Organizers of StarLadder Major Budapest 2025 have officially confirmed that the grand final will be played in a best-of-five (BO5) format — the first time in the history of CS Majors. This change marks a major moment for the Counter-Strike scene, as fans and professional players have long called on Valve to adopt longer finals similar to IEM Katowice or BLAST Premier.
Tournament Details
This is the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
✅ 3 weeks of action
✅ $1,250,000 at stake
✅ First ever Bo5 Grand Final
✅ Full-visibility 360-degree arena
✅ 20,000 capacity pic.twitter.com/b8x894kAwp— StarLadder CS2 (@StarLadder_CS) November 4, 2025
In its official announcement, StarLadder revealed the key features of the upcoming event:
- Three weeks of competition in Budapest
- $1,250,000 prize pool
- The first BO5 Major Grand Final in CS history
- 20,000-seat arena with a 360° stage
This will be the first ever BO5 CS Major Final… CINEMA, wrote journalist Ozzny, who was among the first to share the news on social media.
The tournament will run from November 24 to December 14, 2025, featuring 32 teams. All three stages — Challengers, Legends, and Champions — will take place in front of live audiences. Tickets for the year’s biggest CS2 event will be available soon on StarLadder’s official website.
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The End of a Long Debate
The question of whether Major finals should be played as BO5 has been debated in the community for years. Many professionals argued that a best-of-five format showcases the true depth of a team’s skill, allows for more comebacks, and adds greater prestige to the championship title. Now, that vision has become a reality. The change is seen as a major step forward for the CS2 ecosystem, and a clear sign that Valve is finally listening to the community.
About time… now get rid of BO1’s and we’re cooking, added Ozzny, hinting that the next logical step should be removing best-of-one matches from the early stages.
StarLadder also released a short cinematic teaser — a dark video showing a pair of doors slowly opening, symbolizing the dawn of a new era in Major history.
Community Reaction: “This Will Be Cinema”
The announcement immediately went viral across social media, sparking thousands of reactions from players, analysts, and fans. Professional players and analysts shared their excitement:
- Jimy: “Super excited! ”
- XEEA Oxion: “LFG.”
- rattecs: “W.”
- Matt Fozzii: “We will be there! ”
- Draulon: “Peak.”
Fans and content creators were equally enthusiastic:
- MENAC3: “BO5 Final. Masallah finally.”
- fadde: “This will be cinema.”
- astro0: “BO5 final is such a massive W.”
- 2box: “BO5 NO WAY.”
- SVTheUnknown: “FINALLY BO5 MAJOR FINAL!!!!”
Some even began imagining dream matchups:
Afera: FALCONS VS VITALITY 3:2 — Revenge time and NiKo’s first Major.
A few took a more cautious tone:
- Lukeirin: “Really happy about the BO5, but the 360° arena isn’t exactly a selling point lol.”
- Przemek Hubacz: “Remove the f***ing BO1s already, please.”
Despite small criticisms, the overall sentiment was overwhelmingly positive.
BO5 final is huge, summarized user Iufa pytanie, echoing the general mood across the community.
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A New Era for Counter-Strike
StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 will mark a milestone not only for the tournament organizer but also for the entire CS2 scene. With its BO5 format, record-breaking audience size, and three-week schedule, the event is shaping up to be one of the most cinematic and ambitious Majors in Counter-Strike history.
As one fan perfectly put it: Finally, Counter-Strike feels like cinema again.
