Scammers are targeting YouTube accounts of top Counter-Strike 2 players like s1mple and NiKo to run fraudulent giveaways, stealing Steam accounts and cryptocurrencies. Players should enable security measures and report suspicious activity to mitigate risks during high-traffic esports events like IEM Katowice 2025.

Counter-Strike 2 hit a new peak with over 1.744 million concurrent players on February 16, 2025, nearing CS:GO's record. The game's popularity surged amid the start of Premier Season Two and the addition of the revamped map 'Train.'

Counter-Strike 2 is nearing an all-time player peak on Steam, driven by Premier Season 2's updates and the PGL Cluj-Napoca tournament. The game's recent high was 1,744,015 concurrent players, close to CSGO's record.

Counter-Strike 2 hit a peak of over 1.7 million players on Steam following the IEM Katowice tournament's conclusion on February 16, 2025. The game's success is buoyed by its new season and a booming market for rare in-game items.

The HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League (ACL) declares its CS2 Tournament winners will qualify for the Esports World Cup, following a successful 2024 KPL Grand Finals. Set to begin February 15, the tournament will culminate in May, with a $300,000 prize pool and emphasis on showcasing Asian esports talent globally.

Counter-Strike 2, dominating Steam with over 1 million concurrent players, now features the Subway Smurfers mod, a recreation of Subway Surfers, enhancing its appeal. Created by Lillykyu, this mod blends nostalgic gameplay with Counter-Strike's environment, and is available on Steam Workshop, gaining traction on TikTok.

PGL is set to host a CS tournament at Kraków's TAURON Arena, marking its first return since 2017. This comes amid new rules requiring two-year advance announcements to support an open CS2 ecosystem.

PGL announces the return of the Cluj-Napoca tournament in 2026, featuring 16 teams and a $1.25 million prize pool. To ensure participation, PGL imposes stricter rules against teams withdrawing last minute.

The BLAST.tv Austin Major, North America's first Counter-Strike Major since 2018, opens general ticket sales today. Prices range from $250 to over $900, underscoring its premium status.

PGL has canceled its Counter-Strike 2 event in Kraków due to a scheduling conflict at TAURON Arena and overlap with the 2027 BLAST Bounty tournament. PGL plans to reschedule the event elsewhere, as new regulations from Valve require two-year advance announcements for tournaments.

IEM Katowice 2025 sets a record as the most popular non-Major Counter-Strike tournament, amassing over 30 million hours watched. Team Vitality's 3-0 win in the Grand Finals against Team Spirit captivated nearly 1.3 million peak viewers.

PGL Cluj Napoca will host its first top-tier Counter-Strike event from February 14 to 23, 2025, featuring a $1.25 million prize pool and top teams like FaZe Clan and Astralis. The decision to allocate the prize pool exclusively as cash has sparked debate, but promises intense competition with the Grand Finals awarding $400,000 to the winner.

Team Vitality and Team Spirit will face off in the IEM Katowice 2025 Grand Finals after securing wins over MongolZ and NAVI, respectively. The match promises a thrilling clash, featuring star players ZywOo and donk, in the iconic Spodek Arena.

James Banks, a key figure in esports, recently won Talent of the Year at the HLTV Awards, citing multilingual impact for his global acclaim. He advocates for UK esports growth despite challenges like high costs and a talent drain.

BLAST has revealed the 12 teams invited to the BLAST Open Lisbon 2025, taking place in Copenhagen, March 19-24. The event will feature top teams like Spirit and G2, with a $400,000 prize pool on the line.

PGL Cluj Napoca is set to host its first major Counter-Strike event from February 14-23, 2025, with a $1.25 million prize pool and top teams like FaZe Clan and Astralis participating. The event's prize allocation strategy, focusing solely on performance without revenue sharing, has prompted some teams to withdraw, though competition remains fierce.

Counter-Strike's esports scene is evolving in 2025 with Valve's new open, merit-based tournament system, ending the era of exclusive leagues. The year opened with the BLAST Bounty Season 1, showcasing inclusivity as the in-game economy soared past $5 billion and young talents like Danil 'donk' Kryshkovets dominated the scene.

IEM Katowice 2025, with a $1.25M prize pool, is in its final stages at Spodek Arena, Poland, climaxing on February 9. Fans can watch live on Twitch, YouTube, and more as teams battle for $400K.

Team Spirit tops Valve's VRS leaderboard for Counter-Strike 2 with 1968 points after winning the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 tournament. The VRS rankings, crucial for major tournament invitations, show Team Falcons making a significant climb to 9th after strategic roster changes.