Best CS2 Players 2025: Complete HLTV Awards Results and Top 20

On the night of January 11th, one of the most anticipated events in the CS2 world took place — the HLTV Awards ceremony, which summarized the results of 2025. The award organizers highlighted the outstanding achievements of players, teams, and other key figures in esports. The main winner among teams was Team Vitality, which solidified its reputation as the scene leader.

Players of the Year in CS2

In the “Player of the Year” category, the HLTV jury highlighted three outstanding esports athletes:

• Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (Team Vitality) — A sniper who showed incredible stability and outstanding play in key matches.

• Danil “donk” Kryshkovets (Team Spirit) — An entry-fragger who demonstrated phenomenal individual moments.

• Robin “ropz” Kool (Team Vitality) — A closer without whom it’s hard to imagine the team’s success in the 2025 tournaments.

Among women, the leaders were:

• Mayline “ASTRA” Champliaud (BIG EQUIPA)

• Viktoria “Vicu” Janicka (BIG EQUIPA)

• Bruna “bizinha” Oliveira do Rêgo (FURIA Esports Female)

Teams of the Year

HLTV also named the top teams of the 2025 season:

• Team Vitality — The rating leader, showing stability at all major tournaments.

• Team Spirit — The team that surprised with its strategy and teamwork.

• MOUZ — The squad that managed to secure a spot in the top three by the end of the year.

In the women’s category, the winner was:
BIG EQUIPA, with second and third places taken by MIBR Female and FURIA Esports Femalerespectively.

Rookies of the Year

HLTV highlighted bright newcomers who made a name for themselves in a short time:

• Danil “molodoy” Golubenko (FURIA Esports)

• Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin (Team Falcons)

• Drin “makazze” Shakiri (Natus Vincere)

Highlights and Memorable Moments

2025 gifted us with many bright moments. Among the best highlights are:

• Danil “donk” Kryshkovets — An impressive 1v5 against Team Vitality at BLAST Rivals Fall 2025.

• Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken (FaZe Clan) — A masterfully executed 1v3 with a Desert Eagle against Natus Vincere at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.

• Robin “ropz” Kool — An ace against Team 3DMAX at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025.

Star Squad of the Year

HLTV compiled a symbolic “star squad,” including players in key positions:

• Danil “donk” Kryshkovets — Entry-fragger

• Robin “ropz” Kool — Closer

• William “mezii” Merriman — Support

• Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut — Sniper

• Dan “apEX” Madesclaire — Captain

• Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam — Coach

Best Players by Role

• Coach of the Year: Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam, Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat, Sergei “hally” Shavaev

• Captain of the Year: Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Garidmagnai “blitz” Byambasuren

• Sniper of the Year: Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov

• Support of the Year: William “mezii” Merriman, Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko, Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy

• Closer of the Year: Robin “ropz” Kool, Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, David “frozen” Čerňanský

• Entry-fragger of the Year: Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis

Content and Streaming

Besides in-game skill, HLTV highlighted streaming and content creation activity:

• Streamer of the Year: Mark “ohnePixel” Zimmer, Erik “fl0m” Flom, Vadim “Evelone” Kozakov

• Content Creator of the Year: dima_aimbots, NadeKing, Virre

Best Skins and Tournaments

HLTV summarized the results in the “Skin of the Year” and “Event of the Year” categories:

• Skin of the Year: AWP | Flow of Information, Glock-18 | Shinobu, M4A4 | Full Throttle

• Event of the Year: StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, IEM Cologne 2025

Casters and Hosts

• Caster of the Year: James “BanKs” Banks, Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill, Freya “Freya” Spiers

Before the ceremony, HLTV published the top 20 players of 2025, with ZywOo, donk, and ropz as leaders. The full list reflects both individual skill and the players’ contributions to their teams’ success throughout the year.

The HLTV Awards 2025 ceremony showed that the CS2 scene continues to develop, new talents confidently announce themselves, and veterans confirm the status of the Best CS2 Players 2025.

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