Hall of Fame: Unveiling the 10 nominees of 2025

These are the nominated players on the ballot to join the Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025.

Ten players have been nominated to enter the HLTV Hall of Fame presented by 1xBet, with a mix of new names and players who were on the ballot in the hall's inaugural year.

Three of these nominated players will make up the class of 2025, joining the all-Swedish class of 2024 consisting of Tommy "⁠Potti⁠" Ingemarsson, Emil "⁠HeatoN⁠" Christensen, Patrik "⁠f0rest⁠" Lindberg, and Christopher "⁠GeT_RiGhT⁠" Alesund, and will be inducted to the pantheon of greats during the HLTV Awards on January 10, 2026.

The inducted players will get:

• Induction ceremony during HLTV Awards.

• Rolex watch with Hall of Fame inscription.

• Special HLTV player profile.

• Commemoration on the new Hall of Fame page.

• Article and video about their career.

First time on the ballot

Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen

dupreeh makes the ballot in his first eligible year after retirement. His accolades speak for themselves: He has 32 Notable Event victories — five of them Majors —, and is the only player to have attended every single CS:GO major (19). He is also a seven-time Top 20 Player of the Year (top 5 once), and was a constant contributor during Astralis' dynasty years from 2017 to 2019.

Jorgen "⁠XeqtR⁠" Johannessen

XeqtR was a tactical mastermind and great teamplayer with high impact. One of the best IGLs in the early era, his primary claim to fame is how he laid the blueprint of what modern day cerebral and tactical CS is based on. An exceedingly talented player in his early days, XeqtR was a force to reckon with playing alongside other Hall of Famers HeatoN and Potti.

Ola "⁠elemeNt⁠" Moum

The original unbelievably dominant player, elemeNt had the first contract bought out in the history of CS as every great player of the era wanted him on their side. He won top tier championships with multiple teams and the teams he was on were simply the best of their time. His skillset made him stand out on a team of stars (NoA), the first international team in CS 20 years before FaZe would make it popular.

Abdisamad "⁠SpawN⁠" Mohamed

The third musketeer with HeatoN and Potti in the legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas and SK rosters that were close to unbeatable in the early 2000's, SpawN was one of the most gifted mechanically and among the most popular CS players on the planet during his time. His impact on the zeitgeist of Counter-Strike can not be overstated.

Second time on the ballot

Raphael "⁠cogu⁠" Camargo

Brazilian CS, as we know it would be drastically different if it weren't for cogu, one of the finest AWPers of the 2000s. He helped MIBR win two CPL titles and an ESWC crown and inspired a new generation of players, including Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo.

Yegor "⁠markeloff⁠" Markelov

The Ukrainian achieved superstar status as part of the Natus Vincere squad that established an era in 2010. A hyper-aggressive AWPer, markeloff helped to revolutionize the role and is still regarded as one of the best snipers in the history of the franchise. He was named the best player in the world in 2010 and finished third in the Top 20 Players of the Year ranking in 2011.

Kyle "⁠Ksharp⁠" Miller

The first true North American star thanks to his flashy AWP and quick reflexes, Ksharp played a key role as X3 and Team 3D were consistently at the top during the franchise's early days, winning back-to-back WCG gold medals, one WCG silver and two CPL titles.

Danny "⁠fRoD⁠" Montaner

fRoD picked up where Ksharp left off and became the beacon for North American AWPers. His dominant performance in Complexity's victory at ESWC 2005 established him as one of the finest players in the world, and he remained an elite-level competitor for several years, even after returning from the CGS.

Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub

Renowned for his lightning-fast reflexes and aggressive playstyle, kennyS's 'Magic Stick' was a regular feature in frag movies that made people fall in love with the game. His dominance with the sniper is said to have played a big part in Valve's nerf of the weapon, but the Frenchman stayed at the top of the game for a long time after that accruing 10 MVP awards and five Top 20 Players of the Year appearances in his career.

Olof "⁠olofmeister⁠" Kajbjer

olofmeister was the driving force behind fnatic's dominant run between 2015 and 2016, when they won six trophies in a row. olofmeister was crowned HLTV's best player in the world in '15. He is also the first player to be immortalized with an in-game graffiti on Overpass after he defused a bomb while being engulfed by a molotov's flames in an iconic play during the ESL One Cologne 2014 semi-finals.

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The voting is done by the Hall of Fame Committee, eleven people who have committed their lives to playing, writing about, or working in Counter-Strike. The Committee was selected to provide coverage of different aspects of competitive Counter-Strike in the different regions where it is played.

The 2025 Hall of Fame Committee is:

Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill (Player/Talent, Oceania)
Sudhen "⁠Bleh⁠" Wahengbam (Talent, Asia)
Trevor "gfmidway" Schmidt (Industry, North America)
Jason "Jason Lake" Lake (Industry, North America)
Jason "⁠moses⁠" O'Toole (Player/Talent, North America)
Stephanie "⁠missharvey⁠" Harvey (Player/Talent, North America)
Roque "roque_mn" Marques (Journalist, South America)
Lucas "LucasAM" Aznar Miles (Journalist, Europe)
Per "⁠Nomad⁠" Lambæk (Industry, Europe)
Luis "MIRAA" Mira (Journalist, Europe)
Tommy "⁠Potti⁠" Ingemarsson (Player, Europe)

Read more about the Hall of Fame's purpose, prerequisites, criteria, and process in the inaugural year's articles:

Read more

Introducing HLTV Hall of Fame

Read more

Hall of Fame: Unveiling 12 nominees for 2024

Read about the players in the inaugural Class of 2024:

Read more

Hall of Fame: Potti

Read more

Hall of Fame: HeatoN

Read more

Hall of Fame: f0rest

Read more

Hall of Fame: GeT_RiGhT