Counter-Strike Hall of Fame inductees: Who they are and what they are known for

In late 2024, HLTV, the most popular Counter-Strike media outlet, launched its Hall of Fame with support from international brand 1xBet. The project’s main goal was to preserve the legacy of legendary Counter-Strike players.

2024: The Swedish Four 

• Sweden Patrik “⁠f0rest⁠” Lindberg
  • Career: 2003-2023
  • Teams: Ninjas in Pyjamas, fnatic, SK Gaming

Star rifler f0rest was part of the legendary NiP roster during the CS:GO era, which won 87 consecutive maps from September 2012 to April 2013 across 60 LAN tournaments. During his 20-year career, he was ranked among the world’s top 20 players for six years in a row and won the ESL One Cologne 2014 Major.

• Sweden Christopher “⁠GeT_RiGhT⁠” Alesund
  • Career: 2007-2021
  • Teams: Ninjas in Pyjamas, fnatic, SK Gaming

f0rest’s teammate was the youngest member of NiP’s legendary quartet, but also the most decorated. In addition to winning the ESL One Cologne 2014 Major, he made the Top 20 six times, finishing first twice, in 2013 and 2014, and earned 10 MVP awards.

• Emil “⁠HeatoN⁠” Christensen
  • Career: 2000-2007
  • Teams: Ninjas in Pyjamas, SK Gaming

According to experts, HeatoN was the first international superstar of the CS 1.6 era, known to fans around the world. His active career did not last as long as f0rest’s, but over seven years, Emil Christensen won the first Major in Counter-Strike history, the CPL Winter Championship 2001, with NiP, as well as gold at the World Cyber Games 2003 with SK Gaming.

• Tommy “⁠Potti⁠” Ingemarsson
  • Career: 1999-2006
  • Teams: Ninjas in Pyjamas, SK Gaming

Potti forever etched his name into Counter-Strike history by founding Ninjas in Pyjamas in 2000. However, Tommy Ingemarsson was not only a visionary who helped elevate Swedish esports but also a talented player. Together with HeatoN, he achieved remarkable success in CS 1.6, winning nine CPL titles and WCG gold, cementing his status as one of the best players of his era.

2025: An International Trio

• Raphael “⁠cogu⁠” Camargo
  • Career: 2001-2017
  • Teams: g3nerationX, MIBR

Raphael “cogu” Camargo, the best Brazilian AWPer of the early 2000s, reached the peak of his career between 2005 and 2007. During that period, he won a string of tournaments with MIBR, including CPL Brazil 2005, CPL Chile 2005, ESWC 2006, shgOpen 2007, and ESWC Brazil 2007. His exciting performance inspired several generations of young Brazilian players to try their hand at esports.

• Yegor “⁠markeloff⁠” Markelov
  • Career: 2008-2018
  • Team: NAVI

When it comes to legendary NAVI players, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is the first name that comes to mind. However, long before s1mple became a professional esports gamer, another Ukrainian was rightfully considered the world’s best AWPer. His aggressive AWP performance brought NAVI its first major victories and made markeloff the best CS player of 2010. Interestingly, s1mple later played alongside his idol for HellRaisers and FlipSid3 Tactics in 2014-2015.

• Olof “⁠olofmeister⁠” Kajbjer
  • Career: 2010-2021
  • Team: fnatic, FaZe Clan 

The Swede olofmeister was named the best player of 2015 by a huge margin over his closest competitors. His stellar performances helped fnatic win 10 LAN tournaments that year, including two consecutive Majors: ESL One: Katowice 2015 and ESL One: Cologne 2015. A year earlier, his legendary defuse while surrounded by Molotov flames inspired the first Counter-Strike graffiti on the Overpass map. A couple of years later, olofmeister joined FaZe Clan and won several major tournaments with the team in 2017–2018.

New members are inducted into the HLTV Hall of Fame by 1xBet every year, and only those who have already retired from active competition are considered. To date, seven players have been inducted into the Counter-Strike Hall of Fame, while four more names will be officially announced at the HLTV Awards 2026 ceremony. Incidentally, the brand’s support for this project leaves no room for questions such as “Is 1xBet real or fake?”