If you haven’t heard of Call of Duty (COD), you have probably been living under a rock. This best-loved first-person shooter has been around since 2003 and now 16 main titles in the series have been released. If you’re a Call of Duty fan, why not get paid to play? That’s right – you can become a paid game
player. Many Call of Duty players earn an income from streaming, competing, and betting on COD eSports. The COD: Modern Warfare game came out in March 2019 and, being the most recent addition, is currently the best game title from the COD series to play for cash. It was also the best selling video game of 2019! Call of Duty: Cold War is to be released later this year and will undoubtedly also be
a banger with lots of potential for earning money as you play. Here are our top strategies for making a living from playing Call of Duty. A great way to start earning money playing COD is by broadcasting yourself live over online streaming platforms like the Facebook Gaming platform and Twitch. To be a
successful streamer, you have to:Streaming COD
Think you tick these two boxes? Sounds like streaming games for money could be right up your street.
You may have already heard of Nick ‘Nickmercs’ Kolcheff, pictured above. He is regarded as one of the top Call of Duty streamers who streams on Twitch and also has a YouTube channel.
His net worth is estimated to be at $4 million, and he earns $1.5 million annually from paid subscriptions alone. This makes him the streamer with the highest income from subs across all gaming titles. On top of this, he receives revenue from ads, donations from fans, and money from sponsorships.
Don’t expect to reach this level of income overnight – it takes years of building an audience and constant promoting. However, stay motivated and you could be making money from COD before you know it.
Competing in Pro COD Tournaments
If you are skilled at Call of Duty, you could earn money from entering and winning CODeSports tournaments.
Amateur contests can be entered online, but the prize pools for these competitions are tiny. To earn enough to live off, you need to compete in pro gaming tournaments.
The major COD eSports tournament is the Call of Duty League (CDL). This has taken over from the Call of Duty Worlds whos last season was in 2019. Being new for 2020, the CDL focuses on the Modern Warfare title and has a pretty awesome prize pool of $6 million.
The top COD professional player is Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow, who retired from competitive COD in June 2020.[1] He holds the record as the only player to ever win three Call of Duty World Championships and has won $805,000 through his lifetime of professional gaming.
On top of prize funds, pro Call of Duty players also get paid a yearly salary by their team. For the CDL, the minimum salary for each player is $50,000.
The fight to the top is hard, and getting noticed may seem impossible, but if you have the skill and persistence the rewards can be life changing.
Betting on COD eSports
Don’t have what it takes to enter competitive COD tournaments? Why not bet on gaming tournaments instead?
The prime Call of Duty competition to bet on is the CDL, Activision’s latest league which is new for 2020.[2] Despite being a popular franchise, Call of Duty still falls short of titles such as League of Legends and Counter-Strike which are renowned eSports games. The CDL could be the push that COD eSports needs.
You may have missed the start of the season which kicked off in January, but the CDL Championships are not until the last weekend in August. There are also other smaller leagues throughout the year that you can place wagers on.
You can find many eSports bets on ordinary online sportsbooks, meaning betting on your favorite COD professional team is as easy as pie.
Make sure you do your research and know the game. Get your bets right and you could win some serious money betting on COD.
Coaching Other Players
Think you have got it in you to become a teacher? The last money-making method on our list is to become a Call of Duty coach.
If you have some top tips to offer other players you can make a small fortune from providing private COD lessons. When first starting out you’ll need to set your hourly late low (unless you are already an established COD streamer or well-known player).
However, the more you coach, the more you can charge! Top Call of Duty coaches can get paid hundreds of dollars every hour, but this needs experience and a great track record.
If looking to coach COD, it is essential you perfect each new title as it comes out. No one will be wanting a Call of Duty Black Ops coach when Modern Warfare is at its prime.
What Else?
Not sure Call of Duty is the game for you? No problem! In fact, you can make money by playing virtually any video game. If there are a fanbase and an audience, there is a way to earn income.
Here are some other first-person shooter games you might be interested in:
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive by Valve
- Overwatch by Blizzard
- Valorant by Riot Games
To browse through our guides for other games, visit this page. Alternatively, our homepage will introduce even more methods to make money from video games!
FAQs
How much to Call of Duty eSports players make?
Professional Call of Duty eSports players in the CDL get paid a salary of $50,000+. Any funds from winning competitions and tournaments will be in addition to this.
Who is the richest professional COD player?
The richest COD player is Damon ‘Karma’ Barlow who has won $805,847 from Call of Duty tournaments.
Can I make money playing Call of Duty?
Yes, you can make money playing Call of Duty. Many professional COD players exist! You can earn money from competing, streaming, betting, or coaching.
How much do COD streamers make per month?
On average, COD streamers can make $3,000 to $5,000 each month when playing fulltime. The money you make from streaming Call of Duty depends on which strategies you choose to monetize your channel, plus how popular your stream is.
Who is the best Call of Duty Modern Warfare streamer?
The best Call of Duty Modern Warfare streamer is Nick ‘Nickmercs’ Kolcheff. He is the top-earning streamer based on income from subscriptions and is huge in the COD community.
How much is Nickmercs worth?
The estimated net worth of Nickmercs is $4 million. From his paid Twitch subscriptions alone he earns $1.5 million annually, plus other channels of revenue.