Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the most popular and competitive multiplayer video games ever, and it has produced the biggest talents esports has ever seen.
Hold on as we take a look at these select few considered the best CSGO players in the history of the game.
Get set, go!
The Top 10 CS: GO Players in the World
If you ever wondered who’s the best and most successful CS: GO player out there, you’d definitely find him in the list below.
Oleksandr Olehovych Kostyliev
Born: October 2, 1997
Nation: Ukraine
Nicknames: The Undertaker
Team: Natus Vincere
MVP Titles: 21
Estimated earnings: $1,695,686
While a few others deserve the number 1 spot on our list of the best CS:GO players of all time, s1mple is undoubtedly the definitive ace in terms of mechanics, and his skills ceiling is hard to reach even by the most weathered professional players.
His brilliant ongoing career is full of wins and achievements: he was crowned with a Major title and the Intel Grand Slam trophy, among many numerous S-tier titles, and he has been playing competitively since he was 15 years old.
Also, s1mple holds the record for most MVP titles within a single year (8 in 2021), as well as most MVP titles of all time, but it’s a record he shares with dev1ce.
Nicolai Reedtz
Born: September 8, 1995
Nation: Denmark
Nicknames: device, devve, Sundevice
Team: Astralis
MVP Titles: 19
Estimated earnings: $1,949,050
The only contender for the title of the most successful CS:GO player in history is Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz, who is the only pro to play in all Valve Major tournaments so far.
This fantastic Dane has also won a record number of 4 Major titles (being named MVP for two of them) and has accrued the largest prize pool of any pro: almost $2 million.
Dev1ce objectively exceeds every measure of excellent performance: longevity, skills, teamwork, as well as career goals, so it was definitely a close call to put him second.
Cristopher Alesund
Born: May 29, 1990
Nation: Sweden
Nicknames: GTR, Don’t Stop Believin
Team: Dignitas (Retired)
MVP Titles: 10
Estimated earnings: $602,509
This famed CS:GO veteran played competitively for around 14 years until his retirement in 2021—just as long as the game has been played at a pro-level.
Over the years, GeT_RiGhT has won 1 Major title, 20 international titles, 10 MVP medals, and was ranked as the world’s best player on numerous occasions.
Despite his recent transition to casual live streaming, he will always be considered one of the best CS:GO players of all time, thanks to his long and stellar career.
Olof Kajbjer Gustafsson
Born: January 31, 1992
Nation: Sweden
Nicknames: boostmeister, Tec9meister
Team: FaZe Clan
MVP Titles: 6
Estimated earnings: $913,822
This Swedish CS:GO player has the role of the rifler and is another veteran of the game who has been around for longer than a decade, made a name for himself with Fnatic and is still going strong with Faze Clan.
Among his many achievements, olofmeister can count attendance at every Major tournament, 6 MVP titles, and numerous other S-tier titles.
The community knows him as the ‘Tec9meister’ for his deadly use of the mediocre Tec-9 weapon at the ESL One: Katowice tournament in 2015.
Marcelo David
Born: October 31, 1994
Nation: Brazil
Nicknames: coldzera, gelado
Team: 00 Nation
MVP Titles: 8
Estimated earnings: $1,023,619
What makes coldzera one of the top CS:GO players globally is his unique leadership style and calm and rational approach to any match.
At the start of his career, he picked up 2 Major wins with Luminosity, being voted the MVP player in both. In total, he won 8 MVP badges and multiple S-tier trophies.
Currently, coldzera lives in Portugal and plays for 00 Nation, attempting to reclaim his status as the best player in the world, which he won in 2016 and 2017.
Related: CS:GO slang terms
Kenny Schrub
Born: May 19, 1995
Nation: France
Nicknames: kennyS, the magician
Team: G2 Esports
MVP Titles: 10
Estimated earnings: $726,254
This French-born player has built a historic 10-year career for himself, especially while playing for Team EnVyUS and G2 Esports.
Utilising his aggressive, flashy, and most importantly, effective AWPing style, he won the DreamHack major in 2015 and 10 MVP titles along the way.
His other personal accomplishments include amassing the most AWP kills at large CS: GO events than any other AWPer and making the top 10 rankings of HLTV and Thorin multiple times.
Nikola Kovach
Born: 16 February 1997
Nation: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nicknames: NiKo
Team: G2 Esports
MVP Titles: 7
Estimated earnings: $984,891.80
Young and agile, NiKo deserves to be on our list of the top CS:GO players thanks to his raw talent and sublime mechanical skills to aim and kill his opponents in the blink of an eye.
Awarded with the Gamer of The Year award in 2017, NiKo has never stopped contending for the title of the world’s best, and his efforts have resulted in 7 MVP titles already.
NiKo also holds the record for most kills in a map at a Major event (52 against FlipSid3 Tactics), and he’s the first player to win several MVP awards consecutively.
Patrik Lindberg
Born: June 10, 1988
Nation: Sweden
Nicknames: f0rest
Team: Dignitas
MVP Titles: 3
Estimated earnings: $745,255
Are you still performing at a top-level after a professional CS career of 15 years? Of course not. There’s only one f0rest, and he comes from Sweden.
His long-standing tenure, and especially the 87-0 winning run in the early CS:GO days with Ninjas in Pyjamas has cemented f0rest as one of the best CS:GO players of all time.
Nowadays, fans can still enjoy the virtuoso performances of this bearded CS:GOAT whenever Dignitas makes an appearance at any tournament.
Ladislav Kovacs
Born: July 9, 1991
Nation: Slovakia
Nicknames: GuardiaN
Team: Natus Vincere
MVP Titles: 8
Estimated earnings: $807,515.46
As another decorated and long-standing veteran of the game, GuardiaN has been competing in every CS game to date, winning multiple recognitions.
Best known for his amazing AWPing skills, GuardiaN is the second most-prolific AWP-er in the game’s history, and despite the lack of flashy plays, he’s one of the most accurate shooters with 63% of his total kills coming from a sniper rifle.
On a personal note, he bought and manages a professional esports store called GetGear, and he also married a fellow CS:GO player in 2017, Nina, aka Foxglove.
Richard Papillon
Born: May 27, 1992
Nation: France
Nicknames: shox
Team: Apeks
MVP Titles: 4
Estimated earnings: $834,104
The last entry on our list of most successful CS:GO players is shox—one of the greatest French talents the game has ever seen.
He has played for some of the greatest squads on the scene throughout his career, including VeryGames, Epsilon, EnVyUs, G2 Esports, Team Vitality, and Team Liquid.
On the other hand, his personal achievements include participating in every CS:GO Major, winning 4 MVP titles, one Major title, and 7 S-tier tournaments in total.
3, 2, 1, CS:GO
So, there you have it: the best CSGO players in the world right now!
So if you are planning to bet on one of the many CSGO gambling sites, make sure you check out the teams and search for these players.
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