CS2: Valve Announces First BO5 Major Grand Final in Budapest
On the eve of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Valve revealed a historic change for Counter-Strike esports. This event will mark the first time a Counter-Strike Major grand final is played in a best-of-five (BO5) format, a shift eagerly awaited by the community.
Previously, Valve and tournament organizers limited the title-deciding match to a best-of-three (BO3) format, despite evidence from other events that BO5 finals can maintain strong viewer engagement.
Viewer Trends Favoring BO5 Finals
- The IEM Cologne 2024 final, a BO5 but not a Major, drew 1,051,810 peak concurrent viewers, surpassing one million for a rare non-Major event.
- IEM Katowice 2025 followed suit, with a BO5 final between Team Vitality and Team Spirit reaching 1.29 million peak viewers.
- These figures nearly match the 1.53 million viewers of the last CS:GO Major final in Paris 2023 and come close to the 1.85 million peak of the inaugural CS2 Major final in Copenhagen.
Such data underline that longer series do not reduce viewer interest when matches feature high stakes and top-tier teams.
Context of Budapest 2025
Budapest 2025’s switch to a BO5 grand final aligns well with CS2’s gameplay shift to MR12 rounds, adding further depth to matches and competitive excitement.
Valve announced on Tuesday that it will also be the first Counter-Strike Major whose grand final will be a BO5, a shift that the scene has been anticipating for years.
Recent numbers make that point unmistakably: IEM Cologne 2024, which is not a Major but traditionally ends with a BO5, surpassed the one-million mark with 1,051,810 peak concurrent viewers for its final, making it one of the rare non-Major events to cross that threshold.
Author's summary: Valve’s decision to hold the first best-of-five grand final at the Budapest 2025 Major reflects growing viewer demand for longer, high-stakes matches in competitive Counter-Strike.