For a professional and retired Counter-Strike player, entering the HLTV Hall of Fame is the highest recognized honor. This list was started back in 2024, when HLTV joined hands with 1xbet to induct some of the best players from the past. Following the newly inaugurated tradition, 1xbet has nominated 10 players for HLTV Hall of Fame 2025, out of which three will officially make it to the list.
Players who are nominated for the HLTV Hall of Fame 2025 have shown the world their capabilities by giving countless unforgettable moments in Counter-Strike. With their extraordinary skills and Hall of Fame induction, some exemplary players will etch their names in the game’s history forever.
Here’s a list of all the players who are nominated for the HLTV Hall of Fame this year.
1 Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen
The list starts with none other than Peter Rasmussen, AKA dupreeh, the undisputed king of AWP! You may also call him Mr CS:GO, as he has attended all 19 CS:GO Major Championship tournaments and has won five of them. Apart from his five major victories, dupreeh has 27 other tournament victories to his name.
Coming from Denmark, this player has made it to the Top 20 Player of the Year list seven times in 2013 (#18), 2014 (#16), 2015 (#12), 2017 (#10), 2018 (#5), 2019(#16), and 2020 (#9). While the accolades speak out loud, here are some notable achievements earned by dupreeh during his professional Counter-Strike career with teams like Astralis, Vitality, TSM, etc:
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| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 | Vitality |
| Legends | IEM Rio Major 2022 | Vitality |
| Legends | PGL Major Antwerp 2022 | Vitality |
| Legends | PGL Major Stockholm 2021 | Astralis |
| 1st | StarLadder Major Berlin 2019 | Astralis |
| 1st | IEM Katowice 2019 | Astralis |
| 1st | FACEIT Major 2018 | Astralis |
| Legends | ELEAGUE Major 2018 | Astralis |
| 3-4th | PGL Major Krakow 2017 | Astralis |
| 1st | ELEAGUE Major 2017 | Astralis |
| 1/4 final | ESL One Cologne 2016 | Astralis |
| 3-4th | MLG Columbus 2016 | Astralis |
| 1/4 final | DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 | TSM |
| 3-4th | ESL One Cologne 2015 | TSM |
| 1/4 final | ESL One Katowice 2015 | TSM |
| 1/4 final | DreamHack Winter 2014 | Dignitas |
| 3-4th | ESL One Cologne 2014 | Dignitas |
| 3-4th | EMS One Katowice 2014 | Dignitas |
| 1/4 final | DreamHack Winter 2013 | CPH Wolves |
2 Jorgen “XeqtR” Johannessen
Having played alongside HLTV Hall of Famers like HeatoN and Potti, XeqtR was a “tactical mastermind” during his time as a professional Counter-Strike player. This Norwegian player impressed the world when CS 1.6 was running at its peak and before CS:GO was even born! Being a master strategist and a legend of the game, XeqtR helped in shaping the future of Counter-Strike in the early 20s.
During his career, XeqtR worked with multiple Esports teams, including legendary organizations like SK Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and NoA. With these teams, this Hall of Fame inductee won multiple tournaments over two decades ago. For your reference, here’s a list of them:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | shgOpen 2006 | NoA |
| 1st | WEG 2005 S01 | NoA |
| 1st | CPL Winter 2004 | NoA |
| 2nd | 2003 CPL Summer | Team9 |
| 1st | ESWC 2003 | Team9 |
| 2nd | ClikArena 2003 | EoLithic |
| 1st | 2002 CPL Summer | SK Gaming |
| 1st | CPL Europe Cologne 2002 | Nordic Division |
| 3rd | CPL Winter 2001 | MTW |
| 1st | 2001 CPL Europe Berlin | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
3 Ola “elemeNt” Moum
Ola Moum AKA elemeNt was the most sought-after player in CS history, as every team of his era wanted him desperately. A true master of Rifle and a great in-game leader, elemeNt has accomplished almost everything it takes to be called a Legend! For the record, he is also the first Counter-Strike player who was bought out of contract by a rival team – SK Gaming sold him to NoA in 2004 for a hefty price.
His A-class tournament victories in the early 20s earned him a name for himself and NoA, before FaZe would go on to popularize it for modern players. Here’s a list of achievements earned by elemeNt during his professional career:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | CPL Winter 2006 | Meet Your Makers |
| 1st | ClanBase EuroCup XII | Mousesports |
| 1st | WEG 2005 S01 | NoA |
| 1st | CPL Winter 2004 | NoA |
| 1st | ATI EverLAN Summer 2004 | NoA |
| 1st | CPL Winter 2003 | SK Gaming |
| 1st | 2003 CPL Summer | SK Gaming |
| 2nd | ClikArena 2003 | EoLithic |
| 2nd | CPL Winter 2002 | GameOnline |
| 2nd | 2002 CPL Summer | GameOnline |
4 Abdisamad “SpawN” Mohamed
Dominating alongside HeatoN and Potti in Ninjas in Pyjamas and SK Gaming, SpawN has constantly shown the world why you can’t bet against his team. With major tactical brilliance and almost invincible with a Rifle, this professional Swedish player has led SK Gaming and Ninjas in Pyjamas to multiple major top-tier championships. Some of his most iconic victories are mentioned below:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Samsung Euro Championship 2007 | SK Gaming |
| 2nd | World Cyber Games 2006 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| 1st | KODE5 2006 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| 1st | NGL-One Season I – Finals | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| 1st | European Nations Champions 2006 | Team Sweden |
| 1st | CPL Winter 2005 | SK Gaming |
| 1st | CPL Summer 2005 | SK Gaming |
| 2nd | CPL Summer 2004 | SK Gaming |
| 1st | CPL Winter 2003 | SK Gaming |
| 1st | World Cyber Games 2003 | SK Gaming |
5 Raphael “cogu” Camargo
If it wasn’t for cogu, the CS dream for many Brazilian players would have slowed down back in the days. This player single-handedly changed the landscape of Counter-Strike for his country by joining hands with MIBR. Raphael AKA cogu was loved by the fans, as he was voted the third best Counter-Strike player from 2000 – 2010 by HLTV’s users.
At his peak, he led MIBR to multiple major victories in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Here’s a list of those victories:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | IEM III American Championship Finals | MIBR |
| 2nd | IEM III Global Challenge Los Angeles | MIBR |
| 2nd | GameGune 2007 | MIBR |
| 1st | ESWC Brazil 2007 | MIBR |
| 1st | shgOpen 2007 – Counter-Strike | MIBR |
| 1st | WCG Pan-American Championship 2006 | MIBR |
| 1st | ESWC 2006 | MIBR |
| 1st | ESWC 2006 | MIBR |
| 1st | 2005 CPL Chile | MIBR |
| 1st | 2005 CPL Brazil | MIBR |
6 Yegor “markeloff” Markelov
The Counter-Strike universe had received a new star, or “superstar,” when markeloff shook hands with Natus Vincere and changed CS:GO forever. This Ukrainian player was the main Sniper for his team for almost half a decade. Most still consider him one of the best AWPers of his time, as his ability to hit the head in one shot led Natus Vincere to multiple tournament victories.
HLTV had even ranked markeloff as the best player of 2010, as he was the true MVP of the game for several years before and after CS:GO was introduced. Check out some of his career-highlighting achievements below:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | WESG 2017 Europe Finals | Team Ukraine |
| 1st | DreamHack Open Leipzig 2017 | FlipSid3 Tactics |
| 2nd | Intel Extreme Masters VI | Natus Vincere |
| 1st | IEM VI Global Challenge Kyiv | Natus Vincere |
| 1st | Intel Extreme Masters V | Natus Vincere |
| 1st | DreamHack Winter 2010 | Natus Vincere |
| 1st | World Cyber Games 2010 | Natus Vincere |
| 1st | Arbalet Dallas 2010 | Natus Vincere |
| 1st | ESWC 2010 | Natus Vincere |
| 1st | Intel Extreme Masters IV | Natus Vincere |
7 Kyle “Ksharp” Miller
For popular Counter-Strike teams like X3 and Team 3D, Ksharp was the true MVP, as he led them to multiple tournament finals and victories during his time as a professional player. You have to associate his name with Counter-Strike: Source whenever you are speaking of it.
Coming from the USA, Ksharp helped Team 3D stay on top for several years. All thanks to his constant performance and teamwork! Some of his most iconic runs and performances were noted during the following tournaments:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd | NewEgg LANFest 2007 | New York 3D |
| 4th | DigitalLife 2007 | New York 3D |
| 1st | World Cyber Games 2005 | Team 3D |
| 1st | World Cyber Games 2004 | Team 3D |
| 3rd | World Cyber Games 2003 | Team 3D |
| 4th | 2003 CPL Summer | Team 3D |
| 1st | CPL Winter 2002 | Team 3D |
| 7th-8th | World Cyber Games 2002 | Team 3D |
| 2nd | CPL Winter 2001 | X3 |
| 1st | 2001 Speakeasy CPL | X3 |
8 Danny “fRoD” Montaner
Popular as a coach for T1 in Valorant, fRoD was one of the best Counter-Strike players coming from the USA after Ksharp left off. Before he retired from the game, fRoD helped Complexity Gaming earn four consecutive victories in top-tier CS tournaments. These victories weren’t even close, as Complexity dominated in most of those matches with fRoD in their corner.
As all good things come to an end, Danny “fRoD” Montaner, too, left Complexity and joined Evil Geniuses in later parts of his career. With them, he achieved the following feats:
| Placement | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st | MSI Beat IT! 2010 | Evil Geniuses |
| 1st | IEM IV American Championship Finals | Evil Geniuses |
| 1st | GameGune Mexico 2009 | Evil Geniuses |
| 1st | CGS 2007 Individual Tournament | Complexity Gaming |
| 1st | DigitalLife 2007 | Complexity Gaming |
| 1st | Championship Gaming Invitational 2006 | Complexity Gaming |
| 1st | CPL Summer 2006 | Complexity Gaming |
| 2nd | WEG Masters 2006 | Complexity Gaming |
| 1st | GGL/ClanBase Trans-Atlantic Showdown | Complexity Gaming |
| 1st | ESWC 2005 | Complexity Gaming |
9 Kenny “kennyS” Schrub
Imagine a player so good that he becomes the reason Valve nerfs AWP in 2015. Well, it would be a lie if we said that kennyS isn’t a reason why the developers had to make that move. With his fast reflexes, pinpoint frags, and accurate sniper shots, he helped squads like Team EnVyUs win multiple CS:GO tournaments.
On paper, kennyS is one of the best Esports players to ever come from France, and the following achievements are proof of it:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Intel Extreme Masters XIV – World Championship | G2 Esports |
| 1st | BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 Regular Season | G2 Esports |
| 1st | Champions Cup 2019 | G2 Esports |
| 1st | DreamHack Masters Malmö 2017 | G2 Esports |
| 1st | ESL Pro League Season 5 – Finals | G2 Esports |
| 1st | World Electronic Sports Games 2016 | Team EnVyUs |
| 1st | Global eSports Cup – Season 1 | Team EnVyUs |
| 1st | DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 | Team EnVyUs |
| 1st | Gfinity Champion of Champions | Team EnVyUs |
| 1st | Intel Extreme Masters Season X – gamescom | Team EnVyUs |
10 Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer
Out of the very rare players on the planet that barely knew the face of defeat, olofmeister is one of them. This Swedish player was ranked the best player of 2015 by HLTV due to his exceptional Rifling skills. He is the true reason why Fnatics were at the top of the CS:GO scene for two years (2015-2016).
After helping Fnatics reach the pinnacle of CS:GO, olofmeister moved to the FaZe Clan, where he used his experience and abilities to win back-to-back tournaments. Some of his career highlights are as follows:
| Placement | Tournament | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | EPICENTER 2018 | FaZe Clan |
| 1st | Esports Championship Series Season 4 – Finals | FaZe Clan |
| 1st | ELEAGUE Premier 2017 | FaZe Clan |
| 1st | ESL One: New York 2017 | FaZe Clan |
| 1st | Intel Extreme Masters X – World Championship | Fnatic |
| 1st | ESL ESEA Pro League Season 2 – Finals | Fnatic |
| 1st | FACEIT League 2015 Stage 3 Finals | Fnatic |
| 1st | ESL One: Cologne 2015 | Fnatic |
| 1st | ESL ESEA Pro League Season 1 – Finals | Fnatic |
| 1st | ESL One: Katowice 2015 | Fnatic |
As mentioned earlier, only three of the above players will be officially inducted into the HLTV Hall of Fame 2025. The inductees will also receive the following rewards, with immense fame for their decorated careers:
- Induction ceremony during HLTV Awards.
- Rolex watch with Hall of Fame inscription.
- Special HLTV player profile.
- Commemoration on the new Hall of Fame page.
- An article and a video about their career.
Who do you think from the above 10 nominees will make it to the HLTV Hall of Fame 2025? Let us know your predictions in the comments below.
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