HLTV Awards 2026 announced

We're past the halfway point of 2026 and nearly done with the year's first Major as IEM Cologne 2026 gears up for it's final phase with the playoffs beginning today; with that, HLTV gears up for the next iteration of HLTV Awards. HLTV Awards 2026 will take place in Belgrade, Serbia on 9th January 2027, crowning the best of 2026.

HLTV Awards 2027 will feature a very special guest in attendance- David Johnston, the creator of Dust2. The map's cultural impact extends well beyond Counter-Strike and at this point, if gun-play exists in a game, one can confidently say that a community-made Dust2 also exists within the game. The creator of Dust2 will be one of the announcers at the event.

The next iteration of HLTV Awards also introduces a new "Lifetime Achievement Award" to honor people who left a significant mark on Counter-Strike. A new edition of HLTV Awards also means new Hall of Fame inductees. This time, Hall of Fame eligibility gets slightly adjusted to exclude people still active in other areas of the game (coaching, etc.) after hanging up their boots.

Another Hall of Fame eligibility criteria now requires a player to be away from big events for 18 months or inactive from the main roster of any competitive team for one year to be considered for a nomination. Players who were significant during and before Global Offensive will still fall under the CS:GO category. Former coach and broadcaster hooch makes it to the selection committee.