HLTV Awards 2025: ZywOo, donk and ropz — top 3 players of the year in CS2

The HLTV Awards 2025 took place on January 10, 2026, in Belgrade. HLTV.org continues its tradition of honoring the best players, coaches, and events in the world of Counter-Strike 2, and this year’s awards were especially anticipated after an intense and spectacular season.

ZywOo (Team Vitality) — Player of the Year

The highlight of the ceremony was French AWPer Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut from Team Vitality, who was named Player of the Year 2025, taking the top spot in HLTV’s rankings for the fourth time, surpassing the record previously held by Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev.

In 2025, ZywOo won 9 tournaments, including two Majors, earned 8 MVPs and 5 EVPs, confirming his status as one of the most dominant players of the season. His consistency, leadership, and impressive stats make him the central figure of the year in CS2.

donk (Team Spirit) — incredible entry fragger

In second place was rifler Danil “donk” Kryshkovets from Team Spirit, who also won Entry Fragger of the Year, outperforming strong competitors like flameZ and YEKINDAR. Donk also won Highlight of the Year for his famous 1×5 ace against Vitality at BLAST Rivals Fall, marking his second consecutive win in this category.

Donk’s individual rating for the season was 1.39 over 142 maps, highlighting his key contribution to Team Spirit’s success at major tournaments.

ropz (Team Vitality) — consistency and impact

The top three was completed by Estonian Robin “ropz” Kool, also from Team Vitality. In 2025, he achieved 9 tournament victories, including StarLadder Budapest Major and BLAST.tv Austin Major. Although he did not earn an MVP, ropz’s consistent impact on his team’s results earned him third place in HLTV’s top 20.

Community Awards: favorite talents and events

In addition to the main awards, HLTV Awards 2025 included Community Awards, fully determined by user votes:

• Talent of the Year: James “BanKs” Banks — leading for the second year in a row.
• Event of the Year: StarLadder Budapest Major — regained the title of the season’s best event.
• Streamer of the Year: Mark “ohnePixel” Zimmermann — top for the third consecutive year.
• Creator of the Year: dima_aimbots — new leader in the category.
• Skin of the Year: AWP | Printstream by JTPNZ — recognized by fans as the best skin of 2025.

The HLTV Awards 2025 once again showcased the strength and diversity of the Counter-Strike 2 scene. From the dominant ZywOo to the incredible donk and the consistent ropz, the 2025 season delivered many unforgettable moments, and each of the top three players earned their place in CS2 history.