The Esports Awards hosted a one-off Decade Awards ceremony on August 24th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to celebrate ten years of competitive gaming achievements.
Held alongside the Esports World Cup, the event drew global attention and highlighted the players, teams, and organisations that shaped the last decade of the industry.
The Esports Decade Awards 2025 served as a retrospective look at the most influential figures and defining moments in esports history. According to the organisers, fans cast nearly 9.8 million votes, though the distribution of the awards was not as varied.
Winners of the Esports Decade Awards
A large share of the Decade Awards went to Riot Games and League of Legends–affiliated players, teams, and events. Six of these awards—around 43 percent—fell into this category, including Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as Esports PC Player of the Decade.
Below is the complete list of winners across the 14 categories recognised at the ceremony:
- Esports Game of the Decade – League of Legends
- Esports Personality of the Decade – Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag
- Streamer of the Decade – Félix “xQc” Lengyel
- Esports Commercial Partner of the Decade – Intel
- Esports Content and Coverage Platform of the Decade – Liquipedia
- Esports Publisher of the Decade – Riot Games
- Esports Live Event of the Decade – League of Legends Worlds 2017
- Esports PC Player of the Decade – Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
- Esports Breakthrough Player of the Decade – Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Esports Controller Player of the Decade – Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro
- Esports Coach of the Decade – Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun
Esports Team of the Decade – T1, League of Legends - Esports Organisation of the Decade – Team Liquid
- Esports On-Air Talent of the Decade – Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
Many of the winners reflect personalities and companies having a lasting impact on competitive gaming over the past decade. For example, Faker is widely regarded as one of the greatest esports players of all time, becoming a global icon even beyond the industry’s spaces.
Similarly, ZywOo earned recognition as Breakthrough Player of the Decade for his exceptional skill and rapid rise in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene, cementing his status as one of the most talented players of his generation.
Esports Journalist of the Decade Award Missing
First launched in 2015, the Esports Awards were created to recognise excellence across competitive gaming, from players and coaches to publishers and content creators.
Over the years, the annual ceremony has become one of the industry’s most prominent platforms for recognition, though not without controversy.
In 2024, the Esports Awards entered into a three-year partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation, bringing the ceremony to Saudi Arabia.
Given international scrutiny of the country and EWC, the collaboration drew criticism for sportswashing and coincided with the omission of several traditional award categories, including Esports Journalist of the Year.
Coming into 2025, there was still no award announced for Esports Journalist of the Decade.
That said, it is undeniable that the awards highlighted just how much the competitive gaming landscape has transformed in just ten years.
