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ESPO vs NERD

VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF

ESPOBNasdaq

Roundhill Video Games ETF

NERDCCboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

NERD −0.05pt a year

ESPO0.55%NERD0.50%

Avg volume · 30D

ESPO 10.5×the volume

ESPO15.7KNERD1.49K

5Y return · a year

ESPO +11.3pt

ESPO+8.4%NERD−2.9%

ESPO vs NERD Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+49.4%ESPO−13.7%NERD

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. ESPO +49.4%. NERD −13.7%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−50%25%75%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
ESPO 0.55%
NERD 0.50%, better
Fund size
ESPO $240M
NERD $14M
1Y total return
ESPO −14.3%, better
NERD −16.3%
Yield (12M)
ESPO 1.34%, better
NERD 0.69%
Holdings
ESPO 28
NERD 42
Avg volume (30D)
ESPO 15.7K sh, better
NERD 1.49K sh
NAV per share
ESPO $96.17
NERD $22.11
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ESPO: Cost 51, Risk 67, Mission not scored, Tradability 78, Holdings 62, Durability 84. NERD: Cost 71, Risk 45, Mission not scored, Tradability 25, Holdings 41, Durability 45.
Pillar letters and Scores for ESPO, NERD, with each pillar’s weight
PillarESPONERD
Cost30% weightC51A71Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightB67HigherC45
Tradability15% weightA78HigherD25
Holdings10% weightB62HigherC41
Durability5% weightA84HigherC45

Rank among Gaming, Esports & Betting funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. ESPO and NERD are both graded against the same 9 Gaming, Esports & Betting funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Gaming, Esports & Betting⁠

Category · 9 funds
See all 9 ›

ESPO ranks 1st and NERD 4th of 9 funds in the Gaming, Esports & Betting Category.

  1. Rank 1BESPOVanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETFScore 63
  2. Rank 2BHEROGlobal X Video Games & Esports ETFScore 57
  3. Rank 3CGGMEInvesco Next Gen Media and Gaming ETFScore 52
  4. Rank 4CNERDRoundhill Video Games ETFScore 50
  5. Rank 5CGAMRAmplify Video Game Leaders ETFScore 43

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ESPOBVanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF

NERDCRoundhill Video Games ETF

In short

ESPO Video games, straight up. ESPO tracks a global index of game developers, esports companies and the hardware and software behind them, in a concentrated basket of roughly 30 names, running since 2018.

NERD Roundhill's 2019 gaming pure play: about 40 companies that make, publish and distribute video games across console, PC, mobile and cloud, plus esports. Priced under the typical fund on the gaming shelf, though it stays small and lightly traded.

Stated mandate

ESPO The ETF seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS Global Video Gaming and eSports Index. The index covers companies involved in video game development, esports, and related hardware and software.

NERD The fund focuses on companies in the video games industry, including publishers, developers, distributors of interactive gaming software for console, PC, mobile, and cloud platforms, related online gaming services, and esports.

Why people hold it

  • ESPO A tight read on the theme: the index covers video game development, esports, and related hardware and software, so the basket stays near the console and the code instead of drifting into general entertainment.vaneck.com
  • Global mandate. Gaming's biggest publishers are listed all over the world, and ESPO's index is built to reach them rather than stopping at US-listed names.vaneck.com
  • Priced at 0.55%, right at the middle of the gaming and esports ETF group, and one of the stronger overall implementations among its peers.
  • Launched in 2018, making it one of the elder statesmen of gaming ETFs, with a few hundred million dollars of assets behind it.
  • NERD Charges 0.50%, below the 0.55% median for gaming and esports funds, level with HERO and under ESPO's 0.55%.
  • A real pure play: publishers, developers and distributors spanning console, PC, mobile and cloud, plus esports and online gaming services, drawn globally rather than US only.
  • Launched in 2019, an early entrant on the gaming shelf, from an issuer whose whole shop is built on thematic funds.
  • Roughly 40 holdings, so a breakout franchise carries real weight instead of getting diluted across hundreds of names.

Worth knowing

  • ESPO Roughly 30 holdings. One publisher's flopped launch or blowout quarter lands harder here than it would in a broad index.
  • Not the cheapest seat in the arcade: HERO and NERD both charge 0.50% for their own takes on gaming.
  • Trades lighter than mainstream index funds, so spreads can widen in fast markets. Distributions come once or twice a year, not monthly.
  • NERD Small fund, thin volume. Spreads can widen, so limit orders and a look at the day's activity matter more here than with a mega-cap index fund.
  • The prospectus names a broad global all-cap index as its reference, so performance isn't framed against a gaming-only benchmark.roundhillinvestments.com
  • Distributions come once or twice a year at most. This is a growth theme, not an income line.

Full ESPO profile⁠

Full NERD profile⁠

ESPO vs NERD Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ESPO vs NERD Cost

Overpaying ESPO vs NERD

$925

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • ESPO 0.55%

    $10,904

  • NERD 0.50%

    $9,979

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ESPO 0.55%
  • NERD 0.50%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530ESPO $10,904NERD $9,979

Year by year

YearESPONERDOverpaying
10$988$900$88
20$3,790$3,460$330
30$10,904$9,979$925

Expense ratio

  • 0.55%ESPO
  • 0.50%NERD, cheaper
  • Middle half of Gaming, Esports & Betting funds
  • Median 0.55%

NERD 3rd cheapest of 9 funds

ESPO 5th cheapest of 9 funds

ESPO vs NERD Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
ESPO 1.34%, better
NERD 0.69%
Payout (12M)
ESPO $1.29
NERD $0.15
Last payment
ESPO $1.29
NERD $0.15
Ex-dividend
ESPO Dec 22, 2025
NERD Dec 30, 2025
Paid on
ESPO Dec 26, 2025
NERD Dec 31, 2025
Frequency
ESPO Annual
NERD Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2018 to 2026, same scale for both

ESPOAnnual · 8 paymentsAll ESPO payments⁠
One bar per payment. 8 payments from 2018 to 2026 YTD. Dec 20, 2018 $0.01; Dec 23, 2019 $0.08; Dec 21, 2020 $0.09; Dec 20, 2021 $2.23; Dec 19, 2022 $0.39; Dec 18, 2023 $0.54; Dec 23, 2024 $0.37; Dec 22, 2025 $1.29. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.50202020232026YTD
NERDAnnual · 7 paymentsAll NERD payments⁠
One bar per payment. 7 payments from 2018 to 2026 YTD. Dec 27, 2019 $0.05; Dec 29, 2020 $0.32; Dec 23, 2021 $0.0052; Dec 13, 2022 $0.10; Dec 27, 2023 $0.17; Dec 30, 2024 $0.34; Dec 30, 2025 $0.15. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.50202020232026YTD

ESPO vs NERD Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • ESPO
  • NERD
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: NERD −54.1% · Oct 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−50%−40%−30%−20%−10%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
ESPO 17.8%, betterNERD 18.6%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ESPO 1.12, betterNERD 0.79
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ESPO −48.3%, betterNERD −54.1%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ESPO 0.98NERD 0.95

ESPO and NERD in the news

All news⁠

Popular comparisons

  • ESPOBvsHEROB

    VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF · Global X Video Games & Esports ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.55% · 0.50%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NERDCvsHEROB

    Roundhill Video Games ETF · Global X Video Games & Esports ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.50% · 0.50%
    Category
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  • ESPOBvsGGMEC

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    Expense ratio
    0.55% · 0.63%
    Category
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  • NERDCvsGGMEC

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    Expense ratio
    0.50% · 0.63%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • ESPOBvsGAMRC

    VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF · Amplify Video Game Leaders ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.55% · 0.59%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NERDCvsGAMRC

    Roundhill Video Games ETF · Amplify Video Game Leaders ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.50% · 0.59%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.