Top 20 Players of 2025: iM Places 19th in HLTV’s Annual Ranking (English Rewrite & Expanded)

Top 20 Players of 2025: iM Places 19th in HLTV’s Annual Ranking (English Rewrite & Expanded)

Romanian rifler Mihai “iM” Ivan has been ranked 19th in the Top 20 Players of 2025 list according to HLTV.org’s annual awards ranking, presented in partnership with 1xBet and SkinClub. This is the second consecutive year that iM has featured in the prestigious list, demonstrating his consistency among the world’s best players in professional Counter‑Strike 2. 

The Top 20 Players of the Year ranking is a long‑standing HLTV tradition that has been recognizing individual excellence in Counter‑Strike since 2010. These rankings are determined by a combination of individual statistics — such as HLTV Rating 3.0, kills, impact in matches, and MVP/EVP award performances across the calendar year — with weighting toward performances at Super Elite or Big Events such as Majors, IEM events, and BLAST tournaments. The full Top 20 list is released gradually each day from December 24 through early January, culminating in an awards ceremony where the top three players are revealed live. 

iM’s 2025 Season and Why He Made the List

iM’s 2025 season was highlighted by solid individual performance and key contributions to his team, Natus Vincere (NaVi). After finishing 16th on last year’s list, iM became the first Romanian player ever to be named a Top 20 player, a milestone he previously achieved after NaVi’s strong 2024 run. In 2025, despite NaVi not reaching the same heights as the year before, iM maintained a high level of play on the big stage. 

Across the four Super‑Elite events of the year — which include marquee tournaments such as IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, BLAST Bounty Season 1, and the StarLadder Budapest Major — iM posted an impressive 1.16 average rating. This placed him among the top rated players in those events, earning him crucial Exceptionally Valuable Player (EVP) accolades and boosting his ranking on the list. In particular, his performance at the Budapest Major (which saw NaVi reach the playoffs) and multiple deep runs at other high‑tier LAN events underlined his reliability against elite competition. 

Despite this, some statistical limitations held iM back from climbing higher. His overall event volume was slightly lower than many others on the list, and his broader map‑by‑map playoff consistency hovered around a 1.05 rating over 38 maps — respectable but behind the very top performers. In arena matches (bo1/bo3 non‑playoff maps), iM’s rating dipped to around 1.02 over 20 maps, which also factored into his final placing. 

In reflecting on his season, iM expressed that the team’s overall struggles tempered his personal goals for the year, but he acknowledged his satisfaction with making the list again: “We had a rough year, so I’m happy to have at least this, let’s say.” 

How iM Compares to Others in the Top 20

The Top 20 Players of 2025 list is revealed incrementally — beginning with #20 and going up to the #1 spot at the HLTV Awards ceremony on January 10, 2026. Ahead of iM’s entry at #19, the #20 spot was claimed by Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy, who returns to the list for his fourth career appearance. b1t’s placement was secured largely due to two standout performances at IEM Katowice and Cologne, along with an EVP at BLAST Bounty Season 1, which helped distinguish him from other contenders at the bottom of the Top 20 rankings. 

As this year’s countdown continues, other players are being announced in sequence. Positions #18, #17, and so on are unfolding through dedicated feature articles published daily on HLTV.org. The list order for entries #4‑#1 will be revealed during the awards night itself in Belgrade, Serbia — the location of the HLTV Awards 2025 ceremony. 

The Significance of the HLTV Top 20 List

Being ranked in HLTV’s Top 20 Players of the Year holds considerable prestige in Counter‑Strike. It not only reflects individual excellence on the scoreboard but also recognizes a player’s influence in high‑stakes matches and their contribution to their team’s success across the year. Players are evaluated on a combination of raw statistics, MVP/EVP awards, impact rounds, and consistency at elite tournaments. 

Historically, many players who have been featured near the top of these lists — such as ZywOo, s1mple, m0NESY, ropz, and others — have gone on to cement their legacies as some of the greatest in Counter‑Strike history. Ratings statistics for 2025 show that top performers like ZywOo and s1mple continued to lead individually across major events, often posting among the highest HLTV Rating 3.0 scores over significant map samples. 

Looking Ahead

With the ranking still being revealed and the awards ceremony on the horizon, excitement is building in the CS2 community. Enthusiasts are not only following the official announcements but also engaging in prediction contests for the Top 20, with HLTV offering interactive predictions and prizes tied to correct guesses on player placements. 

As the list unveils more names — including those likely to occupy the middle and top positions based on their event success, MVP counts, and top‑tier ratings — the 2025 ranking promises to reflect another competitive and standout year in Counter‑Strike history.