HLTV revealed the winners of its 2025 HLTV Awards on Saturday night, honoring the top players, teams and creators in competitive Counter-Strike during a ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia. The annual event, presented by 1xBet, brought together industry figures from across the global CS scene to recognize performances from the past year.

Team Vitality emerged as the clear standout of the evening, collecting a wide range of panel and headline awards. The French-led organization capped its dominant year with the Team of the Year honor, while several of its players were recognized for individual roles. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut headlined the night by winning HLTV Player of the Year, a distinction awarded after a countdown of the top 20 players of 2025.

Vitality’s Robin “ropz” Kool was named Closer of the Year, William “mezii” Merriman earned Anchor of the Year, and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire secured IGL of the Year for a second consecutive season. ZywOo also claimed AWPer of the Year, while head coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam received Coach of the Year honors. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, who finished second in the Player of the Year voting, won Opener of the Year.

Hall of Fame inductions and community awards round out ceremony

Beyond competitive accolades, the ceremony also highlighted community contributions and historical achievements. Raphael “cogu” Camargo, Yegor “markeloff” Markelov and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer were inducted into the HLTV Hall of Fame, joining a group of Counter-Strike legends recognized for their lasting impact on the game. Each inductee received commemorative honors, including a Hall of Fame–inscribed Rolex and a dedicated profile on HLTV.

Community-focused awards recognized figures across broadcasting, streaming and content creation. James “BanKs” Banks was named Talent of the Year, while Mark “ohnePixel” Zimmermann earned Streamer of the Year. Creator of the Year went to dima_aimbots, and the StarLadder Budapest Major was voted Event of the Year. In the women’s categories, Mayline-Joy “ASTRA” Champliaud won Women’s Player of the Year, and BIG EQUIPA was named Women’s Team of the Year.

The awards weekend also included the HLTV Awards Conference, which featured panel discussions on the evolving Counter-Strike esports ecosystem, event organization and the future of the game’s economy.