Top 20 best Counter-Strike players of 2023: ZywOo is the first

The year 2023 gave us many memorable stories - from the long-awaited victory of ZywOo and company at the major to the unexpected dominance of FaZe Clan in the second half of the season, before Twistzz left the team. From shocking captains cadiaN and nafany kicking out of their teams to the departure of s1mple - the best player in the history of CS:GO according to many analysts.

How were determined the best players of 2023 in CS

When determining the best CS player in 2023, we analyzed the statistics of all cyber athletes who played at least three tournaments of the highest level. Individual stats at S-tier and A-tier championships were factored into the calculation:

Player Rating
KDR
DPR
ADR
Private places at tournaments
MVP Awards

In addition to statistical data, the opinions of guest talents and Counter-Strike players were also taken into account: Hyferia, SneakyBeaky, PopTheCaster, BDog, GrimyRannarr, Xner, petr1k and Lucy. For each indicator the cyber sportsmen were awarded points, the sum of which influenced the final position in the rating.

Who was close to making the top 20?

They were close, but still lacked the points to make the list of the top twenty players in 2023.

#25. Vladimir Woro2k Veletnyuk - 623.77.

#24. Abdul degster Hasanov - 624.1

#23. Howard rain Nygard - 626.82

#22. Evgeny FL1T Lebedev - 628.32

#21. Adam torzsi Torzhash - 637.29

#20. Jonathan EliGE Jablonowski

Unexpectedly for many, during the summer break in CS competitions, EliGE decided to leave Team Liquid and move to Complexity Gaming. Back in early 2023, such a turn of events was practically zero. However, this transfer benefited both the cyber athlete and the club. The results of the team immediately improved, and the player himself continued to score steadily from match to match.

#19. Viktor sdy Orudjev

At the beginning of the year, it seemed that after Natus Vincere, the move to Monte was simply a ten step backwards for sdy. However, after a few months, it became clear that it was the right decision. Orudzhev was given more leeway and he blossomed. Together with his teammates, he started winning tournaments one after another from CCT, which resulted in a successful qualification for the majors.

At the Major the team managed to make it to the quarterfinals, and then successfully established themselves on the Dash 1 stage. Victor confidently spent the whole year and finished it with a rating of 6.2.

#18. Russel Twistzz Van Dulken

Twistzzzz had a statistically not great year and focused more on his role as a sapporter. However, FaZe Clan's team results were pretty impressive, with wins at ESL Pro League Season 17, Intel Grand Slam Season 4, Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023, Thunderpick World Championships 2023, and CS2 Asia Championships 2023. Twistzzzz helped FaZe Clan become the second best team in the world, behind Team Vitality. It's a shame that story is over, but we're glad the Canadian has a chance to prove himself in the revamped Liquid.

#17. Jame Jame Ali

Virtus.pro sniper and team captain is at #17 in the top players for 2023. VP and Jame have done well at A-Team events and even won a few of them. However, this is not enough to rank higher. The bottom line for Jame in 2023 is an average rating of 6.2.

#16. Martin Lund

If you ignore the scandal during the transition to Astralis, stavn performance was one of the keys to Heroic success. Lund's steady CS level allowed his team to be confident that he would pull off a round at the right time. However, despite this, he was placed only on the 16th line of our top.

#15. Aleksandr s1mple Kostyliev

The world community was literally shocked when the best player in CS:GO history decided to go inactive. s1mple, along with NAVI, won nothing in 2023 and used the transition of the competitive scene to CS2 to take a break. Despite this Kostylev managed to play 99 official maps with an average rating of 6.5.

#14. Guy Nertz Iluz

Nertz has had a steady 2023. His ADR and KPR are 77.64 and 0.71 respectively, and his rating is 6.3. He recently completed a transfer to Heroic, where he is a new prospect for him.

#13. Nemanja huNter- Kovac

For several years now huNter- has been showing the same level of play. He neither degrades nor progresses. It seems that Kovacs has reached his peak as a professional player. He is consistently ranked in the top 20 players of the year, but nothing more.

#12. Kaique KSCERATO Cerato - 765.83 points

One of the best Brazilian players in CS history continues to represent the colors of local FURIA Esports. The cyber athlete time after time refuses various offers from European and North American grands. KSCERATO did not want to leave the comfort zone and move to the international roaster Liquid. He stayed in Brazil for another season and still risks to remain one of the best rafflers in the world, who did not win serious tournaments.

#11. Benjamin blameF Bremer

blameF has been proving for half a year that it is quite realistic to combine IGL duties and good shooting. If Astralis had some decent tournament results, he'd be in the top 10 for sure, but as it is, he has to settle for 11th place. Bremer's rating for 2023 was 6.5.

#10. Helvijs broky Saukants

broky is one of the most important players in the roster of FaZe Clan. His talent, skill and consistency make him an irreplaceable link in the team. During the last season Saukants earned an average rating of 6.3 for 164 maps played on S-tier Championship.

#9.Nicolai Reedtz

After a disappointing period in Ninjas in Pyjamas, dev1ce returned to Astralis and immediately became the team's best player. And even despite the lack of trophies, he was promoted to the ninth place of our top. Ridtz's rating for 2023 is 6.6. ADR and KPR are 77.93 and 0.76, respectively.

#8. Lotan Spinx Giladi

Spinx spent the year in the shadow of ZywOo and therefore not everyone could see how important the Israeli's contribution to Vitality's success was. In 2023, Spinx won five tournaments and in particular became the first Israeli representative with a major title.

#7. Alvaro SunPayus Garcia

SunPayus is a shining example of a team player. He may not be a star, but the way he interacts with his teammates deserves respect. It was this quality that first got him invited to ENCE, and now Snappi has poached him to Team Falcons as well. Garcia's rating in 2023 is 6.3.

#6. Ilya m0NESY Osipov.

For the second year in a row, m0NESY is ranked among the top 10 players of the year by Bo3.gg. And he could have been ranked higher, but the lack of a stable lineup in G2 Esports has consequences. The constant reffles are also affecting the young sniper, who, although he has opened up, still has potential for growth. Despite this, his average rating over the past year is 6.5.

#5. Dmitry sh1ro Sokolov

sh1ro was Cloud9's best player throughout 2023 and what a surprise his decision to leave the club in October was. Perhaps there was some conflict within the team. About this history is silent.

Sokolov played 89 maps at S-tier events and finished them with an average rating of 6.6. He also averaged 76.45 damage and made 0.78 kills per round. It's worth noting that he was our portal's Player of the Month for February.

#4. Nikola NiKo Kovač

NiKo has already demonstrated unreal individual performance for a year in a row and is recognized, if not the best, then one of the best rafflers on the professional scene. And in 2023 the long-awaited victories at the legendary IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne tournament series were added to his individual achievements. In addition, in Cologne, the Bosnian won his eighth best player award of the tournament. He is now in sixth position on this metric and just two MVPs behind Christopher GeT_RiGhT Alesund and Kenny KennyS Schrabb.

#3. David frozen Čerňanský

frozen spent his final year in the MOUZ organization, winning his third big trophy - ESL Pro League Season 18. The Slovak was once again an example of stability and confidence, often saving the team in difficult moments. It seems like he has always been on the professional scene, but in reality his best years are still ahead of him in FaZe Clan.

#2. Robin ropz Kool

ropz is a unique player who has almost unlimited freedom of action on the map and, most importantly, skillfully uses it. His skills shone in a new way in Counter-Strike 2, where the Estonian booed FaZe Clan and helped to win three titles. At the same time, his contribution to the team's victories cannot be overestimated: ropz won four MVPs in 2023.

#1. Mathieu ZywOo Herbaut

It is ZywOo who is the 2023 CS Player of the Year according to Bo3.gg. Five major trophies on the professional scene and five MVP titles make him the greatest in the past competitive year. Throughout the season, the French sniper showed a consistent and high level of play.

In 2023, ZywOo has played 123 maps at S-tier events with an average rating of 6.9! He also has an impressive ADR and KPR of 82.88 and 0.81 respectively. On top of that, he was also the top clutcher in 2023.