Years after hosting the last one, the first CS2 Major of 2026 is set to take place at the Cathedral of Counter Strike, one of the most iconic venues to ever grace competitive CS2.
The excitement among the community went through the roof with the announcement that surfaced in August 2025; however, the one thing that everyone had their eyes on is finally out. The sale of tickets for the IEM Cologne is live, and it goes without saying that they will be sold out in no time.
#IEM Cologne Major 2026 tickets go live in just 3 hours 👀
Set to take place between June 2-21 next year, IEM Cologne is bound to be one of the most memorable Majors in recent times. While there are a plethora of top events in loud stadiums, Cologne is one place that carries the passion for the game in the air.
With a 1.25 million prize pool, the event will boast 32 teams selected with the same VRS system and filtered through Stage 1, followed by Stage 2, and finally Stage 3 before they make it to the playoffs.
The reason for the hype is abundantly clear: Cologne is one of the most prestigious events in Counter-Strike history to the point that it doesn’t need the Major status to rival Major events from other TOs. The cathedral boasts decades worth of history that has been carefully etched into the soul of the event, with legendary players sharing moments that may never be topped.
Given how the last Major tickets sold out, there is a good chance that by the time you finish reading this article, there will be none left for you, so hurry up and grab yours to be a part of CS2 history.
Team Vitality is the winner of ESL Pro League Season 22, beating Falcons with a dominant scoreline of 3-0. Starting the event with a surprising loss, Vitality’s resurgence in form has been nothing short of surprising. Vitality cements its first trophy for the second half of the year and announces itself as the dominant force right ahead of the Major.
After going 3-0 up on their offense, Vitality lost momentum but later regained control with a 4-round streak. The first half saw both teams match up pretty well to switch sides with the score tied. Vitality started their offense with a 5-0 score line, sent Falcons on the back foot, and despite attempts at a comeback later in the half, they managed no more than 2 rounds as Vitality closed the map with a tight 13-10 score line. With ZyWoo dropping form, flameZ stepped up with 25 kills with 1.71 IR that put Vitality in an early lead.
Map 2: Train; Pick: Falcons; Winner: Vitality
2-0 start for Vitality met a 3-round streak as a response from Falcons. As they got themselves into a lead, the Falcons dropped the ball, allowing Vitality to rack up an 8-4 lead on their defense. Vitality extended the lead with an 11-4 score line. Falcons hit the first round on the board with a full gun-round and cut the lead in half with a streak of rounds. As soon as the Falcons were on the verge of pushing the game to overtime, they fumbled their only chance at overtime by losing to a fast-paced eco from Vitality. Back-to-back banger maps from flameZ, who is putting a strong case for himself as a contender for the MVP with 23 kills and 1.42 IR to win the map 13-9.
Map 3: Dust2; Pick: Vitality; Winner: Vitality
A 5-0 start for Vitality had the Falcons completely crushed in the first half, as the super team managed to secure only two rounds in the first half. After switching sides with a 10-2 deficit, the Falcons clawed back with 3 early rounds on offense. Still, the first gun-round saw Vitality snatch the momentum back, leading to the Falcons getting bullied into submission. 13-5 domination of Falcons was rounded off by mezii, who dropped 19 kills to bring home the first trophy of the season for Vitality.
The Falcons machine has once again crumbled at the final hurdle, and with a plethora of problems across the board, it becomes difficult to point out an Achilles heel. m0NESY’s return to form was the biggest reason the Falcons performed well until the Grand Finals, but the absence of a proper supporting cast let him down once again.
After years of heartbreak, Orangutan has finally done it. The team that always seemed destined for the podium but never the top step has shattered their championship curse at the BMSD 2025 Grand Finals, emerging as the BMSD 2025 Winners. For seasons, Orangutan finished second, third, always agonizingly close but never quite crossing the finish line first. Earlier in 2025, they broke through at the iQOO Battlegrounds Series, proving they could win when it mattered. Now, on the biggest stage of Indian BGMI esports, they’ve solidified their legacy by claiming the official BMSD 2025 championship, securing ₹30 lakhs in prize money and a direct slot to the PMGC 2025 Gauntlet.
BMSD 2025 Grand Finals Day 3: Match-by-Match Winners
The final day delivered some intense action as teams fought desperately for championship points and BMIC qualification spots:
Match 13 – Rondo: Team Aryan Match 14 – Erangel: 8Bit Match 15 – Erangel: MadKings Esports Match 16 – Erangel: Nebula Esports Match 17 – Miramar: Orangutan Match 18 – Miramar: Nebula Esports
Nebula Esports emerged as Day 3’s revelation with two crucial Chicken Dinners, while Orangutan’s strategic Miramar victory in Match 17 effectively sealed their championship destiny. MadKings, 8Bit, and Team Aryan each claimed important wins as the competition reached fever pitch.
BMSD 2025 WinnersOrangutan’s Journey to Breaking the Curse
Orangutan’s path to victory wasn’t just about raw skill. It was about overcoming the mental burden of past failures. Season after season, they’d enter tournaments as favorites only to fall short by the smallest of margins. The pressure of expectation weighed heavily, creating a psychological barrier that seemed insurmountable.
The turning point came at the iQOO Battlegrounds Series 2025, where Orangutan finally tasted championship gold in a third-party tournament. That victory wasn’t just about the trophy; it was about proving to themselves they could finish first when everything was on the line. The confidence gained from that breakthrough translated directly into their BMSD performance.
From Day 1, Orangutan established dominance with back-to-back Erangel victories, accumulating 70 points and setting the early pace. Their map control and rotation strategies showcased a team playing with newfound belief.
Day 2 saw them extend their lead to 120 points despite mounting pressure from K9 Esports, demonstrating championship composure under fire.
On Day 3, when challengers closed in and elimination points became precious commodities, Orangutan didn’t crack. Their Match 17 Chicken Dinner on Miramar displayed tactical mastery, controlling key positions, executing rotations perfectly, and making the clutch plays that define champions.
Match 18 served a thrilling climax to the championship race. Orangutan was eliminated early in the final match, giving second-positioned K9 Esports and third-positioned Team SouL a golden opportunity to jump to the top of the leaderboard. However, both teams failed to accumulate enough points to overthrow Orangutan from the throne, cementing the curse-breakers’ historic first official BGMI championship victory.
BMIC 2025 Qualification Secured
Beyond the championship glory, Orangutan’s victory guarantees them a spot at the PMGC 2025 Gauntlet stage, bypassing the group stage entirely. This represents India’s best chance to make a deep run at the PUBG Mobile Global Championship, with Orangutan carrying the weight of national expectations on a stage where they’ve already proven they can overcome pressure.
Orangutan’s championship represents more than just points on a leaderboard or prize money in the bank. It’s vindication for a roster that refused to give up despite repeated heartbreak. It’s proof that mental barriers can be shattered through persistence and belief. Most importantly, it signals a new era for Indian BGMI esports, where consistency and strategic depth triumph over momentary brilliance.
The team that was known for coming close has finally arrived. As Orangutan prepares to face international competition at BMIC and PMGC, they carry not just India’s hopes, but the confidence of champions who’ve conquered their demons. The curse is broken. The dynasty has begun.
Team Falcons has made it to the first grand finals of the season after beating MOUZ with a 2-0 scoreline. NiKo, m0NESY, and Kyousuke, in the prime form, helped Falcons get ahead of a tricky opponent in MOUZ and stand a step away from picking up the trophy.
Starting brilliantly to go 6-0 up, MOUZ had Falcons right where they wanted them before Falcons pulled off a similar scoreline to level the scoreline by the end of the half. Switching sides with a 6-6 scoreline, the Falcons were too sloppy and failed to get it over the line as MOUZ stretched it out to overtime. OT saw the Falcons pull ahead, winning 2 rounds on the defense with MOUZ getting one round. Falcons, without being sloppy, closed the map with a 16-13 scoreline. An IR of 1.47 and 23 kills from m0NESY rounded off another stellar performance from him, announcing his resurgence of form.
Map 2: Ancient; Pick: Falcons; Winner: Falcons
MOUZ’s strong start to the pistol round was met by a well-prepared Falcons side that managed to flip the momentum, remaining largely dominant on offense. MOUZ managed to win a few rounds, but they were few and far between, as the half concluded with a 5-7 scoreline. Starting the second half with a bang, the Falcons managed to win rounds till they hit a series point. MOUZ managed two more rounds, but Falcons closed it before the rounds got out of hand. With a 1.90 IR, the support player TeSeS managed to stand ahead of the stars on his team, who saw Falcons book their spot in the Grand Finals.
MOUZ is far from the tournament contenders that they were; for all the rounds they managed, it was anything but convincing. Falcons have taken down big names, but MOUZ is the biggest one so far in the event. Kyousuke will be at his first Grand Finals in Falcons colours, and time will tell if he and the Falcons come out with a trophy.
Valorant Champions 2025 has come to an end, and the viewership stats are finally in. In a twist that no one saw coming, the most-watched co-streamer of the event wasn’t from the Valorant scene at all.
In fact, it was Counter-Strike 2 streamer and content creator Mark “ohnePixel” Zimmermann who recorded the highest number of peak viewers among all co-streamers for the event. The 27-year-old streamer surpassed well-established Valorant co-streamers such as Tarık “Tarik” Çelik, Pujan “FNS” Mehta, and several others who have been consistently co-streaming Valorant events over the years.
While primarily a CS2 streamer, ohnePixel has dabbed his toes in Valorant in the past, streaming himself trying to learn the Riot Games competitive shooter alongside Counter-Strike pro Justinas “jL” Lekavičius.
OhnePixel Records Highest Peak Viewers for Valorant Champions 2025 Co-Streams
Champions 2025 was one of the most successful Valorant events to date. According to data from esports charts, the biggest Valorant tournament of the year drew in a whopping 1.47 million peak viewers during the grand final game, where NRG took on Fnatic in a best-of-five series.
To the surprise of many, ohnePixel recorded the highest number of peak viewers among all Valorant co-streamers, and that too by a significant margin. The German Twitch star recorded a whopping 146,000 peak viewers on the platform.
Unlike most other Valorant Champions 2025 co-streamers, ohnePixel had tuned into the tournament only on the final day. Consequently, his total hours watched were much lower than that of creators like FNS, who accumulated an impressive 3.87 million hours watched across Twitch and YouTube combined.
OhnePixel’s unexpected rise to the top is a testament to just how far Valorant’s reach has grown outside its usual circles. When a Counter-Strike creator pulls the biggest numbers for the biggest Valorant event of the year, it’s clear the game’s competitive scene is hitting new heights by constantly pulling in fans from across the FPS world.
BGMI Showdown 2025 – BMSD 2025 Grand Finals Day 2 has wrapped up, and the championship race continues. After twelve matches, Orangutan continues to hold the top spot with commanding authority. However, K9 Esports has surged into second place with a stellar Day 2 performance that included two crucial Chicken Dinners. With six matches remaining on the final day, multiple teams remain within striking distance of the championship and the coveted PMGC 2025 Gauntlet slot.
BMSD 2025 Grand Finals Day 2: Match-by-Match Winners
Day 2 delivered intense action across Rondo, Erangel, and Miramar, with multiple teams claiming victories. Following are the match-wise winners:
Match 7 – Rondo: Gods Reign Match 8 – Erangel: True Rippers Match 9 – Erangel: K9 Esports Match 10 – Erangel: Gods Reign Match 11 – Miramar: K9 Esports Match 12 – Miramar: Orangutan
K9 Esports emerged as the biggest winners of Day 2. The team secured two Chicken Dinners and climbing from fifth to second place. Gods Reign also had a breakthrough performance with two victories, while True Rippers and Orangutan each added another win to their tally.
Overall Standings After BMSD 2025 Grand Finals Day 2
After twelve matches, Orangutan has extended their lead at the top with 120 points, built on three Chicken Dinners, 45 position points, and an impressive 75 finish points. Their consistency across both days has established them as the championship favorites heading into the final day.
K9 Esports has made the biggest leap, jumping from fifth to second place with 101 points. Their Day 2 surge includes three total wins, 45 position points, and 56 finish points. This successful day put them right in the title hunt just 19 points behind Orangutan.
Team SouL occupies third place with 90 points, maintaining their strong form with one win, 31 position points, and 59 finish points. Despite not securing any Day 2 victories, their consistent placements kept them in championship contention.
The battle for fourth intensifies as True Rippers climbs to 86 points with two total wins, 33 position points, and 53 finish points. Gods Reign matches them at 86 points as well with their impressive Day 2 performance that saw them claim two Chicken Dinners. Both teams now have identical totals with two wins each, setting up a fascinating final day showdown.
Rounding out the top six is FS Esports with 83 points, achieved without a single Chicken Dinner but through remarkable consistency—29 position points and 54 finish points demonstrate their ability to survive deep into matches and rack up eliminations.
Last Day Remains
With only six matches remaining, the championship race has tightened considerably. Orangutan’s 19-point lead over K9 Esports is far from insurmountable. Approximately two to three solid match performances could erase that gap entirely. Team SouL sits just 11 points behind K9, while True Rippers and Gods Reign are separated from second place by only 15 points.
Beyond the championship battle, the fight for BMIC 2025 qualification remains intense. The top eight teams will secure slots in the BGMI International Cup, where they’ll face Korea and Japan’s elite. Currently, GodLike Esports sits in seventh with 74 points. Nebula Esports holds eighth with 67 points, just seven points separate qualification from disappointment.
The final day promises to be intense! Teams will showcase their best performances to win the title and maintain qualification spots. Everything on the line as BMSD 2025 reaches its climax!
In a match where everyone wrote them off, a makeshift FaZe Clan side has pulled off the most shocking upset of the playoffs as they knocked out Team Spirit and booked themselves a spot in the semi-finals of the ESL Pro League Season 22.
3-0 start for FaZe to get them in winning ways right from the get-go before Spirit hit the board. FaZe managed to put together another streak of 4 rounds before closing the half with an impressive 7-5 scoreline. A 3-0 start for Spirit managed to take the lead back from FaZe, but after trading rounds for a while, Karrigan and co. managed to get a hold of the game and closed it before Spirit could start mounting a comeback. 13-9 to FaZe came at the cost of donk getting overshadowed by frozeN, who closed the map with 27 kills with 1.99 IR.
Map 2: Mirage; Pick: Spirit; Winner: FaZe
Starting the map with a pistol round win, Spirit fell victim to the FaZe deagles that stalled them enough for Twistzz to win the round by making them run out of time. FaZe’s first round saw them go undefeated for 7 rounds before an AWP miss from karrigan opened the doors for Spirit to get back to winning ways. Spirit’s round win was the last one that they managed in the first half, thus ending with a 10-2 scoreline favouring FaZe. B execute opened up the pistol for FaZe, but Spirit converting the force saw them pull in 3 rounds before FaZe hit the board and closed the game with a 13-5 dominant scoreline. frozeN’s first map heroics were complemented by 21 and 20 kills from Twistzz and Broky, respectively, to send donk and his team home.
Team Spirit took an unexpected exit from the event at the hands of a FaZe Clan roster that is going through a tactical and personnel overhaul no less. Adding new names will take time for integration, and till then, Donk remains their only hope.
The highly anticipated Valorant Game Changers Championship 2025 is just over a month away, and the community is eagerly looking forward to seeing some of their favorite pros meet in Seoul and compete for the prestigious trophy.
For the uninitiated, the Game Changers Championship is the biggest global event in Valorant dedicated to women and marginalized genders, showcasing top-tier talent and celebrating diversity within the game’s competitive scene.
The event, which is set to kick off on November 20, 2025, will see ten elite GC teams battle it out on a grand stage for the ultimate title. The event will span ten days, culminating in the crowning of a new champion on November 30, 2025.
Valorant Game Changers Seoul 2025 Qualifications
The upcoming Valorant Game Changers Championship 2025 will see the best teams across EMEA, North America, APAC, LATAM, Brazil, and China compete for the title.
Below, we’ve put together a detailed breakdown of the qualification paths for each region heading into the Championship:
EMEA – Stage 3 winner, two teams with the most points (3 slots)
North America – Stage 2 winner (1 slot)
Pacific – Playoffs 1st & 2nd place (2 slots)
Latin America – Regional Finals winner (1 slot)
Brazil – Stage 2 winner (1 slot)
China – Stage 2 winner (1 slot)
The last slot will be taken by Brazil, LATAM, or North America, depending on the winner of the Last Chance Qualifier among the #2 seeds from those regions.
Valorant Game Changers Championship 2025: All Qualified Teams
At the time of writing, the following teams have secured their spots at the upcoming Valorant Game Changers Championship 2025:
Xipto GC (qualified via VCT GC Pacific)
We’ll continue to update this section as more teams lock in their qualification for the event.
The highly anticipated Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 is now live, and it has introduced a ton of new content to the NetEase hero shooter. These new additions include the playable hero Daredevil, a brand-new event with a bunch of exciting cosmetics, and a lot more.
In this article, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about the Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 update before you hop on the game.
Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 Release Date
The Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 update is already live! The patch was shipped to the game servers on October 10, 2025, at 9 am UTC.
Fans can check out all the new content of the patch by tuning into the game right away!
Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 Patch Notes: Daredevil, Limited-Time Event & More
The biggest highlight of the Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 update is undoubtedly the addition of the new hero, Daredevil. The melee Duelist boasts an extremely powerful kit that is capable of locking onto targets and hunting them down.
Alongside this new hero, there’s a limited-time event “Jade Scrolls of K’un-Lun,” which can be completed for a free costume as well as two premium ones.
Now, without further ado, let’s check out the detailed patch notes of the Marvel Rivals Season 4.5 update:
All-New Content
New Hero
Justice will be served! Daredevil joins Marvel Rivals!
New Stories
1. New Daredevil Lore – The Long Road Back
New Event – Jade Scrolls of K’un-Lun
Complete Jade Scrolls missions to get the Storm – Judicator XieZhi costume for FREE, and earn Spider-Man – Black & Gold, Psylocke – Fleeting Butterfly and more.
New Systems & New Content
1. Home Background Switch: Change the background to your liking! 2. Volleyball Bash Emote: Now supports interaction between three heroes.
New In Store
1. Daredevil – Devil 2099 Bundle 2. Hulk – Maestro Bundle 3. Daredevil – Devil 2099 Emoji Bundle 4. Daredevil – Fearless Origin Available from: October 10th, 2025, at 09:00:00 (UTC)
Twitch Drops
As Season 4.5 kicks off, get ready for a new round of Twitch Drops. Simply accumulate the required viewing time to claim your rewards. This round’s drops include the Mister Fantastic – Will of Galacta costume along with related bundle content. Drops Period: October 10th, 2025, at 12:00:00 (UTC) to November 7th, 2025, at 09:00:00 (UTC)
As the Ignite battles heat up, we will launch tournament-specific drops on select live-streaming platforms! Simply accumulate the required viewing time to claim your rewards. This round’s drops include the tournament commemorative spray and emoji. Drops Period: October 10th, 2025, at 12:00:00 (UTC) to November 7th, 2025, at 09:00:00 (UTC)
Factions
Inactive factions will be cleared automatically. Factions where all members haven’t played in matchmaking for two consecutive seasons will be disbanded due to inactivity. However, factions with a historical honor of MRC256 or higher will remain intact. If a faction is disbanded, any member can log into the game during that season and use the “Revive Faction” feature to bring the faction back as the Captain.
Rank Adjustments
Rank Rewards
New Rank Settlement Rewards: Reach Gold for the cool Daredevil – Shenloong’s Creed costume. Earn all-new Nameplate Frames at Diamond and Platinum, plus rock fresh Crests of Honor for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and the illustrious Top 500.
Fixes and Optimizations
All Platforms
1. The team invitation interface now shows if the invited player is a friend. 2. Resolved an issue where players could still receive messages from those they’ve blocked upon logging into the game. 3. Fixed a bug where logging in from another device might accidentally turn on the microphone that was previously turned off.
Maps and Modes
1. Improved the fog effects in the map K’un-Lun – Heart of Heaven. 2. Enhanced the AFK detection in Doom Match Practice. Now you can chat and enjoy group emotes to your heart’s content without any worries!
Heroes
1. Jeff the Land Shark’s Stall Shutdown: We’ve optimized Jeff’s Ultimate Ability to ensure he interacts smoothly with the terrain. If he gets temporarily stuck in a fall and uses his ultimate, he’ll seamlessly transition into the dive phase after some time, complete with an extra audio cue for his ultimate when landing. Now everyone will be aware when Jeff is about to make a big splash! 2. Doctor Strange’s Cloak Conundrum: Resolved a bug where Cloak of Levitation would sometimes lead to erratic movement patterns in poor network conditions. Now, with the mystic arts fully aligned, Strange glides through the chaos like a true master of the multiverse!
The ESP-DIST-001 error on Fortnite is perhaps the most infuriating connection problem that players face, flashing the ominous message “An error occurred while connecting to Epic servers. Please try again later.” The error can hit all platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, usually after game patches or during server maintenance.
Luckily, the majority of cases of this fault can be fixed by methodical troubleshooting methods that attack the core connection and cache-related problems.
What is the Fortnite ESP-DIST-001 Error?
As per Epic Games’ official support documentation, ESP errors are essentially connection error codes that show up whenever your device is unable to successfully communicate with Fortnite servers. The error would normally appear as a red screen displaying the connection failure message, effectively preventing players from accessing any game mode or feature.
The primary causes of this error include outdated cache data conflicting with recent game updates, network connectivity issues, DNS problems, and occasionally server-side maintenance that hasn’t been properly communicated to players. Understanding these root causes is crucial for implementing the correct fix for your specific situation.
How to Fix Fortnite ESP-DIST-001 Error?
For Nintendo Switch users, the most effective solution involves clearing the console’s cache through the system settings:
Go to System Settings from your Nintendo Switch home screen and scroll down to System and click on Formatting Options. Click on Reset Cache and choose your user profile when asked. This deletes stored IDs, passwords, cookies, and cached web page data that could be interfering with Fortnite’s current server demands.
After clearing the cache, perform a complete restart by holding the power button for three seconds and selecting Turn Off from the power options menu. Wait until the console fully powers down, then restart it normally. This two-step process ensures that all problematic cached data is purged and the system starts fresh.
PlayStation users have two primary methods for resolving the ESP-DIST-001 error, depending on their console generation:
For PlayStation 5 users, you can access Safe Mode by pressing and holding the PS button on your controller, choosing Turn Off PS5, and allowing the power light to turn off entirely. Press and hold the power button on the console for seven seconds until you hear a second beep, then plug in your controller using a USB cable and press the PS button. Go to Clear Cache and Rebuild Database, and choose Clear System Software Cache.
For PlayStation 4 users, it is easier but involves physically unplugging the console. Completely shut down the PS4, unplug the power cord from the wall socket, wait for 30 seconds, and plug it back in and boot up the console. This process manually clears out corrupted temporary files that can cause connection problems.
Xbox users can empty their console cache from the system settings menu without needing to physically unplug:
Go to Settings, then System, and select Console Info. Select Reset Console and carefully choose Reset and Keep My Games and Apps to prevent loss of installed games and save data.
This procedure eliminates redundant system files and cached data without deleting your game library or progress. The reset normally takes a few minutes and involves a restart to finish the cache-clearing operation.
PC users playing Fortnite via the Epic Games Launcher have a few troubleshooting options, starting with clearing the launcher’s cache:
Press Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog, and in the dialogue box, enter %localappdata% and press Enter. Go to the EpicGamesLauncher folder, then Saved, and remove the webcache folder entirely. A few users might see more than one webcache folder that has numerical extensions such as webcache_4400 or webcache_4500 – remove all such folders.
After clearing the Epic Games Launcher cache, restart your computer and relaunch the launcher. The launcher will automatically rebuild its cache with current data, potentially resolving conflicts that caused the ESP-DIST-001 error.
Occasionally, the ESP-DIST-001 error results from valid server maintenance or unplanned downtime on Epic’s side. Before spending a lot of time troubleshooting, always check the official Epic Games Status site at status.epicgames.com or the Fortnite Status X account for the latest server status.
The ESP-DIST-001 bug can usually be fixed by systematic cache flushing and network settings tweaking. Most gamers use platform-specific cache-clearing procedures to fix it, so it is the best initial approach for any ESP-DIST-001 incident.
