E-sports

11 Female Gamers in E-Sports Who Are Breaking Gates

By Kevyn Gohu - March 03, 2023

These female gamers have made a name for themselves in e-sports, a place that is normally male-dominated.

Video games were always marketed towards men, so it’s quite a surprise for some that there are some female gamers who can play as well as men can.

Amidst the toxic gatekeepers of the gaming community and even maybe some of the trash-talkers, these female gamers made it to the pro circuit with grit, skill, and a lot of training.

1. YUYU – Tekken 7

YUYU made a name for herself in the fighting game scene in E-Sports, playing Tekken. She started out by practicing on a PlayStation that her father bought her. On September 19, 2022, however, she left her Team UYU and went independent. She’s currently entering a Japanese Tekken tournament, based on her last tweet.

YUYU made a name for herself in the fighting game scene in E-Sports, playing Tekken
Photo credit: YUYU on Twitter

2. Selen Tatsuki – Apex Legends

Although spends her time being a V-Tuber, Selen Tatsuki competes in Apex Legends tournaments from time to time. She competes in creator-based tournaments every now and then when not creating gaming content for Nijisanji.

3. Sasha Hostyn – Scarlett –  Starcraft II

Sasha Hostyn, otherwise known as Scarlett, is a world-renowned title holder for Starcraft II. She currently plays under the team Shopify Rebellion and is a known premiere Zerg player. Her playstyle involves using Creep spread. In the Starcraft II world, she goes by many titles including The Queen of Blades, Swarm Zerg, and The Queen of Psi Blades.

Sasha Hostyn is a world-renowned title holder for Starcraft II
Photo credit: Valkirias on Twitter.

4. Allison Qual – Nina – Starcraft II

Formerly named puCK, Nina, also known as Allison Qual is a Protoss main in Starcraft II. She is currently playing for the team License To Kill and was known for using Colossus drops effectively in Wings of Liberty. She joins minor, premiere, and major tournaments.

4. Janet Rose – xchocobars – Fortnite

Janet Rose, also known as xchocobars, currently competes in Fortnite and used to play Hearthstone. Currently, she produces vlogs and other forms of content. Some of her streams include her playing VALORANT.

5. Katherine Gunn – Mystik – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Dead or Alive 4

Most gamers remember Mystik more for her plays in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in e-sports. Lately, she’s been participating also in Dead or Alive 4 tournaments. She also loves cats and is a cosplayer.

Mystik participates in Dead or Alive 4 tournamens.
Photo credit: Kat Gunn

7. Rumay Wang – Hafu – Teamfight Tactics, Chess, Hearthstone

Hafu, also known as Rumay Wang, is a former professional World of Warcraft, Bloodline Champions, and Hearthstone player. Although she spends her time being a Twitch Streamer, she does compete in tournaments, most notably Hearthstone. She’s also a talented chess player, winning the PogChamps chess tournament in September 2020.

8. Tina Perez – TINARAES – VALORANT

TINARAES often plays competitively in VALORANT and also coordinates events for the game. She also streams and works out often, sharing a lot of content on her Instagram about what kind of workouts she does to stay fit and sharp for VALORANT.

9. Maryam Maher – Mary – VALORANT

One of the youngest players to debut in VALORANT, Bahraini pro player Maryam or “Mary” is part of the G2 Gozen Roster. Her participation was an inspiration to the many girls from her country as she held her trophy in Berlin. “To all the other Middle Eastern girls, you can make it,” she cheers.

Maryam Maher is one of the youngest female players in VALORANT.
Photo credit: Mary on Twitter

10. Jeannail Carter – Cuddle_Core – Tekken 7

Jeannail “Cuddle_Core” Carter is an American professional Tekken player currently representing Red Bull Gaming, and is a part of the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2022 in the Games category.

She is ranked No. 5 in North America by the TEKKEN World Tour (TWT) and is the first Black female gamer sponsored by Red Bull Gaming.

Cuddle_Core is a two-time INTERCONTINENTAL FIGHT CLUB (ICFC) North American champion, with a Summer Jam title, Texas Showdown title and multiple Top 8 medals from Masters level events across the globe, including No.2 at Ultimate Fighting Arena and 7th at the Evolution Championship Series Online. Cuddle_Core has made special appearances in VICE’s FGC documentary and Glamour’s Daring to Disrupt campaign with Katie Couric Media.

11. Rachell Hofstetter – Valkyrae

Filipino-German Rachell Hofstetter, popularly known as Valkyrae, is one of the most popular female gamers. She plays under 100 Thieves e-sports team and creates content for them too. She also won several awards as a streamer. The interesting part is that she was inspired, not by her father, but by her mother to play video games!

(Photo credit: Valkyrae on Instagram)

E-Sports is becoming more inclusive to females!

Even Riot has opened the door, announcing the Rising Stars tournament which invites all female pro players — aspiring and current — to play and climb the ranks. Whether it’s as a support, DPS, or a tank, these girls are taking names and breaking gates. It’s like what gamers often say, “time to git gud.”

Banner images from Mary, Valkirias, and Kat Gunn.


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