After Counter-Strike 2 was released, the dust has finally cleared on CS:GO, so we thought we’d take a last look at the original game. In its more than 11-year existence, the CS:GO esports scene has hosted some incredible players. But which one is the best among all of them? In order to definitively determine who the ultimate Counter-Strike monarch is, we have compiled this list of the top five players in the history of the game.
TOP 5 BEST CS:GO PLAYERS OF ALL TIME
5. CHRISTOPHER ‘GET_RIGHT’ ALESUND
The 32-year-old Swede GeT_RiGhT, who is no longer active, was a major influence in the early days of CS:GO and is another innovator of the game. He finished 2013 and 2014 as the world number one and won ten MVP awards during that time. He was a major factor in the rise in popularity of CS:GO over his 14-year career, which ended in 2021.
The Ninjas In Pyjamas (NIP) team that GeT_Right most famously played for won a major championship and advanced to five finals. During his tenure with NIP at the start of CS:GO, he also went on the renowned 87-game victory streak, a record that still holds today. Even though GeT_RiGhT’s career petered out after those early CS:GO years, he is unquestionably one of the greatest CS:GO players of all time.
4. NIKOLA “NIKO” KOVAČ
Under constant observation, G2’s Bosnian entry fragger NiKo leads one of the best rosters of the modern era. Even though NiKo’s talent was always undeniable, his lack of trophies raised some unanswered concerns about his future till 2023. NiKo’s victories at IEM Katowice 2023 and IEM Cologne 2023 allayed any worries, as he took home two of the largest awards available in the game.
NiKo is a genius since he routinely achieves AWPer stats with just a rifle. In any given encounter, he can lead his team to victory thanks to his unquestionably superior mechanics. Although detractors will always point out that he isn’t a CS:GO major, we believe the data speaks for itself. NiKo is the greatest rifler the game has ever produced, period, in addition to being one of the greatest CS:GO players of all time.
3. NICOLAI ‘DEV1CE’ REEDTZ
The track record of dev1ce is self-evident. Nobody in the history of CS:GO has won as many awards. He has an incredible four Major victories under his belt, 19 MVP awards, and two Major MVP titles. He established the Astralis period, during which the team’s play from 2017 to 2019 fundamentally altered the meta of CS:GO. In this sense, nobody else on the list can be compared.
A brief, fruitless flirtation with NIP and a one-year hiatus from the game in 2022 jeopardised his legacy. It has been strengthened even more by his return to Astralis. Never before has a player come back from such a long hiatus and still managed to look like one of the top CS:GO players worldwide. Dev1ce can undoubtedly fight at the highest level for years to come, but it will be difficult to surpass his CS:GO record.
It’s difficult to compare him to anyone else in the professional CS:GO scene given his durability, adaptability, and consistency at the highest levels. His legacy is further enhanced by the quantity of cutlery he has earned during that period.
2. MATHIEU ‘ZYWOO’ HERBAUT
The player who was born on November 9, 2000, the same day as the original Counter-Strike, is known as The Chosen One. The French AWPer hasn’t looked back since ZywOo had the greatest rookie season ever in 2018. ZywOo is one of the few elite CS:GO players who doesn’t appear to have been born for the game.
At the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, he finally accomplished the one goal that had escaped him for the previous five years of competition, which was his highest achievement. ZywOo is only 23 years old, thus he has at least ten more years to shine. Experience is the only thing separating him from the #1 spot on our list. We are confident that ZywOo will be regarded as the greatest player to have ever played Counter-Strike 2 after a few years have passed.
1. OLEKSANDR ‘S1MPLE’ KOSTYLIEV
What more can we say about s1mple that hasn’t been mentioned before? For years, the Ukrainian AWPer has been the driving force behind NAVI, coauthoring his narrative with one of the greatest CS:GO squads ever. S1mple’s skills were unfathomable for years, as evidenced by the fact that he has won the most MVP awards in tournament history.
Following years of success, S1mple’s form slightly declined in late 2022 and early 2023. Even said, s1mple’s downturn is still far better than that of 99 percent of CS:GO pros.
S1mple has recently taken a sabbatical from competition in preparation for CS2. Whether and when he returns to make his imprint on the upcoming game is still up in the air. The world will be anticipating the release of the next chapter from the undeniably best CS:GO player of all time.
