Valve Announces Changes to Regional Standings

Written by Dante Uzel on 26 February 2025 14:50

Valve has implemented significant updates to the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) system, which ranks Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams and determines invitations for official esports events. These updates, announced on February 24, 2025, include changes to how forfeits impact rankings, the timing of tournament data inclusion, and the eligibility criteria for teams.

One major change is that forfeits will now be treated the same as losses in both online and offline matches. Previously, forfeits didn’t count towards team rankings, which allowed some teams to strategically forfeit matches without affecting their standing.

Additionally, tournament results will no longer be counted toward the VRS until the event’s final match has concluded. This ensures that teams competing in multi-day events that extend beyond the VRS ranking update period won’t be unfairly impacted.

More:Twitch to Sue Russian Streamer

This change comes after issues during the 2025 season, notably when the German esports organization GamerLegion claimed it lost out on a top 12 invitation to the BLAST Open Lisbon event due to prize money not being considered while they were still active in IEM Katowice. The new rules aim to prevent such situations moving forward.

Another adjustment to the VRS model is the reduction of the number of matches a team must play to be eligible for the rankings, dropping from 10 to just five matches.

Lastly, the new system now factors in club revenue from event organizers like ESL FACEIT Group and the Esports World Cup when calculating prize money, integrating these earnings into the VRS structure.

Tags: Valve

Sources: