Counter-Strike history
Majors 2019–2021: the Astralis peak, a lost year and s1mple's title
This is the shortest era on the list and the strangest. Three Majors were scheduled and only three were played across three years, because 2020 had none at all: the pandemic pushed the entire scene online, and the game's most prestigious event simply did not happen.
What sits either side of that gap are two of the most one-sided runs in Counter-Strike history.
Four Majors, one five
With Katowice and Berlin, the Astralis core reached four Major titles, three of them consecutive. No other roster has more than two. The reason quiz rounds about this team are easy is also the reason it was so hard to beat: the line-up did not change for two years.
The dynasty ended without being beaten in a final. device left for Ninjas in Pyjamas at the end of 2020, and by the time Majors returned the roster had been rebuilt.
The online year
2020 produced more matches than any previous year and no Major. Teams played from their own offices on regional servers, North American and European results became incomparable, and several organisations left the region entirely. For our purposes it means a genuine hole in the record: players whose peak was 2020 have fewer elite events to their name than their level deserved, which is why some of them sit in a harder tier than fans expect.
Stockholm and the completed career
Natus Vincere's 2021 run — a 2-0 final without dropping a map through the playoffs — gave s1mple the one thing his career was missing. It is the trophy that settled a decade of arguments, and b1t's presence on it is a reminder that the roster around him was young: Perfecto and b1t were both recent additions, and Boombl4's spot changed within a year.
CS:GO Major champions, 2019–2021
| Year | Event | Champion | Winning five |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | IEM Katowice | Astralis | device, dupreeh, Xyp9x, gla1ve, Magisk |
| 2019 | StarLadder Berlin | Astralis | device, dupreeh, Xyp9x, gla1ve, Magisk |
| 2020 | — | No Major held | Season cancelled |
| 2021 | PGL Stockholm | Natus Vincere | s1mple, electronic, b1t, Perfecto, Boombl4 |
Keep reading
Compiled from public tournament and roster records. Last reviewed: September 2026.