Seven legendary esports players who participated in the very first CS:GO Major — DreamHack Winter 2013 — will also take part in the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. More than ten years later, these veterans still compete or work at a professional level, remaining an important part of Counter-Strike history.

The list includes Finn "karrigan" Andersen, Freddy "KRIMZ" Johansson, Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz, Richard "Xizt" Landström, Filip "NEO" Kubski, and Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth. They all began their Major journey at DreamHack Winter 2013 and will now appear on the main stage again — this time in the CS2 era:

• karrigan played for n!faculty and today represents FaZe Clan.
• KRIMZ competed for LGB, and in 2025, he still plays for fnatic.
• apEX debuted with Clan-Mystik and is now the captain of Vitality.
• dev1ce started with Copenhagen Wolves and will compete for Astralis.
• Xizt was part of the legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas and is now a coach for NiP.
• NEO represented Universal Soldiers and will be a coach for FaZe Clan at the new Major.
• Xyp9x played for Copenhagen Wolves and today works as an assistant coach for Mouz.

The journey from DreamHack Winter 2013 to StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is a story of unique professional longevity and influence of players who were at the forefront of the CS:GO era and remain an active part of the CS2 scene.