HLTV Awards 2023 Retrospective: ZywOo and Vitality Headline Belgrade Winners

The 2023 HLTV Awards, staged in Belgrade on Jan. 13, 2024, delivered a definitive snapshot of Counter-Strike's elite, and the results remain a reference point in 2026 as the scene revisits a landmark season. The first-ever HLTV Awards ceremony crowned winners across 16 categories, including Player of the Year, Team of the Year and IGL of the Year. HLTV had already revealed the 4th-to-20th place finishers for each category, but the final podium placements were reserved for the Belgrade show. Four community-driven categories — Talent, Event, Streamer and Creator of the Year — were added for the inaugural edition, broadening the celebration beyond players and teams.

🏆 Player of the Year: ZywOo claims a third crown

The Player of the Year race featured Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut, Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač and Robin 'ropz' Kool. ZywOo led Vitality to trophies in 2023 and was named Player of the Year for the third time. NiKo took second place, while ropz completed the podium. The result underlined the French star's consistency at the highest level and his ability to shape grand-final outcomes.

🌟 Women's Player of the Year: ANa stays on top

Ana 'ANa' Dumbravă, Victoria 'tory' Kazieva and Wiktoria 'vicu' Janicka formed the final three. ANa won the award, repeating her success and remaining one of Nigma Galaxy's big names during a fantastic 2023. Her recognition reflected both individual firepower and the Romanian player's role in a team that set the standard in women's Counter-Strike.

🥇 Team of the Year: Vitality edge FaZe and G2

Team Vitality won Team of the Year ahead of FaZe Clan and G2 Esports. Vitality captured the only Major of the year in the organization's home country, and the French side closed the season by beating FaZe on two occasions in grand finals. FaZe Clan's great start in CS2 kept the race competitive, while G2 Esports remained a constant threat, but Vitality's trophy haul carried the vote.

👑 Women's Team of the Year: Nigma Galaxy build a legacy

Nigma Galaxy won the women's team award over Fluxo Demons and NAVI Javellins. The European team won all editions of ESL Impact in 2023, extending a story that had been no different since 2022. Nigma Galaxy's dominance made the category one of the clearest calls of the night and reinforced the organization's legacy in women's CS2.

🚀 Newcomer of the Year: NertZ turns promise into reality

Mihai 'iM' Ivan, Jimi 'Jimpphat' Salo and Guy 'NertZ' Iluz were the finalists. NertZ won after arriving at ENCE as a promise and quickly establishing himself as a reality. Now at Heroic, he also won IEM Dallas in 2023, a result that underlined his rapid rise and his comfort on the biggest stages.

🧠 IGL of the Year: apEX guides Vitality through change

Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire won IGL of the Year ahead of Finn 'karrigan' Andersen and Marco 'Snappi' Pfeiffer. Several times contested, the truth is that Vitality under apEX practically only knew the taste of victory in 2023. Even with two roster changes in the second half of the year, the team ended the season lifting a Major trophy, a testament to apEX's leadership and tactical adaptation.

🎯 AWPer of the Year: ZywOo doubles up

Helvijs 'broky' Saukants, Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov and ZywOo made the AWPer shortlist. ZywOo won, adding the sniper award to his Player of the Year honor. The best player of the season was also the best sniper of the season, a combination that defined Vitality's ceiling in 2023.

🛡️ Role awards and coaching honors

Magisk won the anchor category ahead of Shahar 'flameZ' Shushan and Justin 'jks' Savage. At 25, Magisk had won five Majors, the last with Vitality in 2023, and he remained a fundamental part of the team's scheme during a brilliant year. ropz took Closer of the Year ahead of David 'frozen' Čerňanský and Lotan 'Spinx' Giladi; the FaZe player was central to his team's bright start in CS2. NiKo won Opener of the Year ahead of Håvard 'rain' Nygaard and Dorian 'xertioN' Berman, with G2's IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne titles and an MVP award in Cologne. zonic was Coach of the Year after helping conduct several Vitality achievements; the Dane left the organization in October to join Team Falcons.

✨ Highlight, Talent and Community Categories

ZywOo's highlight beat Casper 'cadiaN' Møller and m0NESY, capturing the Frenchman's ability to spread magic within the server time and again. SPUNJ won Talent of the Year over James 'Banks' Banks and Conner 'Scrawny' Girvan; the Australian was one of the voices of 2023 and also participated in the HLTV Confirmed program. BLAST.TV Paris Major won Event of the Year ahead of IEM Cologne and IEM Katowice, with the local organization Vitality providing a memorable winner in front of its fans. 3KLiksPhilip won Content Creator of the Year over NADEKING and Nartouthere; the creator has more than a million followers and focuses heavily on CS2 details and news. OhnePixel won Streamer of the Year over Alexandre 'gAuLeS' Borba and Olof 'olofmeister' Kajbjer Gustafsson, winning over the community with watch parties of major Counter-Strike tournaments.

📊 Winners at a glance

In 2026, the 2023 awards remain a useful time capsule: they capture a season when ZywOo and Vitality turned individual brilliance into team silverware, Nigma Galaxy sustained a women's CS2 dynasty, and a new generation of names such as NertZ announced itself. The Belgrade ceremony also showed how Counter-Strike's ecosystem had expanded, with talent, events, streamers and creators sharing the spotlight with the players who decide rounds on the server.