The Top 10 Quickest Esports Players in the World

The professional eSports community exploded onto the scene in the mid-2010s. Since then, it has only grown in popularity.

Now, as part of a multi-million dollar enterprise, these next-level gamers train as rigorously as any other athlete.

These gamers are always looking for the next big competition and taking it to the next level.

Of course, any pro-athlete wants to be as quick as possible. eSports is no different in that way. These gamers are always looking for the next big competition and taking it to the next level.

Understanding speed in the eSports community is a little bit different than other sports, though. The most important thing to know is that in every eSport, players use a super-fast computer, keyboard and mouse. Clicking around the screen to complete things in-game is referred to as actions per minute or APMs.

These numbers are generally averaged during a player's single set of games, such as an average APM during a tournament or series of competitions.

While speed isn't everything in competitive eSports, it certainly doesn't hurt being faster than the opponent during a match! That's why these 10 eSports players are known throughout the community as the quickest in the world on a trusty keyboard and mouse.

10 Manuel Schenkhuizen (Handles: Grubby/King of Orcs)

APM: 301

Credit: Twitter: @followgrubby

He won 6 World Championships as an orc character.

The #10 slot goes to a long-time Warcraft professional eSports player, the Dutch player Grubby. His start in competitive gaming began with the wildly popular Warcraft III. He went on to win 6 World Championships as an orc character, earning him the nickname "King of the Orcs" in the gaming community.

His regular speed of 301 APM consistently clocked in as one of the quickest in the Warcraft community and served him well when he moved onto Starcraft II in later 2009. Since 2011, Grubby has been an independent eSports player.

9 Hwang Kang Ho (Handles: Losira/KangHo)

APM: 400

Losira starts off this list with an impressive speed averaging 400 APM at the World Championship Qualifier in Korea in 2014. His long-time skills in the eSports community blossomed during his first season playing Starcraft II on the team Incredible Miracle. Since then, he's moved on several times. Losira is currently teamless, but that hardly stops this speedy pro from running circuits all across the globe.

8 Kim Doh Wook (Handle: Cure)

APM: 420

Cure came into the professional eSports leagues in 2012 and has played for a few different teams since then.

He is from South Korea and is currently on Dragon Phoenix Gaming. He recently took home the first official tournament win of 2020 in the OSC Championship: Season 7. Competing for nearly eight years means that Cure has some deft hands, with his APM averaging around 420 during his latest competition.

There's plenty of time for Cure to up his game, but these speeds still earn a spot on this top 10!

7 Alex Sunderhaft (Handle: Neeb)

APM: 450

Neeb, an American, came from humble beginnings in the Runescape world and then turned his attention to League of Legends. After a short competitive stay in this game, he gravitated towards Starcraft II. Since then, Neeb has been a powerhouse in the eSports world.

His fast fingers keep him a consistently high contender for all of the latest tournaments. He is the second-highest scoring non-South Korean ever to play Starcraft II. His average APM clocked in near 450 during the HomeStoryCup XIV in 2016, earning him a spot on this countdown.

6 Joona Sotala (Handle: Serral)

APM: 457

Known to the Starcraft II community as Serral, Joona Sotala is a Finnish speed fiend. He and Neeb often compete against one another in tournaments and matches. He's the first non-South Korean eSports player to reach and win the Starcraft II World Championship Cup Finals. He currently plays on Ence eSports. During the 2019 World Championship Finals, Serral was clocked in with an average of 457APM. These speedy fingers paid off, earning him bragging rights until the next World Championship in 2020!

5 Amer Al-Barkawi (Handle: Miracle)

APM: 500

Currently a professional in the Dota 2 world, Miracle is part of the team Nigma. He bounced around quite a bit after entering eSports in 2015 but settled into his current team with plenty of experience.

He is one of the few pro eSports athletes to climb the leaderboards while teamless.

The gamer holds dual citizenship in both Poland and Jordan thanks to his Polish mother and Jordanian father. He is one of the few pro eSports athletes to climb the leaderboards while teamless, earning him a spot on the team OG in 2015.

During Dota 2's recent tournament, The International 2019, his speeds of 500 APM earned him second place overall.

4 Abed Azel L. Yusop (Handle: Abed)

APM: 530

This Philipino born Dota 2 player is one of the youngest on this list, at only 20 years old. What Abed lacks in age, however, he more than makes up for in skill and speed. His current team, Evil Geniuses, earned silver at the recent ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational in Singapore.

What Abed lacks in age, however, he more than makes up for in skill and speed.

Abed himself has been active since 2016. His highest recorded speed to date comes in somewhere around 530 APM on average.

3 Riccardo Romiti (Handle: Reynor)

APM: 550

Reynor is an Italian Starcraft II player who currently has no team, but most recently won the 2019 WCS Winter EU tournament.

These mind-boggling numbers are sure to get Reynor a new contract before the next season is heavily underway.

He started in the eSports world at a very young age. His speed, no doubt, comes from the countless hours of training and practice that he has put into the professional world of gaming. Reynor's latest speed, clocked in at his win in 2019, was an average of 550APM.

These mind-boggling numbers are sure to get Reynor a new contract before the next season is heavily underway.

2 Lee Jae-dong (Handle: Jaedong)

APM: 740

Did you watch that video? This is crazy.

Jaedong is a famous South Korean StarCraft: Brood War player.

He also played Starcraft II, which is well-known for having lightning-quick esports players. Jaedong retired from professional esports in 2017 due to health issues. Before that, though, he was known as some of the fastest hands ever in the industry.

His average APM clocked in upwards of 740 during the ASUS RoG Winter 2014. He won Player of the Year three separate times during his active years. Without a doubt, Jaedong was one of the speediest esports players to date.

1 Park Sung-joon (Handle: July, JulyZerg)

APM: 818

July's claim to fame began at a young age when he entered the eSports world. His original game was Starcraft: Brood War, where he made quick work of opponents and rose to tournaments in a short time.

He switched to Starcraft II by joining the team StarTale before the start of its second season. It was here that the South Korean athlete became legendary in the eSports gaming community. Although active for only a few years, he made a splash with his speed.

Since his retirement, no one has ever beat out this legendary score.

Before his retirement (which was due to military obligations), July clocked in at an eye-popping average of 818APM during the televised Korean StarCraft II League 2012 Season 1 tournament. Since his retirement, no one has ever beat out this legendary score.

Online Actions Per Minute Test

Esports is a growing sector of gaming where only the quickest succeed. Do you have what it takes?

Try this online APM test to see if you can keep up with the pros.