// Esports
Twitch esports viewership 2025 — CS2 is now number one
CS2 dethrones LoL on Twitch hours watched, Valorant takes third. The Counter-Strike resurgence is the structural story of the year.
By EsportNexusLab Staff · April 27, 2026 · 5 min read
CS2 surpassed League of Legends in Twitch hours watched in 2025 — the first time Counter-Strike has held the top esports spot since 2018. Figures across the four majors: CS2 4.1B hours, LoL 3.6B, Valorant 2.8B, Dota 1.4B.
Valorant in third is the surprise. The agent treadmill that drove viewership is hitting diminishing returns. The VCT Pacific viewership is the only regional bucket still growing meaningfully YoY. The structural story is the Counter-Strike resurgence — CS2 fixed itself in 2024 and 2025 produced two of the highest-rated tournament broadcasts in CS history.