The world of CS:GO esports is ever-changing and truly dynamic. With each new tournament, the best teams ebb and flow, with dynasties and displays of dominance coming and going. While some teams are arguably ‘better’ than others overall, there’s no one team that sits at the top of the table on a permanent level. With each passing month in 2023, the best CS:GO teams will chop and change. It’s hard to truly track them.
In our rankings, we’re taking a look at the best CS:GO teams in 2023 based on their most recent (50) matches. We’ll also be taking into account the relative strength of their opponents at the time of each match to make the most accurate selections possible. To equalize for match frequency, we’ll be taking into account matches played in a 12 month period. It’s worth noting that some teams may be ranked on fewer than fifty official matches.
This list is updated monthly.
CS:GO Team Rankings 2023 – Best CS:GO teams this season
This year, we’re finally getting to witness a full competitive season held in a mostly LAN environment. After something of a lull in terms of overall talent and ability in the world of CS:GO esports in 2021/22, we are finally back to watching teams play on equal terms. It’s a much more competitive scene now, with the best CS:GO players of all time looking to make a name for themselves in front of thousands of fans.
In the list below, it can be said that the top three teams arguably are the ‘most dominant overall’, despite what we’ve just said about there being no one side with complete control over the board.
Featuring veterans of old and upcoming superstars, this list of the top 10 CS:GO teams is as definitive as can be. It’s a diverse and dynamic world out there, and within a matter of weeks, one of the lower-ranking teams on this list may have already overtaken the team in the top spot.
Check here, if you want to see the Top 5 CS:GO Players right now.
1. Heroic
Heroic – always the bridesmaid, and never the bride. Until 2023, that is. It must have been frustrating for cadiaN, who built a team that was at risk of becoming specialists in failure. But finally, their hard work is starting to pay off in 2023.
After earning runners-up medals at the IEM Rio Major 2022 and IEM Katowice 2023, Heroic have finally added some Ws to their list. They came top of both the BLAST Premier Springs Finals and Fall groups. They even managed to take out Vitality, who were hot off the heels of the Paris Major win. CS:GO is a game of fine margins. Perhaps 2023 is finally the dawning of a dominant Heroic era.
Heroic have never let losses get them down. Every player has the ability to carry and clutch in this roster with Jabbi and sjuush particular stars. If Heroic can continue on this streak, they can definitely climb higher in the world of pro CS:GO. What’s important is that they keep getting to those finals, else they risk slipping down.
CadiaN’s moment at the BLAST Finals
2. Team Vitality
Vitality probably feels like they’re on top of the world. Since winning the last ever CS:GO Major, it seems like Vitality can do no wrong. There’s a lot of strength on this team, and fans are finally seeing ZywOo emerge as one of the very best players in the world.
Winning at ESL Pro League Season 16 could’ve been a launching pad for this team, but the team fell into a bit of a lull after that. They’ve jumped up a few steps in the last couple of months since their win at the Paris Major 2023 and deservedly so. After cementing their legacy in CS:GO, fans will be waiting to see what mark they can make in Counter-strike 2 going forward.
Source: ESL / IEM
3. FaZe Clan
Dominance in the first half of 2022 lulled FaZe into a false sense of security. They were the best team in the world for a period, but CS:GO moves fast. The second half of 2022 was a struggle, but FaZe were still reaching plenty of finals, only to stumble at the last hurdle. They just needed a stroke of luck to get back on track.
Victory at ESL Pro League Season 17 at the start of 2023 meant that FaZe finally completed the Intel Grand Slam, becoming the fourth-ever team to do so. Now that karrigan is in his 30s and rain has become a father, we’re not sure how much longer this roster has together. Their joint win at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups is good, but we doubt that it’s the high this team would want to go out on.
After a slightly disappointing 5th – 8th place finish at the last ever CS:GO Major, Faze Clan have something left to prove this year, but not much.
Credit: FaZe Clan
4. G2 Esports
G2 went into 2023 set for a period of dominance. They managed to win their first trophy in years at the BLAST Premier World Final 2022. Getting over the finish line proved to be a massive issue for G2 in years gone by, but that win set the stage for the floodgates to open.
This was quickly followed up by a convincing IEM Katowice 2023 win, dropping only a single map the entire tournament. The acquisition of HooXi and jks, as well as the coming-of-age of m0NESY, led to some remarkable victories this year.
However, things have rather fallen off a cliff for G2 since then. After placing 12th-14th in Paris, G2 also fell short in the Spring Final. They’ve got a lot left to accomplish at IEM Cologne before heading to Worlds this year!
Photo credit: Josip “brcho” Brtan / Radoslaw “MAKKU” Makuch | IEM Katowice 2023 Photo Collection
5. ENCE
ENCE are an exciting prospect and have only recently forced their way into the top 10 CS:GO teams. For a long time, ENCE struggled to really find their place. Benching valde and adding NertZ has helped the pieces of the puzzle really begin to come together.
Teams will have one eye on ENCE’s performances in the run up to Worlds over the next few months. Other teams could risk underestimating a team on the ascension at the moment. They might have faced disappointment in Paris but they emerged victorious at IEM Dallas back in June. We expect them to establish themselves as a real banana-skin team for some of the teams higher on this list during the rest of 2023.
During ESL Pro League Season 17, they were in fantastic form, and fans of ENCE will be hoping it wasn’t a one-off. If they can maintain that level of quality with the added benefit of more time, who knows how far this international roster can go?
Source: ENCE
6. Cloud9
Despite only being sixth on this list at the moment, Cloud9 are a team on the up. Their hard work culminated in a runners-up spot at ESL Pro League Season 17, with a resurgent FaZe Clan standing between them and their first S-Tier tournament win in almost a year.
They’re still a team capable of a slip-up, shown by their embarrassing defeat to IHC at IEM Katowice 2023. It’s cause for concern, but Cloud9 has more than made up for it. Fans are still waiting for that 1st place finish but they came very close in the ESL Pro League Season 17 and IEM Rio.
With the incredible form of sh1ro so far this year, and buster acclimating well within the team, don’t be surprised to see Cloud9 at the head of the pack in Cologne and beyond. We don’t know if they have what it takes to get them over the line yet, but that’ll come with time.
Cloud9 are on an absolute tear in Rio
7. Natus Vincere
It’s been a very tough time for NAVI. Losing their IGL Boombl4 to circumstances beyond their control, as well as the ongoing effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict have meant that the team has struggled to perform in 2023. That being said, they’re still well into the top 10 CS:GO teams in the world.
Bringing npl up from NAVI Junior didn’t really pay off. In fact, June saw NAVI add Aleksib, jL and iM to the roster in an attempt to salvage their 2023 performance. Amidst it all, star man s1mple has struggled for form. He’s considered the GOAT by many but as of late, he has slipped a little.
It’s not a pretty picture for NAVI. Underperforming in every competition, the team needs something to change fast. While consistent 3rd-4th place finishes might not seem like all doom and gloom, they mark a significant change for the team that they’ll be looking to change ASAP.
“EZ”
8. MOUZ
MOUZ sneak onto this list due to their performance in the IEM Rio Major 2022 and their surprise 2nd place finish at IEM Dallas 2023. This underdog team defeated Liquid, Vitality, ENCE, and Cloud9 on their way to the semi-finals in Rio. The final was a step too far, but it was still a huge overperformance.
IEM Katowice 2023 and ESL Pro League Season 17 weren’t great showings for MOUZ, so 2023 didn’t get off to a great start for the team. However, they more than made up for it in Dallas, placing 2nd behind ENCE.
Most of the roster has been together for a while now. But now that siuhy and Jimpphat have been added to the list, expectations are going to be high. Perhaps there will be some growing pains but MOUZ are a team to watch heading into IEM Cologne.
Source: Mousesports
9. FURIA Esports
It might come as a bit of a surprise to see FURIA Esports on this list. The Brazilian squad has been around in the world of CS:GO for some time but their performances have been inconsistent to say the least.
There was huge support for FURIA at IEM Rio 2023 back in April. The home crowd really had an effect and they managed to finish in the top 6. Since then, FURIA had a rough go in Paris, losing out to Monte, Ninjas in Pyjamas and G2 in the legends stage. Now, it comes down to whether the team can find enough synergy to make an impact at IEM Cologne.
Source: ESL Gaming / Stephanie Lindgren
10. GamerLegion
GamerLegion has been a bit of a dark horse this year. They went from top 16 in an A-tier event to 2nd at the Paris Major in less than a month. Despite being around in the world of CS:GO since 2019, it’s fairly uncommon to see them compete at this level, nevermind performing so well.
Their success in Paris is already paying dividends. They have been seeded directly into the Group Stage in Cologne, though some titans will need to fall before they can take the W. The multinational team recently added British ashhh and Kazakhstani neaLan to their roster. They don’t have much time at all to get used to the new roster before the next tournament – bets are on to see if they can do it.
Source: ESL Gaming
1. Natus Vincere
Na’Vi went on on a spree in 2021, winning ESL Pro League XIV, PGL Stockholm Major, as Oleksandr “S1mple” Kostyliev secured his first-ever Major victory. They followed up with a win at BLAST Fall Finals and BLAST World Final back to back. They started ’22 with a runner-up spot at IEM Katowice, and a solid win in BLAST Spring.
However, outside events put NAVI’s roster and players in a difficult position this season. The Russia-Ukraine conflict meant several players were stuck in limbo, with mental fatigue and inability to practice taking their toll. Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov had to step down from the team after scandals with both his wife (former) and his attitude towards the conflict, lead to the organization benching him. His replacement was Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, who took up the mantle on loan from MAD Lions.
In terms of individual talent, there are some fantastic players within Na’Vi’s current line-up. They are still considered the top seed in all premier events, even though the wins were lacking this season. They were 5th in Antwerp, Rio and at the Fall Finals, 3rd in Katowice and 2nd in Cologne.
Recency bias would likely put Heroic in the rankings, but looking at the entire season, Natus Vincere has shown more consistency in placements across the board. The only way our next time on the list surpasses them is Natus Vincere flopping out at this years BLAST World Finals.
S1mple after winning Player of the Decade at IEM Rio 2022
2. Heroic
Coming up in 2nd is the best performing team in fall 2022. Heroic is having an amazing end to the season and they jumped up through the rankings from 6th to 2nd.
Heroic saw a ‘meteoric rise’ throughout 2020 and 2021, quickly becoming known as one of the best CS:GO teams in the business. It was a prolific year for Heroic in 2021, with the team stepping up to secure huge sums of money at some of the biggest CS:GO tournaments around. At the start of that year, Heroic secured first place in the ESL Pro League Season XII, before going on to achieve high placements at a string of S- and A-tier events.
Many CS:GO fans have attributed the success of Heroic to key members of the squad. For instance, Casper ‘CadiaN’ Møller, the in-game leader and driving force behind the Heroic squad. It is widely believed that Heroic saw another great year in 2022 thanks to CadiaN at the helm.
The team had an underwhelming start of the season, falling out early out of IEM Cologne and ESL Pro League S16. However, the tail end of the year sees them finish runner up in Rio and winning BLAST Fall Finals, setting up an interesting play for #1 seed at year’s end against NAVI at World Finals.
CadiaN elated as Heroic won BLAST Fall Finals 2022
3. FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan kicked off ’22 with a dominant streak, effortlessly pushing forward through its opponents and securing some monumental victories. Following a string of wins, Karrigan, an iconic player, stepped in to fill Olofmeister’s shoes, bringing his in-game leadership abilities to an already-powerful FaZe Clan unit. At the start of the year, FaZe Clan also bolstered its squad with ropz, one of the best CS:GO players in the industry today.
Since 2022 opened up, FaZe Clan has stormed to the top of both the ESL and HLTV world rankings. Firstly, the team secured first place at the IEM Katowice event, smashing down G2 in a 3 – 0 final that boasted a $400,000 prize for the team. It was just weeks later that FaZe Clan won the ESL Pro League Season XV, landing a $190,000 prize. At the start of February, the squad secured a 1st – 3rd finish in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups.
Wins in both Antwerp and Cologne, had FaZE in #1 throughout the year up until ESL Pro League S16 and IEM Rio came along. Two early exits see them fall out of grace all the way down to #4 before climbing a spot only recently after reaching the final in BLAST Fall Final.
Going into the end of the season, whoever wins the BLAST World Finals between NaVi, Heroic and FaZe will be the #1 team going into 2023.
Hard run for Karrigan and FaZe Clan at IEM Rio
4. Outsiders
Owing to political concerns, Virus.pro rebranded in March of 2022, becoming known as Outsiders. However, this rebrand did nothing to impact the team’s dominance, being as it is one of the oldest CS:GO teams in the industry. Where CS:GO esports are concerned, Virus.pro, now Outsiders, is a staple of the community.
There has been something of a minor downfall in terms of the overall rankings for Outsiders in 2022. The team had to play through series of Challenger and mid-tier events due to restrictions and just generally bad climate for esports organizations in Russia.
Them coming up in fourth in our rankings is largely due to their performance at IEM Rio recently. Given that the team was unable to participate at most ESL and BLAST events and missed out, we cant adequately place them in the rankings higher then where they currently sit.
Outsiders true to their name as they upset the competition in Rio
5. Team Vitality
Vitality may be a relatively young contender in the CS:GO space, but it’s certainly one of the most watched teams in the scene. As a squad, Team Vitality boasts some of the finest CS:GO talents in the business, with a line-up featuring the likes of apEX, ZywOo, and dupreeh. In the last year or so, Team Vitality has struggled to land too many big wins, with a few exceptions, but that isn’t for a lack of trying. At the very end of 2021, Vitality secured first place at the IEM XVI Winter tournament, beating out NiP and winning a $100k prize.
Since then, the scene has mellowed slightly for Team Vitality, with the exception of a close third-place finish at the BLAST Premier: World Final. Throughout this year, their only notable win was at ESL Pro League Season 16, and a runner-up spot at BLAST Spring Finals. What carries Vitality to #5th in our rankings is the diversity of tournament winners in the ’22 season, and the sheer firepower among the players.
Tough year for the Vitality superteam
6. Cloud9
In April of 2022, Cloud9 returned to CS:GO esports after a hiatus of almost a year. In one fell swoop, Cloud9 acquired the entire Gambit roster, a team that had been performing remarkably well in the months leading up to the acquisition.
Gambit’s roster made up one of the most consistent teams in CS:GO today, boasting several big victories in the last few years. At the end of 2021, Gambit sat at the top of our best CS:GO teams list, and while the squad has fallen down a couple of places, it’s not for lack of effort. Toward the end of 2021, Gambit secured some high placement finishes at some of the best CS:GO tournaments out there, proving that the team had grit, determination, and above all else, ability. For instance, Gambit narrowly missed out on a grand victory at the PGL Major Stockholm event, losing to an overwhelming Natus Vincere side. But, mere weeks before that loss, Gambit had beaten Na’Vi at the BLAST Premier Spring Finals, securing a massive $225k prize pool. Moving into 2022, Gambit showed intense talent at an A-tier tournament, the Funspark Ulti 2021, beating Entropiq in the final to secure a $150k prize.
Top five finishes at Pro League and Rio place C9 exactly where we put them among the top 10 CS:GO teams in 2023.
The “newest” addition to the North American scene
7. Team Liquid
Team Liquid started 2022 with a rank reset. The benched Stewie2K and Grim departed for EG and Complexity respectively, while FalleN went on to create his own superteam in Brazil. Shox and adreN also departed by June. In their stead, nitr0, pashaBiceps and eventually YEKINDAR had to work with the old Liquid core in bringing them former glory.
Throughout the year, they slowly climbed the ranks and eventually won the American Rio RMR and finished second at ESL Pro League Season 16. This combined with a top three performance in Fall Groups, was enough to secure them a spot at the World Finals at year’s end a shot at improving their standings.
Ace master Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis to Liquid’s rescue
8. G2 Esports
G2 is a household name where CS:GO esports are concerned. In recent years, G2 has become one of the best CS:GO teams to follow and to place CS:GO wagers on. While G2 had a hard year in 2021 that led to many second-place finishes, there are high expectations for the team to go above and beyond in 2022.
Last year, G2 almost snatched the top prize at the BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown, IEM Cologne, the PGL Major Stockholm event, and at IEM Katowice in February of 2022. It is an unfortunate list, but G2 has only lost to the best teams in CS:GO, such as FaZe Clan and Na’Vi. We still have to award credit where it’s due, as G2 has managed to amass a staggering amount of prize money in the last year, despite not landing any first-place finishes.
They started 2022 by signing CS:GO prodigy Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov who climbed through the CS:GO ranks the season before. However, it took nearly half the year to finally settle by roster by acquiring jks and HooXi. After placing runner-ups in Katowice, they have finished top 5 at all major events this year, but never really shined through.
Their roster inconsistency and tumultuous season is only good enough for eight place among the best CS:GO teams.
New kids carry the old guard
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9. FURIA
Like Team Vitality, FURIA is a relatively young CS:GO esports team. Yet, it has enjoyed a star-studded, if somewhat brief, tenure in the industry. Currently the best Brazilian CS:GO team in the world, FURIA has worked hard to prove itself against European and North American teams for the last five years. They’re a tenacious squad, easily matching the best CS:GO teams in combat, even if they don’t walk away with a huge prize at most tournaments.
FURIA is also yet to achieve a monumental, defining victory, despite finding success at several smaller tournaments. This is a team that has proven time and again that it has the ability to take games off of the likes of Cloud 9 and FaZe Clan. In truth, FURIA’s best year is 2022, especially in the later half. IEM Rio was on home turf and they managed to enchant the crowed with their top 4 finish, eliminating Natus Vincere along the way. Sadly we wont see them at BLAST World Finals, but we may see them in Katowice in early 2023.
Waving at the best crowd in 2022!
10. MOUZ
It’s a tough decision to select the final team on our list. Between MOUZ, Astralis, OG, Complexity, ENCE and even Fnatic, all teams had a rather underwhelming season with each only barely making Playoffs in some.
MOUZ gets our pick as the most improved team through the season. Next to Liquid’s rank reset, MOUZ also started the season at the bottom and worked their way through the ranks. With consistency across the board, we won’t be seeing much of MOUZ until year’s end, but given how they grew this year, 2023 may be the year to break deeper into the top 10 CS:GO teams.
Best dressed team at the IEM Rio Major
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