BLAST Bounty Season 2 is officially set to kick off on August 5, 2025, with the playoffs scheduled to take place in Malta from August 14–17. After an experimental yet successful debut season — won by Team Spirit — the organizers are preparing a real format overhaul, featuring new rules, a more dynamic prize economy, and a fresh approach to the underdog-vs-favorite dynamic. This time, BLAST isn’t just updating the format — they’re creating a whole new metagame, where motivation, money, and psychological pressure become key ingredients for victory.
Context: From Experiment to Success Story
BLAST Bounty Season 1, which opened the 2025 CS2 calendar, stood out for its bold innovations: a “bounty system” (cash rewards for defeating stronger opponents), transparent prize pools, and a focus on the “hunter vs. prey” narrative. The format quickly gained popularity due to its unpredictability and built-in risk factor.
However, certain flaws became apparent — particularly the shifting seedings after upsets and the lack of motivation to place large wagers due to an inefficient bounty structure. In Season 2, BLAST addresses these issues head-on.
Seeding & Prize Money: Big Changes Coming to BLAST Bounty Season 2
Read HERE 👇 #BLASTPremier https://t.co/ylvvZZ88IP
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) July 17, 2025
Key Changes in Season 2
Fixed Seeding The main rule: team seedings will remain locked from the start of the tournament to the end, regardless of match outcomes.
Why it matters: In Season 1, underdog wins would lower the higher-ranked team’s seeding, allowing those favorites to then face easier opponents in later rounds. This mechanic felt artificial and punished teams too harshly for a single loss.
In-Tournament Wagering: Playing for Real Cash
One of the boldest new additions is the ability for teams to wager against one another in matches.
- Wagers don’t need to be equal.
- The lower-seeded team proposes the wager amount first.
- The winning team takes the money straight into their bank, not into the bounty pool.
This introduces microeconomics into the tournament, where even mind games can be profitable. An underdog can challenge a favorite with a risky bet, and a win means not just pride — but real cash.
Bank Instead of Bounty: A New Win Economy
In Season 1, the amounts won through wagers were added to a team’s bounty — and then halved if collected. This discouraged big bets. Now, that’s changed: wagered money goes directly to the team’s bank as prize earnings, with no reductions. This shift allows teams to strategize financially — deciding how aggressively to play, against whom, and how much to risk.
$2,500 for Every Win
Another important change: a flat $2,500 reward for each match win.
- If a team’s bounty is below $2,500, they’ll earn the full amount.
- If it’s higher, they receive a fixed $2,500 payout.
This encourages teams to fight hard from the very start, knowing that every win brings tangible value — even if they’re not on track for the top bounty.
What Does This Mean for Teams?
The new format creates a battlefield of economic risks. Teams will now need to:
- Develop financial strategies alongside in-game tactics;
- Choose when to risk big or play it safe;
- Provoke rivals not only in-game but during pre-match negotiations.
For fans, it’s a new layer of drama — this isn’t just about winning rounds anymore. It’s about winning with money on the line.
BLAST Bounty Season 2 begins on August 5 and promises to be one of the most intriguing format experiments in tournament design this year. If it proves successful, expect more events to follow suit.
