Who Is The Best CS:GO Player?

If you want the simple answer to the question of who the best Counter-Strike player is, it is safe to say that it is the Ukrainian powerhouse, s1mple. 

Despite being a very talented player, s1mple’s rise to the top of the Counter-Strike world wasn’t an easy journey. He is the definition of a hard-working player who has been through thick and thin. 

During the beginning of his career, s1mple was already showing the potential of an amazing player, but he was extremely toxic towards his previous teammates, which scarred his reputation as a rookie. 

After starting his career at HellRaisers and Flipsid3 Tactics, s1mple had a stint with Team Liquid, where he nearly won the MLG Columbus Major in 2016, which allowed him to make it to HLTV’s list of Top 20 players for the first time, finishing fourth. 

s1mple’s godlike performance at Columbus landed him a spot in his dream organization, Natus Vincere, where he would meet his future right-hand man, Denis “electroNic” Sharipov. With the help of a capable team, s1mple continued improving, until he was named the best player in 2018. 

After clashing for the best player position against ZywOo from 2019 to 2021, s1mple finally completed Counter-Strike by winning his first and only Major trophy at PGL Stockholm 2021. 

Throughout his long career, s1mple peaked in 2021 and 2022, where he claimed back-to-back best player awards from HLTV. However, he took an extended break in 2023, only playing half of the year. Yet, he still claimed the 7th spot. 

s1mple’s HLTV Top Player Awards

• 4th best player of 2016.
• 8th best player of 2017.
• Best player of 2018.
• 2nd best player of 2019.
• 2nd best player of 2020.
• Best player of 2021.
• Best player of 2022.
• 7th best player of 2023.

s1mple’s Individual Accolades

• Tournament MVPs: 21
• Valve Major Victories: 1
• HLTV Top 20 Appearances: 8
• Approximate Total Winnings: $1,727,047

ZywOo is quite literally the child of Counter-Strike. Believe it or not, this generational talent was born on the same date when the first edition of Counter-Strike was released. 

The French had the craziest debut year in the history of Counter-Strike. In 2018, ZywOo, like other up-and-coming players, was playing pick-up games all day, but he quickly made a name for himself after dominating all of his competition.

Veteran player Dan “apEX” Madesclaire noticed this diamond in the rough and immediately took ZywOo to play with him. Before turning 18, ZywOo had joined one of the most prestigious organizations in Counter-Strike in November 2018, Team Vitality.

During his breakout year in Tier 1, ZywOo immediately became the best player in the world, dethroning s1mple who was named the best player of 2018. Despite fans thinking his debut year’s performance was a fluke, ZywOo continued to silence the haters by claiming yet another number one spot in 2020. 

However, in 2021 and 2022, ZywOo had his lowest HLTV ranking in his career, which was second place, losing to s1mple at his peak. It is still hard to believe that his lowest placing was second!

In 2023, ZywOo reclaimed the title of being the best player in the world as s1mple took a break from professional Counter-Strike. During this year, ZywOo also became a Major winner, lifting the trophy in front of his home crowd at the BLAST Paris Major. 

ZywOo’s HLTV Top Player Awards

• Best player of 2019.
• Best player of 2020.
• 2nd best player of 2021.
• 2nd best player of 2022.
• Best player of 2023.

ZywOo’s Individual Accolades

• Tournament MVPs: 19
• Valve Major Victories: 1
• HLTV Top 20 Appearances: 5
• Approximate Total Winnings: $1,003,274

dev1ce, also known as Mr. Consistent, is one of the most reliable players in all of Counter-Strike. He is most-known for his tenure at Team Astralis, where he acted as the primary AWPer that helped the organization lift four Major trophies. 

The Dane’s professional career started all the way from Counter-Strike: Source, where he was already considered as one of the most promising talents globally. However, he took some time to adjust to the move to Global Offensive, missing out on HLTV’s Top 20 players in 2013.

In 2014, dev1ce started picking up the pace with his first appearance on HLTV’s list, barely making it in 20th place. However, starting from 2015, he became a monster. In the span of a year, dev1ce climbed up 17 places and finished 3rd in 2015.

Despite being such a consistent and reliable AWPer, dev1ce had not won too many tournaments until he played with Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander in 2017. In 2017, dev1ce finally won his deserved Major title, claiming first place at ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017. Little did he know, he was about to form a dynasty.

With the help of dev1ce’s world-class AWPing skills, Astralis won three more Majors along with a handful of other S-Tier tournaments. From 2017 to 2020, dev1ce always finished within the Top 5 players of the year. 

dev1ce’s HLTV Top Player Awards

• 20th best player of 2014.
• 3rd best player of 2015.
• 3rd best player of 2016.
• 5th best player of 2017.
• 2nd best player of 2018.
• 3rd best player of 2019.
• 3rd best player of 2020.
• 11th best player of 2021.
• 11th best player of 2023.

dev1ce’s Individual Accolades

• Tournament MVPs: 19
• Valve Major Victories: 4
• HLTV Top 20 Appearances: 9
• Approximate Total Winnings: $2,042,878

The three previous players on the list were all AWPers, so it’s time to bring out the best rifler in the game: NiKo. Despite being the best raw aimer in the world, NiKo has unfortunately never won a Major trophy.

Young NiKo was scouted by mousesports, an organization known for finding the next batch of generational talent. In the MLG Columbus Major in 2016, NiKo shocked the Counter-Strike world by scoring 52 kills on a single map against Flipsid3 Tactics.

After this series, NiKo hit highlight reel after highlight reel, and was known as the best Desert Eagle player globally. It didn’t take long for Finn “karrigan” Andersen to recognize his talents and build a new superteam around him at FaZe Clan. 

FaZe Clan quickly became the best team in the world, but NiKo and company choked the Major Finals at the ELEAGUE Boston Major in 2018, losing to Cloud9 in one of the biggest upsets in the world. People thought FaZe would have no issue winning the next Major, but it never ended up happening. 

In 2020, NiKo departed FaZe Clan to join G2 Esports, where he played with his biological cousin Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač. Despite remaining as one of the fiercest players in the scene, NiKo is yet to claim a Major trophy.

Still, he is consistently placing within the Top 5 players of every year, and has won several S-Tier tournaments donning the G2 Esports jersey. 

NiKo’s HLTV Top Player Awards

• 11th best player of 2016.
• 2nd best player of 2017.
• 3rd best player of 2018.
• 11th best player of 2019.
• 4th best player of 2020.
• 3rd best player of 2021.
• 5th best player of 2022.
• 2nd best player of 2023.

NiKo’s Individual Accolades

• Tournament MVPs: 8
• Valve Major Victories: 0
• HLTV Top 20 Appearances: 8
• Approximate Total Winnings: $1,359,383

Most new Counter-Strike players have not heard of GeT_RiGhT or seen him competing on the biggest stage. However, he was one of the early legends of Counter-Strike, and respect must be put under his name. 

GeT_RiGhT was the most dominant player in the late stages of Counter-Strike: Source, and early stages of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He made a name for himself playing under Ninjas in Pyjamas, where he and his squad won 87 maps in a row, creating the most dominant record in Counter-Strike history. 

The Swede was known for his impeccable spray control, giving him the nickname of the “Spray God.” He even embraced this nickname and name tagged his AK-47 | Fire Serpent the “Sprayquaza.”

GeT_RiGhT was named the best player of 2013 and 2014 by HLTV, claiming the best player title in the first year of Global Offensive. Unfortunately, he struggled in the first few Majors of CS:GO, losing to his arch nemeses Fnatic.

Fans could rejoice after watching GeT_RiGhT lift his well-deserved Major trophy at ESL One Cologne 2014. Most members of the community respected GeT_RiGhT for his humble and friendly personality, making him a very likable person. 

Sadly, his career went downhill after 2016, and he ultimately decided to retire in 2021 to pursue content creation. 

GeT_RiGhT’s HLTV Top Player Awards

• 2nd best player of 2010.
• 2nd best player of 2011.
• Best player of 2013.
• Best player of 2014.
• 11th best player of 2015.
• 18th best player of 2016.

GeT_RiGhT’s Individual Accolades

• Tournament MVPs: 10
• Valve Major Victories: 1
• HLTV Top 20 Appearances: 6
• Approximate Total Winnings: $607,224

Next on the list, we have Brazil’s pride, coldzera. Unlike most of the players on the list, coldzera had a very short peak, but he was undoubtedly the best Counter-Strike player in the world during that period of time. 

The rifler was the star player of Brazil’s most legendary roster that played under Luminosity Gaming and then transferred to SK Gaming later on, carrying the same lineup of players. 

coldzera displayed his maximum potential at the MLG Columbus Major in 2016, getting that legendary 4K clip on Mirage with his jumping no-scopes. He eventually took the team to the Grand Finals and won the entire event, winning his first Major in his first “real” year in Tier 1 Counter-Strike with Luminosity Gaming. 

In the same year, the Luminosity Gaming lineup was acquired by SK Gaming, but a logo change did not slow down coldzera’s performance. Instead, he won the following Major, ESL One Cologne 2016, to win back-to-back Major tournaments, making him one of the few two-time Major winners in the industry. Deservedly, he was awarded as the best player of 2016. 

In 2017, coldzera could not win any more Majors, but won seven S-Tier tournaments, and again, claimed his second #1 position in a row. Nobody could deny that he was the most dangerous player in the 2016 – 2017 era, being a rifler and a secondary AWPer. 

Unfortunately, he fell off in 2018,and completely disappeared from 2019 onward.

coldzera’s HLTV Top Player Awards

• Best player of 2016.
• Best player of 2017.
• 10th best player of 2018.

coldzera’s Individual Accolades

• Tournament MVPs: 8
• Valve Major Victories: 2
• HLTV Top 20 Appearances: 3
• Approximate Total Winnings: $1,035,630

In conclusion, there have been lots of players that were close to the title of being the best CS:GO player in the world. However, the six names we’ve mentioned above have proven themselves to be the best in the world. 

Four players on the list have been named as the world’s best player in at least two years. The two exceptions are dev1ce and NiKo, but we believe they still deserve spots on the list due to their consistency throughout their long careers. Maintaining positions within the Top 5 players in such a long time automatically puts you in contention of being one of the best CS:GO players to exist.