The competitive scene of the most famous first-person shooter revealed some new and familiar names. With Counter-Strike 2 just around the corner, we want to learn who is the best in 2023.

Like gladiators in ancient Rome, professional esports players compete for priceless fame and unimaginable riches. The year 2022 and the beginning of 2023 showed us who ranks first on lists of the best in the world. Sure, the approaching IEM Cologne in July and the BLAST Premier World Finals in December can still make a difference. But before these massive events and the upcoming Counter-Strike 2 launch, this may be the last chance to get to know the best CS GO players as we know them today.

Because from the next Major in March 2024, all tournaments will be CSGO2-only.

Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev

This incredibly talented guy started playing Counter-Strike at the age of four, and it was the beginning of his illustrious career. In 2013 he joined his first team – LAN DODGERS and this moment determined his epic future.

Although this year, s1mple classified No. 1 on the 2022 HLTV rankings for the third time, observers saw a noticeable drop in his form. Many argue that NAVI’s overall weaker performance originates from the war in Ukraine – which is understandable. Nevertheless, he is a deadly dangerous player when wielding rifles. Currently, s1mple holds the highest K/D ratio record – making him a favorite among many fans of this competitive game.

Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut

The French professional took over the title of the best player of 2019 and 2020, according to HLTV. And although in later years, this place was taken by s1mple, ZywOo is still in the top three, constantly winning upcoming tournaments.

As Team Vitality’s fantastic sniper, ZywOo earned approximately $710,000 in his entire career. Cooperating with this phenomenal group, he won many challenging competitions, like DreamHack Open Atlanta 2018 and Epicenter 2019. In this year’s BLAST.tv Major Paris 2023, Team Vitality defeated Gamer Legion 2-0 in the Grand Finale, winning the last so important tournament in CS: GO before the release of Counter-Strike 2. He is famous for devastating accomplishments like four frags on the Inferno map against ENCE esports – definitely a player worth following!

Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz

As a kid, this Danish player played badminton. But soon, at fourteen, he abandoned the sport for Counter-Strike and became one of the most recognizable professionals in esports.

This young man’s career started by watching DreamHack Winter 2012, which inspired him to play CS. Despite his parents’ reluctance to the idea, dev1ce practiced hard to gain a first place at the LAN Europe National Championships. Although dev1ce has struggled with personal issues, he returned to Astralis in 2022 and is currently the third richest Counter-Strike player with around $101,000 in earnings.

Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač

He got the second-best CS: GO player of 2017 title and is the best Bosnian competitor ever. Now a G2 Esports member, he has earned around $1 million throughout his career.

Amazingly, NiKo is considered one of the best players in Counter-Strike Global Offensive history. Gifted with exceptional talent, he is unbeatable as a rifler. Since 2020, he has been a member of G2 Esports along with his cousin Nemanja ‘huNter’ Kovač. At this year’s BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023, his team delivered impressive victories against Could9 and Imperial Esports, losing only to the great Vitality. His unparalleled talent proves itself in extraordinary achievements like the kill record in a single match – he had 52 frags against FlipSid3 Tactics at MLG Columbus 2016.

Dmitry ‘sh1ro’ Sokolov

Playing as an AWPer for Cloud9, he ranked as the third-best player of 2022 and MVP of IEM Katowice 2021.

Sh1ro is known for his incredible determination and ability to work with the team, which makes him a vital member of Cloud9. Although his team didn’t do so well in this year’s BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023, losing against G2 Esports and Vitality, his total earnings are around $613k.

Ilya ‘mONESY’ Osipov

He is a Russian professional currently playing for G2 Esports. His career started early, and at fourteen, he was invited to the FACEIT Pro League.

Inspired by s1mple’s incredible career, m0NESY quickly became a matching Counter-Strike: Global Offensive star, and they both received special recognition at IEM Katowice 2023. While G2 Esports encountered some troubles last year, this year saw them mighty again.

Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken

This Canadian rifler is a true treasure of the Faze Clan organization. He was named HLTV MVP in two tournaments: ESL One: New York 2018 and IEM Sydney 2019.

Since his transfer to Faze Clan, Twistzz lives in Germany and continues a successful career. He is the first Canadian to win a Major playing in the PGL Major Antwerp 2022. With a K/D ratio of 1.17 and a victory against Astralis at BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023, he and the entire team are truly worth keeping an eye on.

Robin ‘ropz’ Kool

This young man encountered the problem of every CS: GO player – combining education and gaming. However, such trivial obstacles did not stop him from becoming the 10th-best player of 2019, according to HLTV!

Playing for Faze Clan, ropz is constantly climbing the ladder of a great career. With total earnings at around $400,000, he has proven that combining education and professional gaming is possible. Fun fact: he used to play Call of Duty before getting involved in professional CS: GO tournaments.

Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub

The French sniper has been an incredible contributor to Team Envy’s multiple successes, including a phenomenal Major win in 2015 at DreamHack Cluj-Napoca in Romania. Today, he is retired.

After the Blast.tv Major 2023, kennyS announced his retirement as a professional CS: GO player. Nevertheless, after a pretty rocky experience in esports, he is now known as one of the best and most recognizable players ever. And one of the most aggressive out there!

Olof ‘olofmeister’ Kajbjer

He is an inactive professional player, a long-time backup for Faze Clan. Known as one of the best CS: GO players, he is also famous for constantly leaving and joining the active roster.

Mastering the Tec-9 pistol, olofmeister became a highly recognizable player and won two Majors with total earnings of approximately $934,000. It seems he will not return to esports, but past events have proven that sometimes teams decide to bring him back. Today, olofmeister is heavily interested in the Counter-Strike 2 development and wants Valve to bring back ammo purchases.

Professional competition in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive seems extremely tense this year. Everyone senses the changes, and the world trembles with anticipation for the grand launch of the groundbreaking Counter-Strike 2. So far, the new version of the game looks epic with its realistic smoke, improved maps, and smooth tick rate. 2023 is a historic moment for players, fans, and viewers. The CS: GO esports scene finally has the opportunity to shine, and the new game may attract many young competitors and an audience. Who will benefit from this opportunity? And who will retire? We will see! So be sure to follow these CSGO best players and see you on the other side!