During the first complete year of exhilarating CS2 action, we’ve witnessed a myriad of spectacular performances and moments of individual brilliance from some of the best CS2 players in the world.
This is our List of Top 10 Counter-Strike 2 Players
This is our top 10 best CS2 players list based on individual statistics as well as team accomplishments in CS2. It’s important to note that performances in LAN events (offline) are considered more important than online tournaments in our ranking.
10. Spinx
Despite being on the team with one of the best CS2 players in the world, Lotan “Spinx” Giladi manages to stand his ground as a great player in his own right. The Israeli is ZywOo’s right-hand man and is often the one to pull his team over the line when his teammates are having an off-game.
It is very possible that Vitality wouldn’t have won IEM Cologne, had it not been for Spinx performing at such a high level. He has averaged a more than solid 1.13 rating throughout CS2 so far.
- Age: 24
- Team: Vitality
- CS2 Rating: 1.13
9. b1t
Despite being only 21 years old, b1t is already among the most accomplished riflers in the history of the game. Being so young, he could become a fan favorite for fans of CS2 betting.
The Ukrainian anchor overcame a difficult start to the year and upped his game tremendously in the second half of 2024. It’s certain that NAVI would not be able to win as many trophies without his incredible anchor work, which makes him one of the top Counter-Strike 2 players.
- Age: 21
- Team: NAVI
- CS2 Rating: 1.13
8. EliGE
The best American player of all time Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski is back to his best at Complexity. Since his addition to the team, they have made tremendous improvements, especially following CS2’s release.
Going by statistics alone, he could be in the conversation for being the best CS2 rifler (excluding donk), having averaged an impressive 1.17 rating in LAN events. However, the lack of team accomplishments means that he can’t place any higher on our top Counter-Strike 2 players list.
- Age: 27
- Team: Complexity
- CS2 Rating: 1.18
7. jL
While his average rating may be lower than most other payers on our list, Justinas “jL” Lekavicius outshines them in the impact he provides every time he enters the server.
The Lithuanian rifler is getting better and better with each event, establishing himself as a star player on the international NAVI roster. Due to his uptick in form, he and his teammates got to lift the inaugural CS2 Major trophy, with jL receiving the MVP medal and being one of the top Counter-Strike 2 players.
- Age: 25
- Team: NAVI
- CS2 Rating: 1.13
6. NiKo
The best rifler of all time is back to his best after starting the year on the wrong foot. Thankfully, Niko’s class is permanent and his performances on the biggest stages always make Counter-Strike fans gasp with excitement.
Although NiKo is still yet to lift the Major trophy, his impending move to Falcons might be what he needs to finally fulfill his lifelong Counter-Strike dream
- Age: 27
- Team: G2
- CS2 Rating: 1.17
5. XANTARES
Everyone in the Counter-Strike community knows that Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dortkardes is an exceptionally gifted player, but his transition to CS2 has been nothing short of sensational. The Turk helped his team to two Grand Final appearances in the two LAN CS2 tournaments they attended in 2023 and a playoff berth at the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024.
He has averaged a 1.20 rating in CS2 across 2024, albeit against slightly weaker opposition than players above him on this list have faced. With that in mind, he slots in perfectly at the number five position in our ranking.
- Age: 29
- Team: Eternal Fire
- CS2 Rating: 1.20
4. sh1ro
Many people questioned his move away from Cloud9, but as it turns out, Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov knew what he was doing all along. While all the attention is on his Spirit teammates, the talented AWPer is quietly doing his job and performing at a very high level.
sh1ro looks to be in the perfect environment to continue his career and thrive in years to come. Let’s hope that is indeed what happens in the future.
- Age: 23
- Team: Spirit
- CS2 Rating: 1.18
3. ZywOo
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world right now. Thankfully for Counter-Strike fans around the world, the Frenchman quickly adapted to CS2 and he remains one of the scariest players in the professional scene.
ZywOo was the main factor in Vitality’s win over NAVI in the IEM Cologne Grand Final, where his team ended NAVI’s 13-match Mirage win streak. The AWPer rightfully received the MVP medal, having sported a 1.29 rating throughout the event.
Unfortunately, his playoff performances in some of the most important tournaments of the year, including the two Majors, were not up to par with the two players ahead of him on our list.
- Age: 24
- Team: Vitality
- CS2 Rating: 1.35
2. m0NESY
In the absence of his more experienced and accomplished teammate Nikola “NiKo” Kovac in the first half of the year, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov has elevated his game to a whole new level and has become G2’s best player.
The 19-year-old AWPer continues to impress with his flashy play style. The only thing he’s missing is more titles to fill his trophy cabinet, but if he keeps up this form, he won’t have to worry about that.
- Age: 19
- Team: G2
- CS2 Rating: 1.27
1. donk
Despite being a newcomer to tier-one Counter-Strike, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets could not have placed anywhere but first on our list. The 17-year-old phenomenon wreaks havoc every time he enters the server, having averaged a staggering 1.37 rating in CS2 across 2024.
If he can keep up this level of performance in the long term, we might be witnessing the birth of a new generational talent in real-time.
- Age: 17
- Team: Spirit
- CS2 Rating: 1.37
Header image credit: BLAST
