- HLTV Awards 2025 overview
- Main HLTV Awards 2025 winners
- Panel Awards 2025 winners
- HLTV Community Awards 2025
- Top 20 CS2 players of 2025
- CS2 skins, collecting and Printstream hype
- What to expect in the 2026 CS2 season
HLTV Awards 2025 overview
The HLTV Awards 2025 ceremony once again celebrated the very best that Counter-Strike 2 had to offer. While trophies from Majors and elite events will always be the main objective for teams, these awards are a powerful recognition of consistency, impact and excellence over the entire season.
In 2025, the show felt more glamorous than ever. Pro players swapped jerseys for suits, desk talent traded headsets for microphones under the spotlight, and the community finally got concrete answers to year-long debates like who was truly the best player and which team defined the meta.
If you didn’t catch the broadcast or just want everything in a single place, this breakdown covers every major HLTV Awards 2025 winner, including main awards, Panel Awards focused on specific roles, and the Community Awards for talent, events, creators, and skins.
Main HLTV Awards 2025 winners
The headline categories at HLTV Awards always focus on the players and teams that shaped the competitive year at the highest level. In 2025, those conversations were dominated by Team Vitality, some explosive young talents and the continued growth of the women’s CS2 scene.
Player of the year — ZywOo
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut added yet another chapter to his already legendary career by taking home the Player of the Year award. Even though the second half of his 2025 season had a few quieter games by his own insane standards, the full-year body of work left little room for argument.
ZywOo was the driving force behind Vitality’s domination, delivering absurd consistency on the AWP and rifle, clutched key rounds when it mattered, and maintained one of the highest impact ratings in top-tier CS2. Beyond raw stats, he once again proved that he’s the kind of player you build eras around.
He beat out two monster contenders for the crown:
- Robin “ropz” Kool — Remarkably efficient, ice-cold closer with unbelievable late-round decision-making.
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets — The hyper-aggressive entry from Team Spirit who terrorized defenses all year.
Both ropz and donk still secured recognition in their speciality roles through the Panel Awards, but 2025 will be remembered as yet another year where ZywOo stood on top of the world.
Team of the year — Team Vitality
Team Vitality were the obvious choice for Team of the Year. Their run during the first half of 2025 was nothing short of ruthless: they strung together tournament win after tournament win and looked almost untouchable on LAN.
Even when their form dipped slightly later in the year, Vitality still delivered where it counts the most: they secured both CS2 Majors of 2025, including the massive title at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. When you win every Major in a season and remain a constant threat at elite events, it’s difficult for any other team to mount a serious claim for the top spot.
The big question now is whether Vitality can convert this into a lasting era, potentially challenging the historical dominance of lineups like prime Astralis. With ZywOo at his peak and an incredibly well-rounded supporting cast, that conversation will be a hot topic heading into 2026.
Rookie of the year — molodoy
Danil “molodoy” Golubenko exploded onto the tier-one scene with FURIA and quickly became one of the most exciting players to watch. After joining the team, FURIA went on a strong run of tournament performances, with molodoy frequently at the center of their high-tempo, aggressive style.
A lot of credit also goes to Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, who was heavily involved in mentoring molodoy and smoothing his transition to top competition. Even though the rookie showed some nerves on the biggest stages — especially under Major pressure in Budapest — his impact across the season was simply too big to ignore.
Molodoy beat out other promising newcomers such as:
- Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin (Team Falcons)
- Drin “makazze” Shaqiri (NAVI)
If molodoy continues refining his decision-making while maintaining his fearless style, he could easily become a long-term superstar of CS2.
Women’s player of the year — ASTRA
The women’s scene in CS2 is becoming more structured and competitive each year, and in 2025 one name stood out above the rest: Mayline “ASTRA” Champliaud. As the in-game leader and main AWPer for BIG EQUIPA, she played one of the most demanding dual roles in the game.
ASTRA consistently delivered high-level fragging while making smart mid-round calls, helping BIG EQUIPA stay ahead of the meta in female competition. Her ability to balance leadership and star-level output was a major reason why her team ended the year on top.
She earned the Women’s Player of the Year award over:
- Bruna “bizinha” Marvila (FURIA Female)
- Wiktoria “vicu” Janicka (BIG EQUIPA)
ASTRA’s performance showed that the women’s scene isn’t just about individual aim anymore — it’s also about tactical depth, communication, and long-term team building, just like in the main CS2 circuit.
Women’s team of the year — BIG EQUIPA
BIG EQUIPA were the clear choice for Women’s Team of the Year after an incredibly successful season. They lifted several titles in 2025, and the crown jewel was winning the ESL Impact Season 8 Finals, the last ESL Impact grand final and a milestone event for women’s Counter-Strike.
With ASTRA leading the team and players like vicu and others providing depth, BIG EQUIPA played an attractive, well-coordinated style of CS2. They combined discipline with confident aggression and showed that structured practice and long-term roster stability pay off in the women’s scene just as much as in the main circuit.
Panel Awards 2025 winners
The Panel Awards zoom in on specific roles and responsibilities inside professional teams. These awards highlight the specialists whose impact often goes beyond the scoreboard: IGLs, clutch closers, anchors, and more. In 2025, Team Vitality dominated this section as well, with only one non-Vitality player breaking into the lineup.
Best IGL — apEX (Team Vitality)
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire was rewarded as the best in-game leader of 2025, and it’s hard to argue with the decision. Under his leadership, Vitality managed to:
- Optimize the roles of stars like ZywOo and ropz.
- Integrate supportive pieces such as mezii into effective setups.
- Stay tactically flexible across map pool changes and meta shifts.
ApEX has often been described as emotional and high-energy, but beneath that intensity lies a deep understanding of the game. His calling was crucial to closing out big-game series and adapting on the fly in high-pressure moments.
Best AWPer — ZywOo (Team Vitality)
ZywOo didn’t just win Player of the Year — he also took home the Best AWPer award. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who watched CS2 in 2025.
Some of the reasons he was selected include:
- Consistently elite AWP ratings against top-10 teams.
- Unreal multi-kill rounds that turned lost situations into easy conversions.
- The ability to slot into both aggressive and passive AWP setups depending on the map and opponent.
In many teams, the AWPer is the center of the entire game plan. In Vitality, ZywOo manages to be that focal point while still giving space to other stars, which is a huge part of what makes this roster so deadly.
Best Anchor — mezii (Team Vitality)
William “mezii” Merriman earned the Best Anchor award for his 2025 performance on Vitality. Anchor roles rarely get the spotlight, but they are essential: you’re often alone on a site, expected to get one or two crucial kills, stay alive, and buy time for rotations.
Mezii excelled at:
- Holding bombsites with minimal utility and support.
- Making smart, low-risk decisions that stabilized mid-round situations.
- Delivering strong CT-side ratings without always being set up as a star.
This award is a well-deserved nod to one of the most reliable pieces of Vitality’s defensive setups.
Best Closer — ropz (Team Vitality)
Robin “ropz” Kool walked away with the Best Closer award, highlighting just how terrifying he is in late-round scenarios. When the dust settles and a 2v2 or 1v1 is on the line, ropz is one of the last players in the world you want to see on the other side.
Even though he didn’t win Player of the Year, his clutch ability and composure made him a core reason Vitality kept winning deep playoff series. In many ways, ropz is the perfect complement to ZywOo: a quiet killer who finishes what his team starts.
Best Opener — donk (Team Spirit)
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets broke Vitality’s streak in the Panel Awards by claiming the Best Opener title for Team Spirit. As an entry fragger, his job is brutally simple and incredibly difficult: go in first, crack open bombsites, and create chaos.
Donk did this better than anyone in 2025. He combined fearless aggression with sharp mechanical skill and smart pathing, consistently generating opening kills against elite opposition. Even when Spirit couldn’t convert those advantages into trophies, donk’s impact on rounds and on the meta was undeniable.
Best Coach — XTQZZZ (Team Vitality)
Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam received the Best Coach award for guiding Vitality through such a dominant year. While players are the ones on stage, modern Counter-Strike is impossible to manage without a strong strategical and emotional backbone on the coaching staff.
XTQZZZ played a major role in:
- Shaping the team’s tactical identity across different map pools.
- Integrating new pieces without losing overall structure.
- Keeping the roster focused over a long, fatigue-heavy season.
With two Major titles in one year, it’s only logical that the coach behind that success receives his share of the spotlight.
Highlight of the year — donk
The Highlight of the Year went to donk for one of his unforgettable multi-kill sequences. Even in a scene filled with insane plays, his explosive entries and mechanical dominance stood out to the panel and community alike.
Highlights don’t win championships by themselves, but they do something else: they define eras for viewers. In 2025, donk’s clips were some of the most-shared moments across social media, helping grow CS2’s audience and giving new fans a reason to tune in.
HLTV Community Awards 2025
Beyond the server, the HLTV Awards 2025 also recognized the personalities, events and creative work that shaped CS2 culture throughout the year. From on-air talent to content creators and even weapon skins, the Community Awards highlight how big and varied the ecosystem around CS2 has become.
Talent of the year — BanKs
James “BanKs” Banks was voted Talent of the Year, reflecting his massive importance to CS2 broadcasts. Whether he’s hosting a desk, conducting emotional post-game interviews or hyping up the crowd on stage, BanKs brings experience, authenticity and genuine passion to every event.
Great talent is crucial to bridging the gap between hardcore fans and casual viewers, and BanKs has been one of the most recognizable faces in Counter-Strike for years. 2025 was another season where his presence added a lot of personality and narrative to the biggest tournaments.
Event of the year — StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 received the award for Event of the Year. As one of the two Majors of the CS2 season, it offered everything fans could have asked for:
- A stacked field of teams fighting through intense qualifiers and stages.
- A loud, passionate live crowd that turned the arena into a cauldron of noise.
- High production quality, strong storylines and unforgettable matches.
The Budapest Major was also a big part of Vitality’s era-defining run, adding even more historical weight to the event. It’s no surprise that the community picked it as the standout tournament of 2025.
Skin of the year — AWP | Printstream
In a year packed with new cosmetics and case releases, the community voted AWP | Printstream as the Skin of the Year. The Printstream line has become one of the most iconic series in CS, and the AWP variant continues that tradition with its clean, futuristic, black-and-white design and subtle pearlescent effect.
It’s the kind of skin that looks good in literally any loadout — from minimalistic setups to crazy colorful inventories. Because of the award and the skin’s popularity on streams and pro matches, interest in Printstream increased further throughout 2025.
If this award is making you think about upgrading your own inventory, you can explore and trade cs2 skins and even classic csgo skins on specialized marketplaces like UUSKINS, where you can buy, sell or swap cosmetics without waiting for random drops.
Creator of the year — dima_aimbots
dima_aimbots received the Creator of the Year award for his unique contribution to CS2 content. His work, often centered around aim routines, practice maps, or training-focused videos, helped players of all levels improve their fundamentals while keeping things entertaining.
Creators like dima_aimbots are a big reason why CS2 remains so replayable. They keep the game fresh between big tournaments and give players tools to grind mechanics or warm up before ranked sessions.
Streamer of the year — OhnePixel
Mark “OhnePixel” Zimmermann was crowned Streamer of the Year, which will come as no surprise to anyone who follows skin and case-opening content. OhnePixel has become the face of high-stakes unboxing, rare pattern hunting and skin-collector culture in CS2.
His stream blends entertainment, market insight and pure gambling hype, pulling in viewers who care as much about stickers, floats and patterns as they do about pro matches. The award cements his role as one of the biggest influencers in the entire CS2 cosmetics scene.
Top 20 CS2 players of 2025
Alongside the headline awards, HLTV also released its traditional Top 20 players of the year list. As usual, the countdown was revealed gradually, keeping the community guessing and arguing over placements every single day until the full ranking was public.
While the exact ordering always sparks debate, a few patterns stood out:
- Vitality players featured heavily, thanks to the team’s double-Major year.
- Rising stars like molodoy and donk confirmed that the next generation of CS2 talent is already here.
- Several veterans remained in the mix, showing that experience still pays off in big matches.
The Top 20 list is more than just a ranking; it’s a snapshot of where the scene stands right now, who’s peaking, and which players might be the foundation of future superteams.
CS2 skins, collecting and Printstream hype
With AWP | Printstream winning Skin of the Year and streamers like OhnePixel drawing huge audiences, 2025 was another reminder that skins are deeply embedded in CS2 culture. For many players, customizing their weapons is part of the fun, right alongside grinding ranks or watching Majors.
There are a few reasons skins remain so popular:
- Personal identity: Loadouts let you express your style, whether it’s minimalistic, neon, or full gold and marble fade.
- Collection goals: Some players love building themed inventories, like full Printstream sets or only black-and-white skins.
- Market value: High-tier skins, rare patterns and low-float items can hold or even grow in value, especially when they feature in pro play or win awards.
Instead of waiting for random drops or gambling everything on case openings, many players prefer to trade directly on dedicated marketplaces. Sites such as UUSKINS let you browse and trade cs2 skins or even older csgo skins with far more control over price and selection.
That way, if you’re inspired by Printstream winning Skin of the Year, you can actually pick up an AWP | Printstream or build a matching kit instead of hoping the next case you open magically drops your dream skin. As always, manage your budget responsibly — treat skins as a hobby, not an investment you rely on.
What to expect in the 2026 CS2 season
With the HLTV Awards 2025 wrapped up, attention is already shifting to the 2026 CS2 season. The race for next year’s trophies and awards starts almost immediately.
Key early events include:
- BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 — A quick early-year battleground to test new ideas, rosters and map pools.
- IEM Krakow 2026 — One of the first big LAN events with a live crowd, scheduled from late January to early February, and a major form test for top teams.
Valve also confirmed a significant map pool change: Anubis replaces Train in Active Duty. The community reaction has been mixed. Train has a long history and a dedicated fanbase, but Anubis brings fresh strategic possibilities and new territory for teams to master.
Here’s what to expect from these changes:
- Strategic reshuffling: Some teams that were strong on Train will have to reinvent parts of their playbook.
- Map specialists: Squads that grind Anubis early could gain a big advantage at the start of the season.
- Meta shake-up: Roles, utility lineups and default setups will evolve quickly as pro teams test what works on stage.
For individual players, that means a new set of smokes, flashes and angles to learn. For fans, it means fresh storylines, unexpected upsets and the chance for new teams to break through.
And, of course, as 2026 unfolds, every clutch, every upset and every new star will bring us closer to the next edition of the HLTV Awards. Whether you’re chasing rank, building your dream inventory or just watching from the sidelines, it’s a great time to be part of the CS2 scene.
