> Counter-Strike is at its best when teams compete on a level playing field, and these new rules are part of our commitment to the long-term health of Counter-Strike as a sport. Our goal is to ensure that professional Counter-Strike remains an open sport, where teams are only limited by their ability.
> Although we expect that there will be some rough edges as we transition to the new requirements, we’re excited to see what the future will bring.
brutaldonahowdy
As a general comment, this is more prescriptive than I expected.
Zackman558
Always good to hear from devs and hope that this works out and grows the scene making it more accessible.
That being said, really hoping they have more news about the actual game itself. Games been out a year and will be officially a year soon with little to no major changes to CT side Eco, hacking/reports, CSR updates, or new maps.
BeepIsla
> For Tier 1 Events and Wildcard Events the following rules apply: > > For events starting between 1 January, 2025 and 31 December, 2025, the Announcement Date must be no later than 1 September, 2024. > > For events starting between 1 January, 2026 and 31 December, 2026, the Announcement Date must be no later than 1 January, 2025. > > For events starting after 31 December, 2026, the Announcement Date must be at least 24 months prior to the start of the Tournament’s Main Event. > > For Tier 2 Events, the Announcement Date must be at least 3 months before the start of the Tournament’s Main Event.
Am I misreading this? Having the entire tier 1 calendar 2 years ahead of time is crazy
ChaoticFlameZz
can’t wait for 2025 and beyond
(and frankly, Im somewhat curious if there’s going to be any new orgs entering or returning to CS, likely not going to be much but something to think about)
CatK47
does this count as an update …
TariboWest06
>our commitment to the long-term health of Counter-Strike as a sport
Do they realize that they have been trying to kill their own franchise for over a year now?
1nsider1nfo
Why are they using Github as a fkn blog? Is this some GTA San Andreas modding community ran by volunteers or something?
bdzr_
I wish they had taken this opportunity to knock off TOs ability to put gag orders on players, ahem, BLAST. I hope that practice dies out.
filous_cz
Alright hyped up.
Only thing I worry about is the upcoming amount of closed qualis for tier1.5 teams (a team that will consistently qualify to the main stage, but are not good enough to get a direct invite – somene like monte pre roster changes). The burnout might get crazy with all the upcoming events in 2025.
Arcyksienciuniu
so they said operation coming in 2025 RIP
ThermalOW
So basically every tournament organizer has to scramble to get their entire 2026 schedule planned and released according to these new, more restrictive regulations by the end of this year. Less than 6 months.
___StillLearning___
Summary of Counter-Strike Tournament Operating Requirements
Valve has introduced new rules for running large-scale competitive Counter-Strike tournaments to ensure fair competition and transparency. These rules will apply to all tournaments concluding after December 31, 2024, and are divided into guidelines for Unranked and Ranked Events.
1. Definitions:
Announcement Date: The public announcement date of a tournament. Direct VRS Invite: A method of selecting rosters based on Valve Regional Standings (VRS). Invite Date: The date invitations are sent to rosters. Main Event: The main part of the tournament after qualifiers. Open Qualifier: A method of selecting rosters through open competitions. Qualified Roster: Rosters selected for the Main Event. Roster: A team of five players. Valve Regional Standings (VRS): Official ranking system for rosters. Ranked Event: A tournament contributing to VRS data. Unranked Event: A tournament not contributing to VRS data.
2. Rules for Unranked Events:
Must comply with the Limited Game Tournament License. Rosters can be invited or selected by any qualifying process. Total compensation per event cannot exceed $100,000; annual total for multiple events cannot exceed $250,000.
3. Rules for Ranked Events:
Must comply with the Limited Game Tournament License and additional rules.
Qualification and Invite Procedure: Direct VRS Invites: Rosters invited based on VRS rankings; must invite 1.5 times the number of rosters needed for the Main Event. Open Qualifiers: Criteria must be reasonable, transparent, and non-targeted. Wildcard Invite: Allowed for tournaments with 8+ rosters, with specific eligibility criteria.
Tournament Tiers: Tier 1 Events: Must involve Direct VRS Invites starting from the top-ranked team, involve at least 16 rosters, and have a clear qualification process. Tier 2 Events: Can choose the method of roster selection, with certain restrictions. Wildcard Events: Allowed for every three Tier 1 events; can feature unlimited Wildcard invitations.
4. Announcement and Publication of Tournament Information:
Announcement Date: Specified timelines for different tiers. Basic Information: Dates and operator identity. Additional Information: Detailed tournament structure, prize pool, compensation, and other relevant data must be published well in advance.
5. Competition / Integrity:
Non-Exclusivity: No agreements restricting teams/players from participating in third-party events, except during the tournament. Non-Discriminatory Treatment: Equal treatment and support for all teams/players. Potential Conflicts of Interest: Disclosure and approval of any business relationships between licensee and participants to avoid conflicts of interest.
13 Comments
> [Last year](https://www.counter-strike.net/newsentry/3677802763035982969) we announced the broad strokes of new rules for professional Counter-Strike events, to take effect in 2025. Today, we’re filling in the details–click [here](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/counter-strike_rules_and_regs/blob/main/tournament-operation-requirements.md) to see the terms that will be added to Tournament Organizers’ license agreements moving forward.
> Counter-Strike is at its best when teams compete on a level playing field, and these new rules are part of our commitment to the long-term health of Counter-Strike as a sport. Our goal is to ensure that professional Counter-Strike remains an open sport, where teams are only limited by their ability.
> Although we expect that there will be some rough edges as we transition to the new requirements, we’re excited to see what the future will bring.
As a general comment, this is more prescriptive than I expected.
Always good to hear from devs and hope that this works out and grows the scene making it more accessible.
That being said, really hoping they have more news about the actual game itself. Games been out a year and will be officially a year soon with little to no major changes to CT side Eco, hacking/reports, CSR updates, or new maps.
> For Tier 1 Events and Wildcard Events the following rules apply:
>
> For events starting between 1 January, 2025 and 31 December, 2025, the Announcement Date must be no later than 1 September, 2024.
>
> For events starting between 1 January, 2026 and 31 December, 2026, the Announcement Date must be no later than 1 January, 2025.
>
> For events starting after 31 December, 2026, the Announcement Date must be at least 24 months prior to the start of the Tournament’s Main Event.
>
> For Tier 2 Events, the Announcement Date must be at least 3 months before the start of the Tournament’s Main Event.
Am I misreading this? Having the entire tier 1 calendar 2 years ahead of time is crazy
can’t wait for 2025 and beyond
(and frankly, Im somewhat curious if there’s going to be any new orgs entering or returning to CS, likely not going to be much but something to think about)
does this count as an update …
>our commitment to the long-term health of Counter-Strike as a sport
Do they realize that they have been trying to kill their own franchise for over a year now?
Why are they using Github as a fkn blog? Is this some GTA San Andreas modding community ran by volunteers or something?
I wish they had taken this opportunity to knock off TOs ability to put gag orders on players, ahem, BLAST. I hope that practice dies out.
Alright hyped up.
Only thing I worry about is the upcoming amount of closed qualis for tier1.5 teams (a team that will consistently qualify to the main stage, but are not good enough to get a direct invite – somene like monte pre roster changes). The burnout might get crazy with all the upcoming events in 2025.
so they said operation coming in 2025
RIP
So basically every tournament organizer has to scramble to get their entire 2026 schedule planned and released according to these new, more restrictive regulations by the end of this year. Less than 6 months.
Summary of Counter-Strike Tournament Operating Requirements
Valve has introduced new rules for running large-scale competitive Counter-Strike tournaments to ensure fair competition and transparency. These rules will apply to all tournaments concluding after December 31, 2024, and are divided into guidelines for Unranked and Ranked Events.
1. Definitions:
Announcement Date: The public announcement date of a tournament.
Direct VRS Invite: A method of selecting rosters based on Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
Invite Date: The date invitations are sent to rosters.
Main Event: The main part of the tournament after qualifiers.
Open Qualifier: A method of selecting rosters through open competitions.
Qualified Roster: Rosters selected for the Main Event.
Roster: A team of five players.
Valve Regional Standings (VRS): Official ranking system for rosters.
Ranked Event: A tournament contributing to VRS data.
Unranked Event: A tournament not contributing to VRS data.
2. Rules for Unranked Events:
Must comply with the Limited Game Tournament License.
Rosters can be invited or selected by any qualifying process.
Total compensation per event cannot exceed $100,000; annual total for multiple events cannot exceed $250,000.
3. Rules for Ranked Events:
Must comply with the Limited Game Tournament License and additional rules.
Qualification and Invite Procedure:
Direct VRS Invites: Rosters invited based on VRS rankings; must invite 1.5 times the number of rosters needed for the Main Event.
Open Qualifiers: Criteria must be reasonable, transparent, and non-targeted.
Wildcard Invite: Allowed for tournaments with 8+ rosters, with specific eligibility criteria.
Tournament Tiers:
Tier 1 Events: Must involve Direct VRS Invites starting from the top-ranked team, involve at least 16 rosters, and have a clear qualification process.
Tier 2 Events: Can choose the method of roster selection, with certain restrictions.
Wildcard Events: Allowed for every three Tier 1 events; can feature unlimited Wildcard invitations.
4. Announcement and Publication of Tournament Information:
Announcement Date: Specified timelines for different tiers.
Basic Information: Dates and operator identity.
Additional Information: Detailed tournament structure, prize pool, compensation, and other relevant data must be published well in advance.
5. Competition / Integrity:
Non-Exclusivity: No agreements restricting teams/players from participating in third-party events, except during the tournament.
Non-Discriminatory Treatment: Equal treatment and support for all teams/players.
Potential Conflicts of Interest: Disclosure and approval of any business relationships between licensee and participants to avoid conflicts of interest.