In Counter-Strike, "old" usually means a pro over 30, and at the top level of CS2, as in CS:GO before it, there are only a handful of them. The best-known veterans are FaZe captain karrigan (born 1990), Denmark's Snappi, Brazilian AWPer FalleN (born 1991) and Poland's TaZ (born 1986), while the amateur record belongs to Silver Snipers, a Swedish team of retirees. Below is a look at each of them and at why staying at the top gets so hard with age.
Counter-Strike demands split-second decisions and fast reactions, so age shows earlier here than in most sports. The move to CS2 in September 2023 did not change that: the new game, like the old one, is led by players in their early twenties (the main differences between the two are covered in Counter-Strike 2 vs CS:GO).
No scientific study has looked at the optimal age for Counter-Strike specifically. In 2014, however, Simon Fraser University in Canada studied StarCraft players. The researchers found that reaction speed peaks on average at 24, and the ability to think quickly and make decisions peaks between 20 and 25. Their conclusion was blunt: after 30, competing with younger players gets noticeably harder.
The best-known older CS:GO and CS2 pros:
karrigan (Finn Andersen, Denmark), born 1990, longtime FaZe captain and 2022 Major champion.
Snappi (Marco Pfeiffer, Denmark), born in the early 1990s, captain of ENCE and Team Falcons.
FalleN (Gabriel Toledo, Brazil), born 1991, two-time Major champion who has played for FURIA in recent years.
FalleN
Gabriel Toledo from Brazil is third on our list. What sets him apart is that AWPers rarely take on the in-game leader role in Counter-Strike, yet FalleN handled both jobs with apparent ease. Past 30 he still plays at a respectable level, although his best years are behind him.
His peak came in 2015 and 2016: in 2016 FalleN won two Majors, MLG Columbus and ESL One Cologne, and was recognized as one of the best AWPers and captains in the world. Over his career he has earned more than a million dollars in prize money.
To become a good AWPer, FalleN advises beginners to practice flicks (snapping the crosshair onto a target with one quick movement), use the element of surprise and avoid mistakes in positioning.
Snappi
Second on the list is Marco Pfeiffer from Denmark.
Snappi became one of the most productive players over 30: well into his thirties he regularly placed high in the world rankings.
At ENCE and Team Falcons he was the in-game leader, and at various points he also played entry fragger, the player who goes onto the site first and is expected to open the round.
Marco is a rare case of a consistent player who has never won a Major. The likely reason is how often he changed teams: over a decade-long career Snappi went through more than ten lineups. It is hard to build full synergy with teammates in that time, so his trophies and prize money are more modest than you would expect from a player of his level.
Did You Know?
Before we get to number one on our list, a few interesting facts:
Denmark, France and Brazil have traditionally supplied the most older pros on the top scene. Young stars like donk break into the top as teenagers, which makes players over 30 stand out even more.
Players from the CIS are fairly young by Counter-Strike standards. One of the most experienced is Hobbit (Abay Khassenov from Kazakhstan, born 1994), who won the PGL Kraków 2017 Major with Gambit. After a three-year slump he returned to the elite in 2021. The likely reason there are few top CIS players over 30 is the strong competition from younger players.
One of the oldest players in the history of the top scene is TaZ (Wiktor Wojtas, Poland, born 1986). He no longer competes with the young on equal terms, but his authority is huge: TaZ won major titles in the CS 1.6 era and lifted the EMS One Katowice 2014 Major with Virtus.pro while today's CS2 stars were in kindergarten. For a look at what a legend's inventory looks like, see s1mple’s skin loadout.
Karrigan
Now we come to the oldest professional on our list. Finn Andersen from Denmark plays under the nickname karrigan and has captained FaZe for years. He was born in 1990 and kept playing at the top level of Counter-Strike 2 past the age of 35.
Like Snappi, Finn is his team's in-game leader, and earlier in his career he also played entry fragger.
His biggest win came after 30: in 2022 FaZe, led by karrigan, won the PGL Major Antwerp. Before that he spent years winning at ESL One, ESL Pro League and ELEAGUE events and earned more than a million dollars in prize money. The skins Major players use are covered in our article on skins of famous players from the Shanghai Major.
Reportedly, Finn earned a degree from Copenhagen Business School. So karrigan seems to have prepared for the end of his playing career and may already have plans outside esports.
Interestingly, Finn's father supported his passion for the game and would sometimes travel with karrigan to tournaments.
CS2: A Game for the Young?
At the highest level, clearly yes: nature can't be cheated. Just compare the settings and playstyle of NiKo and other stars of the new generation with the veterans. Outside the top scene, though, surprises happen. Sweden has a team called Silver Snipers, made up of retirees over 60, which played at DreamHack show events. Its members treated Counter-Strike as a sport rather than a pastime and trained for several hours a day.
The team's oldest member, Abbe Drakborg, was already past 75 at the team's peak, which makes him one of the oldest CS:GO players ever. As Abbe put it, age is just a number, and "you can't be too old to play video games."
