HLTV Awards 2025 Returns to Belgrade to Celebrate CS2’s Best

Summary:

The HLTV Awards are back once again in Belgrade, and this time the venue is even better than last year.

The event still remains as an invite-only event to be exclusive to the Counter-Strike and esports community.

In total, there are 17 different categories of awards, from players and coaches, to content creators and community favorites.

CS2 is back on stage once again as the HLTV Awards 2025 prepares to return. In this highly anticipated event, CS2 will get a night to celebrate its biggest stars and moments in the great game we all love. After an amazing event in 2024, this year’s event has grown even bigger to celebrate all things CS2 esports. Combining exclusive conferences with a dazzling awards show, the HLTV Awards are not just another series of trophies handed out. This one is a meeting of the community that lives and breathes CS2.

Bigger Venue, Bigger Crowd, Bigger Celebration

The HLTV Awards 2025 for CS2 is coming back to Belgrade, but this time with a major upgrade and a bigger venue. For the third year in a row, in the capital of Serbia, the awards will take place at the recently renovated Blue Hall of the Sava Centar. And, the venue upgrade means that it can double the audience size from 600 to 1,000. Even with a bigger capacity, this event is still exclusive and invitation-only. This means that the event is only targeting members of the Counter-Strike and wider esports community.

Pre-Events and Award Day Highlights

Everything gets rolling on Friday, January 9th, which is a one-day Counter-Strike industry conference. They designed this conference to facilitate conversation about the future and growth of the CS ecosystem. More importantly, it will also include industry leaders to discuss important topics and future collaboration opportunities. Moreover, it will be a significant evolution of the HLTV Awards as it extends its impact beyond just an awards ceremony. In addition to the conference, the event includes social networking opportunities and fun experiences, including a pre-mixer, padel matches, and shooting range events.

The big HLTV Awards event is happening the next day, on Saturday, January 10th, 2026. The ceremony will start at 18:00 CET and showcase the top players, teams, and organizations in Counter-Strike 2 esports. Moreover, there will be a total of 17 different award categories, including awards from the specialized panel and community awards. This event is also where we’ll be honoring the legends, the HLTV Hall of Fame inductees. Here, they will receive prestigious Rolex watches and be included in a dedicated Hall of Fame map.

Awards and Recognition

So there’s the HLTV Awards 2025 that will be honoring the best players, teams, coaches, and content creators in the CS2 esports scene throughout 2025. In addition, the very esteemed HLTV Hall of Fame stands out as one of the main highlights. Specifically, three individuals will be inducted and recognized as legendary players who played a part in shaping Counter-Strike history. The 2025 HLTV awards will also recognize individual success through a wider range of categories, with a total of 17.

HLTV Awards

Player of the Year
Team of the Year
Women’s Player of the Year
Women’s Team of the Year
Rookie of the Year

Community Awards

Creator of the Year
Event of the Year
Skin of the Year
Streamer of the Year
Talent of the Year

Panel Awards

Anchor of the Year
AWPer of the Year
Closer of the Year
Coach of the Year
Highlight of the Year
IGL of the Year
Opener of the Year

Conclusion

The HLTV Awards 2025 is set to be the event that those following the CS2 scene need to see. With more space and a list of new faces, indeed, this year is going to be no normal awards night. Make sure to tune in to Belgrade in January if you’d like to stay in the loop with the CS2 narrative. Why? Because it’s going to be a landmark in the ongoing timeline of the game and a chance to witness history.

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Stalingrad Dollosa

Stalingrad Dollosa is an award-winning esports journalist with over 5 years of experience covering the global competitive scene. Specializing in titles like Dota 2, CS2, and Mobile Legends, he combines deep game knowledge with a talent for storytelling and analysis. His work has earned industry recognition for its clarity, accuracy, and engaging style. Known for breaking key stories and delivering sharp tournament coverage, Stalingrad brings a professional, data-driven edge to every article. At Fragster, he continues to set the standard in esports reporting, offering fans expert insights and high-quality content that captures the pulse of the game.