The Counter-Strike scene is stronger than ever at the moment. Across the board, the level of play is rising, and the players are only getting better. But who has been the best as CS2 is now in full swing and CS:GO a distant memory?
We wanted to take a look at the best CS2 players in 2025 so far, to see who is taking their recent form into the new year!
10. İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş
Credit: Adam Lakomy | ESL
XANTARES has been around for some time, and has always had a reputation for being one of the most mechanically gifted players the game has ever seen. The problem is that he’s never had a winning lineup for him to show those talents, resulting in the 29-year-old having a barren trophy cabinet.
Now on Eternal Fire alongside his Turkish compatriots, XANTARES continues to single-handedly drag his team across the line to victories. It’s yet to result in a trophy lift on LAN, but you get the sense that with one of the best CS2 players in the world on their team, it isn’t far away.
9. Justinas “jL” Lekavičius
Credit: Enos Ku | ESL
Throughout the first half of 2024, you could make the argument that jL was among the three best CS2 players in the world. His incredible consistency saw him take home a Major MVP award, as NAVI cemented themselves as the best CS2 team in the world at the time.
More recently, he still has those pop-off moments, but lacks the consistency that saw him so highly rated last year. Don’t get me wrong – he’s still a star rifler, and sits well among the best CS2 players in the world right now.
8. David “frozen” Čerňanský
Credit: Joao Ferreira | PGL
Ever since frozen arrived at FaZe Clan, he has shown in just about every match why they were so determined to pick him up from MOUZ. In replacing Twistzz, he had one of the hardest jobs in Counter-Strike, but it’s a role he has filled admirably so far.
Mechanically gifted and ice-cold in a clutch, frozen’s recent form puts him in the top 10 CS2 players in the world. At just 22 years old but with years of experience under his belt, the “young veteran” is in the right place to add some trophies to the cabinet. We think if he continues his development, he could rise even higher on this list.
7. Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
Credit: IEM on X
Ever since flameZ arrived on Vitality, he has continued to level up his game. He’s been a part of the roster for some time now, where he has become a Katowice and Cologne winner. He’s the team’s star rifler, breaking open bomb sites with his explosive style.
Given his quality, it surely won’t be long before flameZ joins the list of CS2 Major winners. He’s a real difference-maker, and doesn’t shy away from pressure on Counter-Strike’s biggest stages. That’s the sign of a true star.
6. Valerij “b1t” Vakhovsjkyj
Credit: ESL
If you’re looking for consistency, you want b1t on your team. From some of the toughest positions on every map, b1t always delivers results far beyond his peers on the server. What really stands out about b1t is his headshot percentage – he’s insanely accurate in this regard.
Now a two-time Major winner, b1t picked up most of the game’s biggest prizes. Because he remains one of the best CS2 players in the world in 2025, he’ll be around for a long time to come to add to his already impressive trophy cabinet.
5. Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
Credit: ESL
He’s not the flashiest AWPer in the game, but sh1ro usually gets the job done. As Spirit’s second star, the pressure is on sh1ro to deliver and support donk in the biggest moments. His clutch factor has helped deliver Spirit a Katowice title and a Major, which is why he’s one of the best CS2 players ever.
On occasion, the pressure has been known to get the better of sh1ro, frequently missing easy shots for a player of his ability. If he can stamp that out of his game in the future, sh1ro will be truly unstoppable.
4. Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
Credit: Igor Bezborodov | ESL
NiKo is arguably the best rifler in CS:GO history. He struggled massively in the early days of CS2, but in mid-2024, it was like something clicked. Old NiKo was back again, right at the peak of his powers. Since then, he hasn’t let up, with every game a new opportunity for a crazy highlight.
In the offseason between 2024 and 2025, NiKo made the controversial move from G2 to Falcons. Whether this was a smart decision remains to be seen. There’s one thing you can count on, though – NiKo is still going to be a demon with the rifle.
3. Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | PGL
G2’s young AWPer m0NESY has for years been touted as one of the biggest prodigies in the game. Towards the end of CS:GO, it was a title he began to live up to. In CS2, he’s stepped up the game even further. In a flailing G2 squad, m0NESY single-handedly keeps them relevant.
Like his peers, m0NESY is a mechanical genius. He has some of the best flicks in the game, and knows every single trick in the book on each map. Frankly, he’s a Counter-Strike genius. What separates m0NESY from some of the other best CS2 players is his clutch ability. Even in a 1v5, if m0NESY still has an AWP, you always get the feeling he might pull a rabbit out of the hat. At just 19, the idea that he might not be anywhere close to his peak is a scary thought.
2. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Credit: Joao Ferreira | PGL
ZywOo may be arguably the best CS:GO player of all time, but his transition to CS2 wasn’t as easy as other players. A player of his quality doesn’t struggle for long though, and he quickly rediscovered his CS:GO form to level up his game even further.
Mechanically, ZywOo is still a Counter-Strike god. He’s one of the very few players in the world who can win a map single-handedly, such is his superiority over his peers. He doesn’t need an AWP, either. ZywOo is every bit as good with a rifle in hand, and has arguably the best game sense ever seen on any player.
1. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
Credit: Helena Kristiansson | ESL
A prodigy like no other – donk. He had his breakout year in 2024, beginning with an all-time great performance at IEM Katowice 2024. The brilliance of donk has helped turn Spirit into instant favorites in every tournament they play, and we could wax lyrical about how good he is all day.
When looking at what makes donk so good at CS2, it’s hard to pinpoint just one thing. This is because he’s so great at everything! Masterful spray control, cool in clutches, consistent in a big stage environment, god-like game sense – he’s got the entire arsenal, like a CS2 player created in a lab. Right now, we’ve got no doubt that donk is the best CS2 player in the world. His great form was rewarded with a Major win at the end of 2024, becoming the youngest to ever do it, and we know he’ll win plenty more in 2025 if he keeps this up.
Honorable mentions
Credit: Joao Ferreira | © PGL
In a list of the top 10 CS2 players, there will always be some amazing individuals who don’t quite make the cut. Still, we wanted to point out those who didn’t quite make it, in recognition of their skills on the server.
First off, you have Spinx. MOUZ’s new lurker was one of the best players of 2023, but slowed down a little towards the tail end of 2024. Then, there’s broky. FaZe’s AWPer has consistently been among the best CS players over the past few years, and he gets an honorable mention based on some solid arena performances over the last few months.