This year was another incredible one in the storied history of CS:GO. Both the PGL Antwerp and IEM Rio Major were second and third all-time in global viewership, and the game’s player base is still as strong as ever, holding onto the top spot on Steam in terms of popularity and never letting go.
A big reason for the game’s continued success and interest at the highest level is the performance of the biggest stars. One of the most useful tools for grading performance is HLTV’s player rating system, which numerically expresses the impact of a player across a map, a match, a tournament, or even an entire year.
Taking into account factors like kill rating, damage rating, utility usage, survivability, trade percentage, and more, here are the top 10 CS:GO players from the past year in order according to HLTV’s player ratings, as well as their most relied upon weapons and their most notable accomplishments. These ratings are based on player performance over the past 12 months against “top 20” ranked teams.
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Team: NAVI
- Player rating: 1.26
- K/D: 1.35
- Best weapon: AWP
- Notable achievements: Winner and MVP honors at BLAST Spring Final. Grand finalist at PGL Antwerp Major and IEM Cologne.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Team: Vitality
- Player rating: 1.24
- K/D: 1.32
- Best weapon: AWP
- Notable achievements: Winner and MVP honors at ESL Pro League season 16. Grand finalist at BLAST Spring Final.
Benjamin “blameF” Bremer
- Team: Astralis
- Player rating: 1.21
- K/D: 1.23
- Best weapon: M4A1-S
- Notable achievements: MVP honors at Pinnacle Cup Championship. Grand finalist at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown, BLAST Premier Fall Showdown, and Pinnacle Cup Championship.
Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- Team: G2
- Player rating: 1.20
- K/D: 1.15
- Best weapon: AK-47
- Notable achievements: Winner at BLAST Premier World Final. Grand finalist at ESL Pro League season 16.
Martin “stavn” Lund
- Team: Heroic
- Player rating: 1.16
- K/D: 1.15
- Best weapon: AK-47
- Notable achievements: Winner at BLAST Premier Fall Final, BLAST Premier Fall Showdown, and Pinnacle Cup Championship. Grand finalist at IEM Rio Major.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- Team: G2
- Player rating: 1.15
- K/D: 1.23
- Best weapon: AWP
- Notable achievements: Winner and MVP honors at BLAST Premier World Final. Grand finalist at ESL Pro League season 16.
David “frozen” Čerňanský
- Team: MOUZ
- Player rating: 1.14
- K/D: 1.20
- Best weapon: AK-47
- Notable achievements: Semifinalist at IEM Rio Major.
Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
- Team: Liquid
- Player rating: 1.14
- K/D: 1.07
- Best weapon: AK-47
- Notable achievements: Grand finalist at BLAST Premier World Final and ESL Pro League season 16.
Helvijs “broky” Saukants
- Team: FaZe Clan
- Player rating: 1.13
- K/D: 1.22
- Best weapon: AWP
- Notable achievements: Winner at PGL Antwerp Major, IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, and ESL Pro League season 15. MVP honors at IEM Katowice. Grand finalist at BLAST Premier Fall Final.
Robin “ropz” Kool
- Team: FaZe Clan
- Player rating: 1.12
- K/D: 1.20
- Best weapon: AK-47
- Notable achievements: Winner at PGL Antwerp Major, IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, and ESL Pro League Season 15. MVP honors at ESL Pro League season 15. Grand finalist at BLAST Premier Fall Final.
