HLTV have officially revealed all details of the methodology behind the Top 20 Players of the Year ranking, putting an end to discussions about which tournaments will have the greatest impact on the final placements. The updates affect both the structure of responsible curators and the weighting of individual events in the overall calculation.
Striker and NER0
The main personnel change is that this year the Top 20 ranking is curated by two HLTV administrators — Striker and NER0. For many years, the key figure behind the ranking was Tgwri1s, but in 2025 he stepped away from the process, passing responsibility to the new pair of curators.
Even more significant changes concern the tournament structure itself. HLTV revised the tier system and made it more detailed, clearly defining priorities between events of different levels. The primary focus is now unequivocally placed on Majors.
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New tournament tier structure
In 2025, all tournaments were divided into several categories, each carrying a different value in the formation of the Top 20:
- Major: BLAST.tv Austin Major, StarLadder Budapest Major
- Super-elite: IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne
- Elite: IEM Chengdu, BLAST Open Lisbon
- Big: Esports World Cup, ESL Pro League S22, ESL Pro League S21, IEM Melbourne, IEM Dallas, BLAST Rivals S2, BLAST Rivals S1, BLAST Open London, BLAST Bounty S1, BLAST Bounty S2, FISSURE Playground 2, PGL Astana, PGL Cluj-Napoca, PGL Bucharest
- Medium: Thunderpick World Championship, FISSURE Playground 1, PGL Masters Bucharest, CS Asia Championships
- Non-award: Major Stage 1 and Stage 2, IEM Katowice Stage 1, IEM Cologne Stage 1, ESL Pro League Stage 1
As a result, Majors have been given the maximum weight, while IEM Cologne and IEM Katowice have firmly settled one tier below, yet still above all other tournaments. Among non-Major events, IEM Chengdu and BLAST Open Lisbon are singled out separately — a decision HLTV made without providing additional explanation.
What remained unchanged
Despite the updated tier structure and the change in responsible curators, the overall logic of the ranking and the principles used to evaluate individual performance remain the same. Statistics, impact on results, strength of opposition, and consistency throughout the year continue to form the foundation of the final list.
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Hierarchical system
The Top 20 Players of the Year system has become even more hierarchical, clearly emphasizing the dominant role of Majors in determining individual greatness. Already tomorrow, the 20th place in the ranking will be revealed, effectively opening the traditional countdown that unveils the most important individual conclusion of the Counter-Strike season.
