The Counter-Strike 2 scene in 2025 showed steady growth in interest among esports fans. A new competitive cycle, updated team rosters, and a series of major events hosted by ESL, BLAST, and PGL brought viewers intense matchups and dramatic finishes. The spotlight was on tournaments that attracted the largest audiences, logged millions of watch hours, and set new standards for CS2 events.
IEM Katowice 2025 – A Timeless Classic
The most popular tournament was IEM Katowice 2025, which drew a record-breaking 1,299,747 peak viewers. This event has long established itself as the “cathedral of Counter-Strike,” and 2025 only reaffirmed its legendary status. With a total prize pool of $1,250,000 and 80 hours of broadcast, the Katowice event topped the charts not only in peak viewership but also in total watch time — exceeding 30 million hours.
CS2 by the Numbers: Top Tournaments Beyond Katowice
The runner-up was a surprising contender — IEM Melbourne 2025, which peaked at 1,253,999 viewers. It became the most successful Australian tournament in CS history, surpassing expectations with thrilling matches and high drama.
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025 claimed third place with 1,037,291 peak viewers. Despite having a smaller prize pool ($350,000), the event delivered top-tier clashes between elite teams from Europe and the Americas.
Other notable tournaments included:
- PGL Astana 2025 – 920,009 viewers; despite being a major event from PGL, it didn’t make the top 3.
- IEM Dallas 2025 – reached 913,741 viewers.
- BLAST Open Spring 2025 – 851,728 viewers.
- BLAST Premier Bounty Season 1 – 693,780 viewers.
- ESL Pro League Season 21 – 571,008 viewers across a record 133 hours of broadcast.
- PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 and PGL Bucharest 2025 – 539,700 and 518,849 viewers, respectively.
How Viewers’ Attention Was Split
The overall picture in 2025 shows that ESL events, especially the IEM and Pro League series, continue to dominate in viewership. Their tournaments consistently draw the highest peak numbers, offer deep competitive formats, and feature the best teams in the world. Meanwhile, BLAST is becoming an increasingly strong competitor, with events like BLAST Rivals Spring breaking into the top 3 and proving their ability to engage a wide audience.
On the other hand, PGL, despite hosting several large-scale tournaments — including PGL Astana 2025 — struggled to compete for viewer attention. None of their events reached the top three, and their peak viewership numbers lagged behind even some regional competitions. This suggests a need to rethink their tournament formats, marketing strategies, and overall presentation if they aim to recapture the attention of the global CS2 audience in the future.
All eyes are now on the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major, which is expected to break all previous viewership records and become the biggest CS2 event of the year.
