CS2 posts strong viewership in the 1st half of 2026

Esports Charts has published a report revealing the most popular esports titles in the first half of 2026 according to peak viewership. When Counter-Strike's biggest and most important tournament- the Major, returned to Cologne's cathedral after ten years, the event broke several all-time viewership records and propelled Counter-Strike up the ladder in the broader esports viewership category.

With 2.75 million viewers tuning to witness NiKo ending his Major draught in the Falcons-FURIA grand-final clash at Cologne, the IEM Cologne 2026 Major became the most popular Counter-Strike event of all time and is currently the second most popular esports title in the first half of 2026.

Mobile Legends leads the way at 5.68 million peak viewers and Counter-Strike 2 follows at #2 with 2.75 million peak viewers. League of Legends is the only other title to break the 2 million peak viewers mark in the first half of the year. PUBG Mobile and VALORANT round off the top five with a little over a million peak viewers.