The organizers of The Game Awards 2025 have announced the list of esports nominees — and this year, Counter-Strike has returned to the center of global attention. Three representatives of the discipline are competing for awards: CS2 in the “Best Esports Game” category, Team Vitality in “Best Esports Team,” and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut in “Best Esports Athlete.” This is an important signal for the scene, which spent the last two years undergoing a difficult transformation following the release of Source 2.
CS2 Competes for the Title of Best Esports Game of the Year
After a challenging launch of CS2 in 2023, the scene needed almost a year to regain its footing. S-tier tournaments once again consistently gather over 600–800 thousand peak viewers, and the competitive season has returned to a full cycle: BLAST, ESL, IEM, and the Majors. Valve also launched the updated VRS ranking system, which became a subject of long discussions and one of the key drivers of interest in 2025. The two Majors — Copenhagen 2024 and Austin 2025 — confirmed that the meta has stabilized, and the gap between top teams has noticeably narrowed.
The category competitors look strong: Dota 2, League of Legends, Valorant, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. However, the return of CS2 to a high level of stability makes it one of the favorites this year.
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Vitality — Nominees for “Best Esports Team”: A Season That Defined an Era
The year 2025 became one of the strongest in the modern history of Vitality. Despite roster changes, the organization maintained cohesion, stability, and consistent results, allowing them to compete for the team of the year award alongside rivals such as Gen.G, NRG, Team Falcons, and Team Liquid PH.
Competitors:
- Gen.G (League of Legends) — Worlds 2025 champions.
- NRG (Valorant) — historic champion with multiple titles throughout the season.
- Team Falcons (Dota 2) — one of the strongest rosters of 2024–2025.
- Team Liquid PH (MLBB) — a dominant mobile gaming lineup.
Vitality’s key achievements in 2025 are impressive. The team won the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 — the main trophy of the season — secured first place at ESL Pro League S22, reached the final of IEM Chengdu 2025, and held a long-standing top-2 position on HLTV and #1 in Valve’s VRS. They closed the last three months with an exceptional win rate of over 70%. Their map pool statistics further underline their dominance: Vitality were ranked #1 globally on Dust2 (81.8%), Mirage (72.7%), and Inferno (66.7%), allowing them to impose their preferred playstyle on opponents.
Given these results, Vitality naturally found themselves among the leading contenders for the award.
ZywOo — Among the Top Athletes of the Year: Numbers That Leave No Doubt
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut has remained one of the brightest representatives of Counter-Strike for several years, and the 2025 season only strengthened his position. His nomination for “Best Esports Athlete” is direct recognition of his individual level, consistency, and impact on the game.
Competitors in the category:
- Chovy (LoL) — Worlds champion.
- Forsaken (Valorant) — standout star of the VCT circuit.
- Brawk (Valorant) — leader of NRG.
- MenaRD, Kakeru (Street Fighter) — EVO champions.
ZywOo’s statistics for 2025 confirm his status as one of the best players in the world: Rating 3.0 — 1.27, one of the top metrics among the Tier-1 scene; Firepower — 95/100, Sniping — 87/100, Opening — 80/100, Clutching — 70/100. He played 73 maps in three months, one of the highest volumes among top-10 CS2 players, demonstrating consistent efficiency even under the dense schedule of S-tier events.
ZywOo already owns two Major MVP trophies, and the victory at the Austin Major 2025 further emphasized his status as a symbol of CS2 and the central figure of Vitality.
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What Do These Nominations Mean for Counter-Strike?
The presence of CS2 in three key esports categories at The Game Awards signals the restoration of the discipline’s global authority. After a difficult adaptation period, the game is once again competing for the title of the best in the world. Vitality demonstrate what a modern elite CS2 structure should look like, while ZywOo shows that individual mastery can still change the course of matches.
This is an important moment for both Valve and the entire scene: global recognition stimulates tournament organizers, partners, and organizations, opening a new wave of development for Counter-Strike.
