The HLTV Top 20 is the most prestigious annual award in professional Counter-Strike. Published at the end of every year since 2010, it represents HLTV's expert evaluation of the twenty best players from that competitive season.
How the HLTV Top 20 Works
HLTV's ranking is not a pure statistics table. Making the list requires strong HLTV Rating across the year, team achievements at major tournaments, consistency throughout the season, and additional subjective factors evaluated by HLTV's editorial team. A star player on a weak team may not make the list even with outstanding personal numbers, while a strong player on a championship-winning roster often benefits from their team's success.
Records in the HLTV Top 20
Two players share the record for most Top 20 appearances: NiKo and device, each appearing nine times. s1mple has made the list eight consecutive times from 2016 to 2023. ZywOo and ropz are still a few appearances behind the record holders but remain active competitors with many years ahead of them.
Player of the Year Records
s1mple and ZywOo share the record for most Player of the Year (#1 ranking) wins with three each. s1mple earned the top spot in 2018, 2021, and 2022, while ZywOo claimed it in 2019, 2020, and 2023. The race for the 2025 ranking is the tightest in years, with donk also in strong contention.
2025 Top 20 Contenders
Based on performance through the year, the strongest candidates for the 2025 HLTV Top 20 include ZywOo, donk, NiKo, s1mple, device, m0NESY, jL, w0nderful, and several young players who have broken into tier-one competition. The final Major of the year often determines the top rankings, as HLTV places significant weight on Major performance.
The Bold Prediction Tradition
One of the most beloved features of the HLTV Top 20 reveal is the Bold Prediction format, where each ranked player names a young talent they believe will break into the Top 20 in coming years. Several of these predictions have come true rapidly – in 2019, a player predicted Brollan, who appeared the following day.