Six CS:GO players to watch in 2023

In 2022, the CS:GO scene saw a bunch of players stepping up and delivering on many fronts–from displaying almost-perfect individual skill to carrying their teams beyond the finish line in certain tournaments.

With the surge of fresh, young talents every year, who have a different approach to the game, competitive Counter-Strike is constantly evolving. The next year is expected to be no different, with many individuals waiting to make a name for themselves or simply continue their reign. 

In the end, who doesn’t love superb individual performances from players? For years of esports, single outplays and dominating showings at certain tournaments were what excited fans the most, and they were the moments that went down in history. 

Therefore, it’s more than natural to take a glimpse over the CS:GO players and analyze which ones are expected to shake the scene the most in the forthcoming 12 months of pro play.

Here are the best CS:GO players to watch in 2023.

m0NESY

In 2021, everyone started hearing about an up-and-coming superstar Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov. Back then the Russian was playing in Natus Vincere’s CS:GO academy, though not for long, as he was acquired by G2 Esports in January. Since then, m0NESY has become a stellar part of the European roster, boasting a 1.15 Rating 2.0, 1.14 impact, and 0.73 kills per round in 2022, according to HLTV. He was also the tournament’s MVP at G2’s triumph at BLAST Premier World Finals 2022.

M0NESY is the definition of explosive talent, yet, like every young player, he needs some guidance. He seems to thrive under Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen, who has been G2’s in-game leader since August. The young sniper has played five tournaments under new leadership, and hasn’t gotten a 2.0 Rating below 1.20 since then. In other G2 events in 2022, he dropped below 1.00 only once, according to HLTV. M0NESY undeniably feels comfortable in the new system, and if the organization doesn’t make any major changes, he should continue his growth toward becoming one of the best players in the world.

Device

Nicolai “device” Reedtz is finally back in competitive play after a year-long health-related hiatus. The Dane didn’t return to pro play under Ninjas in Pyjamas’ banner, though, donning the familiar red Astralis jersey again instead.

Since he came back, device hasn’t had many occasions to show his skill in official games. When he did, though, he reminded the world that he’s one of the GOATs in CS:GO. In Astralis’ victory against Tricked in CCT North Europe Series 2, device was the best player on the server with a 1.66 score of Rating 2.0. In the loss against HEET in the same event, he has the third-best player of the match with an eye-watering 1.27 Rating 2.0.

Device is back, and any fan of professional Counter-Strike should cherish that fact. He is one of the best individuals to ever touch the game, and his 19 HLTV MVP awards are just a few of many proofs. We’re glad to have him back and can’t wait to see him back on the biggest stages. 

Stavn

Martin “stavn” Lund has been a part of Heroic’s roster since March 2019, and has been developing his skill every year. His ever-improving abilities were key in Heroic’s final run at the IEM CS:GO Rio Major 2022 and their victory at the BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022. 

In 2022, stavn recorded a 1.18 score of Rating 2.0, 1.19 Impact, 83.7 average damage, and 0.75 kills per round. He finished 2021 with far worse stats, with a 1.1 score of Rating 2.0, 1.08 Impact, 79.9 average damage, and 0.7 kills per round. The 20-year-old has no obstacles to improve even more next year, and given his confidence and decision-making, which also seem to have been enhanced in 2022, he’s definitely an individual that you want to keep an eye on next year.

OSee

Consistency is key in CS:GO. Without it, you may have really high highs, but the low lows will stand in the way of achieving success. And when it comes to talented yet inconsistent players in the scene currently, it’s hard to beat Team Liquid’s Josh “oSee” Ohm.

The player joined Liquid in December 2021 after a fantastic year in Extra Salt, yet, still hasn’t fully found his footing in the new team. He has recorded an average Rating 2.0 of 1.07 this year. In 2022, though, most of Liquid’s games had oSee as the best or the second-best player on the server, putting out incredible numbers, or as the worst one.

With Liquid evolving to trophy contenders after the addition of Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis, the team needs oSee to step up and become a stellar AWPer for them. The signing of YEKINDAR made some role changes in Liquid and allowed them for more aggressive and successful play, which is often dominating if oSee lives up to his challenge. Every NA fan knows that the American has all that he needs to transform into one of the best AWPers in the world, he just needs a bit of time. His potential is exciting, and that’s why he should be monitored in 2023. 

S1mple and ZywOo

While Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut are obvious choices for this list, there’s also no denying that they belong here. The two snipers have been the best players in the world for the past five years, claiming both the second and first places in HLTV’s top 20 ranking of the year since 2019. They both share 34 HLTV MVP awards 

Their reign is expected to continue in 2023. Both of them have been continuously putting out eye-watering numbers and leading their teams in the fights for the most important trophies in the ecosystem. And with the scene constantly evolving and the level of competition rising with every month, so is their innovation and skill. Both s1mple and ZywOo have been creating a fabulous and exciting rivalry in the last couple of years, and nothing less should be expected from them in the coming 12 months.