CS2: Valve Announces First BO5 Major Grand Final in Budapest
Sheep Esports brings expert analysis and breaking news from the League of Legends Esports scene. On the eve of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, the event stands out not only as the fourth Major in the Counter-Strike 2 era but also for introducing the first-ever best-of-five (BO5) grand final.
Valve revealed on Tuesday that this grand final format change is long-awaited by the community. Historically, Valve and tournament organizers limited the title match to best-of-three (BO3) despite growing evidence that BO5 finals engage and maintain large audiences.
Viewer Numbers Support BO5 Format
- IEM Cologne 2024, a non-Major event concluding with a BO5, peaked at 1,051,810 concurrent viewers.
- IEM Katowice 2025 reached 1.29 million viewers for the Team Vitality vs. Team Spirit BO5 final, another standard ESL event.
- These figures compare closely to Major events: the 2023 CS:GO Paris Major had 1.53 million peak viewers, and the first CS2 Major in Copenhagen saw 1.85 million.
"Longer series do not deter viewers — quite the opposite — when matches have high stakes and elite teams," the analysis notes.
Context of the Budapest 2025 Timing
The switch to a BO5 final aligns well with CS2's transition to MR12, signaling a broader evolution in competitive format and viewer engagement strategies.
Author's summary: Valve’s introduction of a best-of-five grand final at the Budapest 2025 Major marks a pivotal evolution in CS2 esports, reflecting growing audience demand for longer, high-stakes matches.