StarLadder Budapest Major 2025: Stickers, Viewer Pass, and a Historic Final

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025: Stickers, Viewer Pass, and a Historic Final

Valve has released a major Counter-Strike 2 update that brings StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 team and player stickers into the game, alongside the official Viewer Pass and Pick’Em Challenge. The update arrives less than two weeks before the tournament begins in Hungary’s capital.

Along with classic Major cosmetics, the patch introduces a new item type — the Sticker Slab — and includes a variety of gameplay, map, and UI adjustments designed to polish CS2 ahead of one of the biggest esports events of the year.

What’s included in the new CS2 Major update?

Valve has added a dedicated StarLadder Budapest Major hub inside the game, where players can purchase event items, track matches, and participate in the Pick’Em Challenge.

The Budapest 2025 Viewer Pass provides:

An upgradable event coin

Access to the Pick’Em Challenge, with souvenir packages rewarded for progress and accurate predictions

A place on the new “Active Pass” leaderboard to compare Pick’Em results with friends

New cosmetic content includes:

Budapest Major team stickers and player autographs available in sticker capsules

The debut of Sticker Slabs — a charm-like feature that allows players to seal any sticker, display it on a weapon, and later “crack” the slab to restore the sticker back to their inventory

The update also delivers multiple quality-of-life changes, including fixes for inconsistent jumping, a corrected Inferno skybox that previously blocked grenades, extended bullet-decal visibility, visual improvements to item quality colors, C4 lighting tweaks, glove animation corrections, and overall performance enhancements.

Overview of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

Budapest will host the second Counter-Strike 2 Major of 2025 from November 24 to December 14, featuring 32 teams across four distinct stages, all played with a live audience present.

Venues and schedule

Stages 1–3: MTK Sportpark, a venue holding around 2,000 spectators (November 24–27, November 29–December 2, December 4–7)

Playoffs: MVM Dome — a 20,000-seat arena featuring a 360-degree stage setup (December 11–14)

Prize Pool

The event is expected to feature a prize pool between $1.17 million and $1.25 million, with the champions receiving the largest share.

For StarLadder, the Budapest Major marks a significant comeback. The organization last hosted a CS:GO Major in Berlin in 2019 before its operations were slowed by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

StarLadder CEO Roman Romantsov described the opportunity to host another Major as “an incredible honor,” adding that Budapest provides the perfect environment to push production standards and create a memorable experience for fans both on-site and online.

A historic best-of-five grand final

This Major marks a turning point in Counter-Strike history: the grand final will be played as a best-of-five series for the first time ever. The format change is intended to carry into future Majors and has been widely celebrated by fans who have long requested a more decisive championship match.

Stage 1 opening matchups and format

The tournament’s opening matchups have been confirmed, offering fans a first look at early cross-regional clashes:

FaZe Clan vs. Lynn Vision

NIP vs. NRG

B8 vs. M80

Legacy vs. FlyQuest

GamerLegion vs. Fluxo

fnatic vs. RED Canids

PARIVISION vs. The Huns

Imperial vs. Rare Atom

All three pre-playoff stages will use a large Swiss format, with best-of-one opening matches and best-of-three elimination or advancement matches.

A notable roster change adds extra intrigue: fnatic will compete with Nikita “jackasmo” Skyba in place of Cai “CYPHER” Watson, following a late adjustment before roster lock.

Broadcast talent lineup

StarLadder has confirmed a 15-person broadcast team for Budapest.

Desk and hosting:

Freya “Freya” Spiers

Sam “Tech Girl” Wright

Analysts: Jacob “Pimp” Winneche, Jonatan “Devilwalk” Lundberg, Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg, Teodor “tedd” Borisov

Stage host: James “BanKs” Banks

Casting duos:

SPUNJ & Machine

Hugo & JustHarry

Scrawny & launders

Dinko & moses

Sticker hype — and controversy

The release of the Budapest sticker capsules arrives shortly after a wave of controversy. Numerous professional players reported that Valve rejected their new autograph designs, forcing them to reuse older ones.

Among those who publicly commented on the issue were YEKINDAR, siuhy, Sonic, KSCERATO, and Snow:

YEKINDAR joked that Valve refused what he called his “funniest” autograph yet

siuhy shared two rejected designs, noting that his last two Major autographs had also been denied

Sonic clarified that his design was hand-drawn, not AI-generated, but still didn’t pass review

KSCERATO urged Valve to accept his new design, emphasizing his experience as an artist

Snow said the rejection hit especially hard, as his autograph was dedicated to his father and grandfather

Esports and skin-trading publications noted that Valve’s autograph rules require signatures to be hand-drawn, simple, and similar to what a player would sign on a mousepad. Many argue that the review process may have become too strict, limiting creativity and lowering the appeal of autograph stickers.

Community reaction

Initial feedback on the Budapest sticker capsules has been largely positive, with fans praising the vibrant designs and holo color matching.

Collectors are particularly excited about the new Sticker Slab feature. Many noted that slabs allow players to showcase extremely rare stickers — such as Katowice 2014 holos — without permanently applying them, sparking speculation about potential shifts in high-end sticker market pricing.

Looking ahead

Now that the Viewer Pass, stickers, and event structure are officially live, attention turns to the opening matches on November 24.

With the first-ever best-of-five Major final, a return to full live audiences from the very start, and a heated community debate around sticker policies, the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched events of the CS2 era — both in and out of the game.