Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Best CS2 Streamers in 2026
Owen Harsono
Many Counter-Strike 2 fans can agree that watching the game is often better than playing it. Instead of raging at your teammates in-game, it’s more fun to watch other people crash out in your stead. Below, we take a look at the top 5 CS2 streamers in 2026 who will keep you entertained. Dima is a streamer who’s been on the rise over the past couple of years. He’s a …
Counter-Strike
Full List of IEM Cologne 2026 Major Invited Teams
Owen Harsono
On April 6, Valve confirmed the VRS ranking updates, which determined the 32 teams that will compete in the upcoming IEM Cologne 2026 Major. The Major spots really came down to the wire, with some teams making their first Major while titans fell. Here is everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major teams. After half a year of VRS ranking progression, Valve locked in the invitations for …
Twitch
Who is YourRage, the streamer taking Twitch by storm?
Fariha Bhatti
In 2026, the top of Twitch categories are crowded with IRL and variety streamers, but YourRage has carved out a spot near the top on the back of pure gaming content. Here’s everything you need to know about him. YourRage is one of the few creators on Twitch to hit 1 million followers without ever showing his face. The streamer was known purely for his gaming content around Fortnite, Call …
Counter-Strike
End of an Era: FaZe Clan Miss First CS2 Major in Org’s History
Owen Harsono
April 5th felt like a fever dream for FaZe Clan fans, as the team failed to qualify for the upcoming IEM Cologne Major in June after a tough, all-or-nothing loss against BIG Clan. After 11 years since entering Counter-Strike, FaZe Clan has missed their first Major tournament. FaZe Clan had been on the chopping block for over a week, as the team didn’t have enough VRS points to punch a …
PGL Bucharest 2026: Teams, Format and Prize Pool
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
The next Counter-Strike 2 tournament to look forward to is PGL Bucharest 2026. This tournament is an upcoming Tier 1.5 LAN, where we’ll get to see several household names competing against new challengers that may pose a threat. Below, we’ll break down everything you need to know about PGL Bucharest 2026. Unfortunately, most of the best CS2 teams in the world have decided to skip this event, but that could …
CS2 players will decide the next map in FACEIT Season 8
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
FACEIT Season 8 is set to expand the competitive map pool across Counter-Strike 2 queues — and this time players will have a direct say in which map gets added. Currently, FACEIT has all seven maps available during the veto session for players to pick from. Each team bans or picks a map, with the last one serving as the battleground for the game. While players have never complained about …
CS2 FACEIT players will now need to re-earn their rank
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
FACEIT Season 8 will introduce a significant change to player ELO in Counter-Strike 2, aiming to reduce long-term skill inflation at the top. Here’s what the new FACEIT ELO reset means in CS2 and how it works. Skill inflation is a common issue in shooters, and happens in almost every ranked game. Players return at outdated ranks after inactivity, which throws off match quality and makes games frustrating for everyone. …
ESL commits $11.5M investment to 2027 CS2 Season
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
ESL has just revealed its roadmap for the 2027 Counter-Strike 2 season. The tournament organizer will be allocating $11,450,000 across seven tournaments throughout the year, and has also made several interesting promises. Here are ESL’s plans for next year. Along with its announcement, ESL has confirmed it will host seven events across the 2027 calendar, with the dates already finalized. Here is the outline of the 2027 roadmap: IEM Krakow: …
FaZe at Risk of Missing IEM Cologne Major, Can They Still Qualify?
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Teams are making one last push to secure their invitations to the upcoming IEM Cologne Major 2026 by collecting VRS points. However, one team that might be getting the shorter end of the stick is the previous Major finalist – FaZe Clan. According to calculations made by community member MischiefCS2 on X, FaZe Clan are currently not predicted to qualify for the next CS2 Major, finding themselves just one slot …
BC.Game’s $500K 2026 CS2 Circuit Includes Two Female Tournaments
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Crypto esports bookie and CS2 team owners BC.Game have announced a sizable investment in the professional Counter-Strike scene. On March 20, the betting company revealed a series of 11 tournaments throughout 2026, with $500,000 up for grabs. Here are all the details on BC.Game’s CS2 tournaments announced. BC.Game, known for having paid big bucks to sign s1mple to their CS2 roster, is looking to give back to the community. The …
s1mple’s Net Worth in 2026: How Much Has the CS:GO GOAT Earned?
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
s1mple is one of the most iconic figures in Counter-Strike esports. He has accomplished everything there is to achieve in the game, and is one of the most famous esports players in the entire world. With such a career, it’s normal to wonder how much money he’s made from playing video games. While the exact numbers aren’t public, his net worth is estimated to be around $8-9 million. Below, we’ll …
How the New CS2 Reload Update Will Affect Pro Play
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Valve has just rolled out one of the biggest Counter-Strike 2 gameplay updates in recent memory, targeting the concept of reloading and ammo management. The community is split with mixed reactions, but how will this change affect professional play? In the latest CS2 update, reloading works completely differently now. When you reload, any bullets left in your magazine are discarded, adding a touch of realism. Reloading in CS2 now works …
Here’s how CS2 Reload works after the new update
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Ammo in Counter-Strike 2 currently feels unlimited, even though it’s not. However, the new Reload update will make the scarcity more noticeable. Valve has rolled out a brand new update to how ammunition acts in CS2, mostly aimed at those that tend to waste bullets. Starting now, players will have limited magazines that would replace a used one instead of simply using bullets from the reserve. The new update penalizes …
BC.Game Masters Championship: Format, Teams and Prize Pool Distribution
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
The BC.Game Masters Championship isn’t your typical B-Tier tournament – there’s actually a lot more on the line than you might think. Below, we’ll break down everything you need to know and explain why this tournament truly matters. Though the BC.Game Masters Championship doesn’t have the largest prize pool or too many of the best Counter-Strike teams, there is still a lot on the line at this event. The VRS …
BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 Preview: Teams, Format, Schedule
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Only less than a week after ESL Pro League Season 23, we already have another top-tier Counter-Strike 2 event to look forward to, as BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 kicks off on March 18. Here is everything you need to know about the BLAST Open Rotterdam teams, format, schedule, and prize pool. 16 of the best Counter-Strike teams in the world will compete for the BLAST Open Rotterdam title. See all …
Caster Claims s1mple Earns $120K Monthly Salary Under BC.Game
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike
Eastern European caster Konstantin “Leniniw” Sivko has claimed that Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev asked for a $120,000 monthly salary while playing under BC.Game. During the same discussion, Leniniw also shared what he described as a rough estimate of salaries across some of the highest-profile Counter-Strike 2 players. According to Leniniw, his sources suggested that s1mple reportedly negotiated one of the largest salaries in competitive Counter-Strike when joining BC.Game’s CS2 roster. “When …
Counter-Strike has long been among the biggest titles in esports and competitive gaming, even going back to esports’ deepest roots from decades past. What’s more, the game continues going strong today, with developer and publisher Valve releasing the latest iteration of the franchise in 2023. The newest version, Counter-Strike 2, has not been without its issues. But its popularity continues the enduring prominence of the Counter-Strike series, signaling that the venerated franchise is likely here to stay for many years yet to come.
But how did the franchise come be to so prominent in the esports space, and role does CS2 have to play in the industry moving forward?
Counter-Strike has roots in the beginnings of esports
Counter-Strike was unquestionably one of the biggest drivers of what we would today consider to be early professional esports movement. It was far from alone, and it wasn’t the most advanced. That likely was StarCraft: Brood War, a real-time strategy game from famed developer Blizzard that caught on in South Korea and led to a professional scene in the country well ahead of any examples of esports industry elsewhere in the world.
But outside of Korea, Counter-Strike quickly became the driving force behind competitive gaming and esports. First released in 1999 as a modification for popular first-person shooter Half-Life, the game was easy to pick up and play for many gamers. Half-Life was borderline ubiquitous software for gamers with a PC, and adding a mod to it was as simple as downloading and applying said mod. So it was that Counter-Strike began to catch fire and spread across the world.
As it spread, so too did its competitive play. Early competitions often centered around online play, most prominently including the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL) in North America and the Clanbase Eurocup in Europe. But live, in-person tournaments, similar to those enjoyed by StarCraft players and fans in Korea, were also rising in prominence.
Within just a few years, there were a number of major annual tournaments being held for the original version of Counter-Strike. Notable international tournament organizers included the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in the United States, the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in France, and the World Cyber Games (WCG) in Korea. This was in addition to many other regional tournaments through which teams could test their mettle and battle over smaller prizes.
But even at bigger tournaments, prizes weren’t what they are today, and in general there was far less money available to professional Counter-Strike players than there is in today’s thriving esports industry which sees many players and teams playing at the full-time pro level. That’s a far cry from a time when perhaps a small handful of players were able to make a true living through playing CS alone, and even them, it was often a modest one.
Counter-Strike 2 at the fore of a bigger esports scene than ever before
Counter-Strike 2 was released to a far different esports space than that which the original Counter-Strike occupied. But what exactly is it that has changed the scene so much, besides the accrual of years?
Esports betting is at the top of the list. The sports betting industry is growing and expanding around the world each and every year, and esports has absolutely been a part of that. As esports betting continues to grow and thrive, it brings its benefits to the games that are being bet on. And Counter-Strike 2 is at the top of that list.
These benefits have arrived through a myriad of means. Fan interest in tournaments has gone up and become more consistent with betting markets available for each and every game played, which further incentivizes tournament organizers and their sponsoring partners. But those partners are also now more likely to work with the pro teams and players themselves. Betting operators are among the most common and most generous sponsors in the pro CS2 space, showing how esports betting’s rise has contributed to Counter-Strike’s continued prominence in esports and competitive gaming as a whole.
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
