Top-tier Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports events in 2024 were electrifying, with highly talented players competing for huge prize pools, but who was the best of the best? That’s just what we’re here to answer! Join us in celebrating the top CS2 players in 2024 as we crown our winner and name five others who came incredibly close.
Browse the latest CS2 odds at Thunderpick!
Top CS2 Players
The Best CS2 Player of 2024: donk
In 2024, we saw a Russian prodigy emerge. In his rookie year, he blew away the competition with his rifling skills. Team Spirit‘s Entry Fragger and star rifler Danil “donk” Kryshkovets burst onto the scene in late 2023 to win BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2023 at the age of 16 and earn the MVP award. In February 2024, donk played in his first S-Tier event: the iconic IEM Katowice. There, he demolished FaZe Clan 3-0 in the Grand Final.
Biggest Achievements In 2024
Before we get to the raw stats, check out all of donk’s achievements with Team Spirit in 2024 below.
- 1st place at IEM Katowice 2024 and MVP award
- 2nd place at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #1 and MVP award
- 1st place at BLAST Premier Spring Final 2024 and MVP award
- 1st place at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2 and MVP award
- 2nd place at BLAST Premier World Final 2024
- 1st place at Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 and MVP award
donk also broke three CS records in 2024. At 17 years and 324 days old, he became the youngest Major Championship MVP, breaking Kjaerbye’s CS:GO record that stood for seven years. He was also the highest-rated MVP in the history of Major Championships. At the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, donk broke the record for the most aces (getting all five kills in a single round) by scoring four during the event. This ties him with Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev for the most aces at an S-Tier event.
donk’s Impressive Stats
Need more convincing? Check out some raw stats to get our point across:
- Against the top 10 teams, donk had the highest HLTV rating in 2024 at 1.28.
- donk was the highest-rated player in CS2 Majors, with an HLTV rating of 1.39.
- In CS2 Majors, donk had the highest Kill-Death difference at +140, and the highest Kill/Death ratio at 1.44.
- He was the highest-rated player across all matches in 2024 against teams of all rankings, with a 1.37 HLTV rating.
With a string of exceptional results, mind-blowing stats, and Major Championship records, donk had the best rookie year in Counter-Strike history. For us, donk is the player of the year, outshining everyone, including his highly talented teammate, Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov.
Other Top CS2 Players Of 2024
Several top CS2 players are nipping at donk’s heels, and some even surpass the Russian superstar in specific measurements. Let’s look at five more top CS2 players who had a smashing year.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Team Vitality‘s AWPer, ZywOo aka “The Chosen One,” has consistently been the world’s best or second-best player since 2019. In 2024, we believe he came in just below donk.
ZywOo added one S-Tier trophy to his overflowing cabinet, winning IEM Cologne 2024, but Team Vitality struggled to close out the biggest tournaments. Still, he was able to use his trusty AWP to earn an HLTV rating of 1.35 across all events and against all caliber of teams, just below donk’s 1.37. At the S-Tier events against the top 10 teams, ZywOo has a rating of 1.27, a mere 0.01 below donk.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
G2 Esports‘ young AWPer, m0NESY, picked up three MVP titles at huge events in 2024: IEM Dallas, BLAST Premier Fall Final, and BLAST Premier World Final. The team won all three of those events as he showed off his immense skill under high-pressure situations. In 2024, against the top 10 teams at S-Tier events, m0NESY had the third-highest HLTV rating at 1.25, and the second-highest at Major Championships at 1.23.
Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
G2 Esports’ Bosnian Entry Fragger, NiKo, is the most consistent rifler in modern CS, earning top-five spots each year since 2019 amongst a sea of AWPers. NiKo didn’t pick up any MVP awards in the three big tournaments G2 Esports won in 2024, but that’s all due to the presence of m0NESY. However, NiKo’s impact on the server is undeniable, with his fearless gameplay and ability to click heads with the best. He boasts an impressive HLTV player rating of 1.14 at S-Tier events against the top 10 teams and a 1.15 rating in Majors.
Justinas “jL” Lekavičius
NAVI’s Lithuanian lurker, jL, has had a rollercoaster ride in 2024. We saw NAVI compete in the Grand Finals of seven S-Tier events and win four. jL became the first-ever CS2 Major Championship MVP when NAVI won the PGL Copenhagen Major 2024. The team also won the Esports World Cup, IEM Rio, and ESL Pro League Season 20. At the latter event, jL picked up his second MVP award of the year. He boasts a solid 1.10 HLTV rating across 107 maps at S-Tier events against the top 10 teams.
Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski
Complexity Gaming’s rifler, EliGE, is considered one of the best players to emerge from the North American region. However, Complexity Gaming had a year of poor performances. Their only notable trophy was the ESL Challenger at DreamHack Summer 2024, an A-Tier event.
Despite his side’s early exit at significant events, EliGE kept shining like the bright star that he is. At S-Tier events against top 10 teams, he managed an HLTV rating of 1.15, the 4th highest of all players who competed in over 20 maps.
The other top CS2 players in the list are sorted in no particular order.
How We Chose These Players
To determine the best CS2 player and our five honorable mentions, we dove deep into the stats from HLTV.org. To be the best, you must beat the best, so we chose stats against top 10 teams instead of overall best stats against any team. After all, these pro players can 1v5 average FaceIt gamers.
The HLTV Rating 2.1 system implements the most critical factors, such as pure firepower, trading, clutching, opening frags, and utility usage. We also factored in team placements at major S-Tier LAN events to see how these players performed under pressure
CS2’s Future Looks Bright
When you consider that a rookie took home our pick for best CS2 player of 2024, you have to admit that the future of the game looks better than ever. It’s safe to say that donk redefined what it means for players to dominate in their rookie year. Meanwhile, CS2 stalwarts like ZywOo and NiKo continued to prove themselves as some of the best to ever play the game.
Want to keep up with these amazing players? You can do that right here at Thunderpick! Just visit our CS2 betting page to stream matches and bet on the action as it unfolds.
Always practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers and boosts. T&Cs apply. 18+ to play.
