The annual Top 20 players of 2025 ranking by HLTV is officially underway. Over the next several weeks, the CS2 community will learn the names of the best players of the year — from 20th place up to the overall winner. Traditionally, the final announcement of the victors will be tied to the HLTV Awards ceremony, where the Player of the Year and other individual awards will be presented.
HLTV ranking
For many years, the HLTV ranking has remained the primary indicator of individual success in professional Counter-Strike. It is not formed based on single tournaments, but on the totality of achievements throughout the season, taking into account the level of competition, consistency, and performances in decisive moments.
This year, the organizers explained the methodology in detail: who exactly compiles the list, which metrics carry the greatest weight, and why not all trophies are valued equally.
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How the ranking will be announced
The names of players will be revealed gradually — one per day — progressing from 20th place to first. The final trio will be presented on the eve of the HLTV Awards ceremony, where awards from both the expert panel and the community will also be handed out.
Thus, the ranking will function not only as a list, but also as a series of major features analyzing each player’s season.
Who forms the Top 20 of 2025
The decisions are made by HLTV’s editorial committee, which includes Milan “Striker” Švejda and Harry “NER0” Richards. They use principles developed over previous years of rankings while adapting the system to the modern CS2 tournament landscape.
By what criteria are the best selected
The ranking is not reduced to a simple tally of statistics or K/D. Evaluation is built around context: the strength of opponents, tournament stages, and the player’s role in key matches.
Main blocks of criteria (List 1):
- individual statistical indicators at LAN and big events
- performances against top teams and in playoffs
- consistency throughout the season, not just isolated peaks
- MVP and EVP awards earned at ranked tournaments
- impact on results in decisive rounds and under arena pressure
HLTV emphasizes separately: one MVP is not equal to another — the level of the tournament and strength of opposition are factored in.
Tournament weighting system
All events of the year are divided into categories so that local championships are not equated with Majors. It is the “weight” of the event that determines the significance of a player’s results.
Schematically, the structure looks like this (List 2):
- Major tournaments — the highest level of priority
- Super-elite — tournaments such as IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne
- Elite and Big Events — major international championships of the regular season
- mid-tier events and qualification stages — have a smaller impact
The volume of maps played is also taken into account: players who rarely competed at the top level or failed to reach playoffs lose out to those who consistently performed in big arenas.
Why this matters for the scene
The HLTV Top 20 is not just a media list, but a tool that directly influences the professional Counter-Strike ecosystem. The ranking affects players’ transfer value, shapes their historical status in the discipline, determines awards nominees, and summarizes the balance of power in the CS2 season.
For players, it is the main individual recognition of the year, influencing contracts, team status, and future offers; for fans, it is an opportunity to see how statistics align with real in-game impact. That is why the annual ranking generates so much discussion and remains a central point of attention for the community.
Top 20 players of 2025 announcement calendar
HLTV will reveal the ranking gradually according to a precise calendar, allowing intrigue to be maintained until the very last day. Below is the full schedule of publication of positions in the Top 20:
Top 20 players of 2025 calendar
- ZywOo – Vitality
- donk – Team Spirit
- ropz – Vitality
- m0NESY – Falcons
- sh1ro – Team Spirit
- molodoy – FURIA
- flameZ – Vitality
- frozen – FaZe
- KSCERATO – FURIA
- Spinx – MOUZ
- Twistzz – Faze
- mezii – Vitality
- Senzu – The MongolZ
- XANTARES – Aurora
- YEKINDAR – FURIA
- xertioN – MOUZ
- torzsi – MOUZ
- NiKo – Falcons
- iM – NAVI
- b1t – NAVI
This calendar allows fans to track all announcements and avoid missing key ranking positions, including the inclusion of Ukrainian players in the list.
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Who will be the Player of the Year?
HLTV is launching the huge gala in January, and with it, the main esports debate of the winter: who will become Player of the Year, who had enough consistency, and who stayed in the top thanks to peak tournaments.
Ahead lies the gradual unveiling of the list, analytical features on each player, and the final conclusion at the HLTV Awards.
