HLTV has published the three finalists for its 2025 Rookie of the Year award, putting the spotlight on a trio that rose fast through the Counter-Strike ranks this year.
Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin, 17, cemented himself as a top prospect after moving from Spirit Academy to Falcons. He opened his tier-one run with a 1.34 rating at IEM Cologne, the second-highest of the event, and closed the year with a team-high 1.22 rating at the StarLadder Budapest Major as Falcons pushed into the playoffs.
Drin “makazze” Shaqiri, 18, impressed on NAVI Junior and then stepped into Natus Vincere‘s main lineup after Justinas “jL” Lekavicius left. Makazze posted a 1.15 rating online with NAVI Junior, helped the squad win four online titles in 2025, and picked up EVPs at both the Thunderpick World Championship and the StarLadder Budapest Major.
Danil “molodoy” Golubenko, 20, made his name as an AWPer first with AMKAL, where he had a 1.26 online rating, then joined FURIA in April. Molodoy helped FURIA to four LAN wins in 2025, earned two MVPs and two EVPs, and finished fourth at PGL Astana in his first event with the team.
The Rookie of the Year award recognizes players who broke into tier-one play during the calendar year. Past winners include Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, Guy “NertZ” Iluz, and Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, all of whom have become established names since taking the prize.
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Counter-Strike 2
Developed by Valve
For over two decades, Counter-Strike has offered an elite competitive experience, one shaped by millions of players from across the globe. And now the next chapter in the CS story is about to begin. This is Counter-Strike 2.
A free upgrade to CS:GO, Counter-Strike 2 marks the largest technical leap in Counter-Strike’s history. Built on the Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike 2 is modernized with realistic physically-based rendering, state of the art networking, and upgraded Community Workshop tools.
- Genre: Shooter, Tactical
- Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Modes: Single player, Multiplayer
- Release: 2023-09-27
- Publisher: Valve
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Age Rating:
GRAC 19+ / PEGI 18 / USK 18 / CERO Z / ESRB M / CLASS_IND 18 / ACB R 18+
- IGDB Rating: 67.3/100
