17.06.20245 min read

Differences between the ESL, HLTV, and Valve Rankings

Currently, CS2 teams are ranked in three different ranking systems, but many viewers don’t clearly understand the distinctions between them. So, here’s a detailed explanation.

The oldest and first of these is the HLTV Ranking, managed by the HLTV website. This ranking system started in 2015 and is updated weekly. Although most teams use the HLTV rankings for reference, major tournament organizers do not use this system for invitations. However, some smaller tournament organizers outside of ESL and BLAST occasionally rely on it.

While the exact method used to calculate team scores is confidential, some aspects are publicly known. Rankings are determined based on tournament placements and head-to-head results against other teams. The team with the highest score can earn up to 1000 points. If a team’s score exceeds 1000, then all teams’ scores are proportionally reduced to keep the top team at 1000.

From the Asian region, TYLOO holds the record for the highest rank ever reached—#10 back in 2018—which remains unbroken. Recently, The MongolZ team reached #11 after winning the YaLLa Compass 2024 tournament, coming the closest to breaking TYLOO’s record.

The MongolZ were only 3 points behind the team in the #10 spot. If they had won the ESL Challenger: Jonkoping tournament this week, they could have entered the top 10. However, they were eliminated in the group stage, while Complexity, which was ranked #10, advanced to the grand final, increasing their score and widening the gap between the #10 and #11 spots.

As of the latest update, on June 10, 2024, the top 10 teams in the HLTV rankings are as follows:

The next ranking system to introduce is the ESL World Ranking. Like the others, this ranking is also updated weekly, but its main advantage is that the methodology used to calculate rankings is transparent.

Since ESL, the tournament organizer, uses this ranking system to invite teams to its events, it has a significantly higher level of practical application.

In terms of methodology, when a tournament is held, the strength of the tournament is classified as AAA, AA, A, B, C, or D depending on the rankings of the participating teams. Additionally, based on the number of participating teams, tournaments are categorized as XXXL, XXL, XL, L, M, or S. Furthermore, the region of the participating teams, and whether the tournament is held online or on LAN, is also factored in to determine how many points teams earn based on their final placement.

One downside of this ranking system is how it weighs points based on regions. For example, tournaments in the Asian region account for only 5% of total points, while Oceania is 8%, South America is 14%, North America is 20%, and Europe is 53%. As a result, European teams always accumulate more points, and even Tier 2 tournaments held in Europe grant more points than Tier 1 tournaments in the Asian region.

Nonetheless, The MongolZ have achieved the #12 spot in this ranking based on their performance in PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, ESL Pro League S19, MESA Nomadic Masters 2024, and YaLLa Compass 2024. With this, they not only gain direct invitations to major tournaments but also benefit during the seeding and matchup processes by potentially facing weaker teams early in the bracket.

The final ranking system to introduce is the Valve Regional Standings, which emerged last year. This ranking system currently has the least usage but is the one used to invite teams to the most important tournaments, namely the Majors’ RMR and Closed Qualifiers.

According to Valve’s official announcement, starting from 2025, all tournament organizers must exclusively follow this ranking system when inviting teams. This means that the previously introduced ESL World Ranking will no longer be used next year.

The Valve Regional Standings currently have several shortcomings, one of which is that all data is sourced from HLTV. As a result, information about Asian tournaments and matches is limited or incomplete, which causes the points given to Asian teams to be relatively low. Another downside is that their methodology heavily weighs the amount of prize money a team has won—this factor has the highest impact on the ranking. On the other hand, they also take into account the results of teams’ head-to-head matches.

In the case of The MongolZ, their victory in the MESA Nomadic Masters 2024, where they earned $50,000, and their win at YaLLa Compass 2024, with $200,000 in prize money, had a significant influence. As a result, they were ranked #6 in last week’s standings.

Rank	Points	Team Name	Players
1	1990	MOUZ	Brollan, Jimpphat, siuhy, torzsi, xertioN
2	1937	FaZe	broky, frozen, karrigan, rain, ropz
3	1930	Spirit	chopper, donk, magixx, sh1ro, zont1x
4	1928	Vitality	apEX, flameZ, mezii, Spinx, ZywOo
5	1900	G2	huNter-, m0NESY, nexa, NiKo, Stewie2K
6	1837	The MongolZ	910, bLitz, mzinho, Senzu, Techno
7	1829	Natus Vincere	Aleksib, b1t, iM, jL, w0nderful
8	1827	Astralis	br0, device, jabbi, Staehr, stavn
9	1709	Eternal Fire	Calyx, MAJ3R, Wicadia, woxic, XANTARES
10	1660	HEROIC	degster, k0nfig, NertZ, sjuush, TeSeS
11	1659	Liquid	cadiaN, NAF, skullz, Twistzz, YEKINDAR
12	1650	Virtus.pro	electroNic, fame, FL1T, Jame, n0rb3r7
13	1617	Complexity	EliGE, floppy, Grim, hallzerk, JT
14	1523	Ninjas in Pyjamas	alex, isak, maxster, r1nkle, REZ
15	1511	MIBR	brnz4n, drop, exit, insani, saffee

AuthorTemujin Batbayar

Analyst from Ulaanbaatar specializing in CS2. Has competed in MESA tournaments, worked with Esports TV during the ESL Pro League, and reviewed both the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 and IEM Katowice 2024. Author of his own player evaluation metrics and known for accurate predictions. Has interviewed s1mple and ZywOo. In esports since the days of CS 1.3.