth stems from his salary, which is paid by the T1 team, a position he has held since 2013, despite the frequent turnover of team members.

The new four-year contract he signed with the organisation back in July 2025 secures him in the line-up until at least 2029, presumably with a salary increase.

In a subsequent interview, Faker reaffirmed that he had no intention of retiring from professional League of Legends in the near future.

Faker’s salary as a T1 player is assumed to be around $6 million, a massive number, but well deserved considering that he is the face of not only the team, but of LoL esports too. He is also a part-owner of T1, and in 2023, he was given stock options, holding around 5.6% of the company, with significant investment.

So, how much could this be worth? Well, TI was valued by Forbes in 2022 at around $208 million, but more recent reports suggest a figure of $358 million. If this is accurate, Faker’s stake could be worth $21.5 million, a sizable boost to his overall worth.

Although Faker’s salary and prize winnings account for a substantial percentage of his overall wealth, he has also successfully diversified his income, something common among top LoL pros.

Something else common among LoL pros is taking to Twitch and YouTube, which Lee Sand-hyeok has done to add to his over $2 million prize money.

According to Faker’s official Twitch channel, the League of Legends champion has 3.9 million followers. However, he hasn’t streamed on that platform for four years.

It was reported that T1 signed a streaming partnership with AfreecaTV, a South Korean live streaming platform, back in the summer of 2022. Afreeca rebranded to SOOP in 2024.

The T1 Faker YouTube channel, which he established in February 2017. Since then, the channel has earned 2.1 million subscribers and 450 million views in over 1,400 videos.

Although official figures are not available, viewers would have likely donated through the dedicated buttons on streaming pages, as well as via Super Chats on YouTube. 

Pair this with Faker’s presence on other social media platforms, like Instagram, with 2.6 million followers, and it’s likely that social media and content creation add a sizable sum to the Faker bank account.

As a result of his phenomenal success over the years, brand deals and sponsorships signed have made up a significant portion of Faker’s income.

As a member of T1, Faker benefits from prominent brand deals represented by CAA Sports, which include Razer, Nike, and Red Bull sponsorships.

Faker’s net worth in 2026 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. 

Faker’s income is boosted by investments in real estate, specifically the Faker Tower, located in his hometown of Seoul, in the Gangseo District. This building, completed in 1997, has two underground floors and nine above-ground levels. It’s believed to have cost roughly $8.3 million in 2020, and it reportedly earns a steady profit. 

While Faker’s company is believed to be based on the top floor, the rest of the building is leased to other companies. While the revenue generated by renting these floors remains unknown, its contribution to Faker’s net worth is likely respectable.

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

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 if he could 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 his massive wealth, Faker isn’t known for splashing his cash frivolously; known for being frugal and still living a humble lifestyle. This could be due to his family not being well off during his childhood 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. Note that T1 provides both food and board for him, so this isn’t quite as surprising as it sounds, even if it is very frugal for a superstar like Faker.

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. 

Faker may have enjoyed a lot of professional success, but that doesn’t mean it’s been stress-free. In fact, he has endured some public health battles.

It was revealed in 2023 that he was struggling with hand and wrist problems that had affected his performance. Despite receiving treatment for the injuries, reports suggested that he has had to adapt to the injuries as part of his recovery. Clearly, the adaptation went well, since he has won three LoL Worlds consecutively.  

Separately, he acknowledged in a separate interview that there had been times during his career when he’d had to sacrifice his health in tournaments.

He also reflected on his time at the top and hoped that his legacy would be one of giving something positive to the fans for them to remember.

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 (presumably) $10 million makes him one of the richest esports stars in the world. While he is number one as far as LoL esports is concerned, this isn’t the case in esports as a whole.

While having won over $2 million in prize money is astounding, making him the most financially successful League of Legends player. However, he is far from the top esports earners. In fact, Esports Earnings currently ranks him 73rd in terms of prize pools.

Of course, 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. While LoL and Dota 2 are often compared, it should be noted that The International’s, Dota 2’s equivalent to Worlds, prize pool is crowd-funded, making it much larger. 

Faker’s prize winnings are only a small part of what has made him so rich and successful over the years, along with brand deals, real estate investments, and frugal living. 

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 the richest LoL athlete and one of the most famous esports players in the world, transcending the League of Legends scene. That’s certainly impressive, considering that LoL isn’t too far off 20 years old.

While it isn’t known how much longer Faker will play for, considering he is nearing the age when many players retire, he is still one of the best around and will likely honour his contract until 2029. He has said that he will take on an operational role at T1, continue landlord duties, and charitable efforts in 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.