The new generation of esports: Rising stars of 2025

Esports continues to evolve at a blistering pace, and 2025 shapes up to be a breakout year for fresh talent. A new wave of players steps up, bringing bold styles and the hunger to claim their place among the greats. 

Key Takeaway:

• New esports stars like Karon, YEKINDAR, and Yuuji prove themselves on the big stage, showing that fresh talent can thrive in high-pressure, top-tier tournaments. 
• Veterans like Lep and Yopaj are making impactful comebacks, blending their experience with renewed motivation to disrupt the usual power rankings. 
• Many of these rising players are still under the radar, the perfect opportunity to spot potential value bets and back breakout performances in Gamdom.

Top-tier organisations give rookies and returning veterans their first Tier 1 shot, and their names turn heads across all esports titles. The most anticipated debuts are coming from Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Overwatch. These are the rising esports players to watch and bet on before they become household names.

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Counter-Strike 2: Pressure-tested in the post-CS:GO era

The year 2025 marks the second full competitive year of CS2, and the talent pool is stacked. Team rosters shuffle, meta shifts and evolve rapidly, and increased international parity introduces more esports rising stars to prove their mettle. These upcoming esports players rise to relevance through consistency, adaptability, and winning impact.

Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut

French AWPer ZywOo has long been a core member of Team Vitality and one of the most reliable players in the game. Some CS fans nicknamed him ‘The Chosen One’ for his feats in clutching tight matches. If Team Vitality is losing and ZywOo is the last man standing, they still have a strong chance to win that round.

In 2025, ZywOo remains a dominant force with 27 HLTV MVPs, two Majors, and an ESL Pro League Grand Slam title. His average rating rarely drops below 1.25, and he anchors his team with high-impact plays, cementing his role as a playmaker and anchor. 

Mario ‘malbsMd’ Samayoa

The Guatemalan phenom, malbsMd, exploded onto the Tier-1 scene after joining G2 Esports in June 2024. In the same year, he helped them win the BLAST Premier Fall Final and World Final, along with strong finishes at IEM Katowice and PGL Austin.

One of the greatest feats a rifler can showcase is their average kill/death ratio, and malbsMd boasts a 1.20+ K/D rating across LAN events. At just 22 years old, he represents a new generation of Latin American CS2 talent breaking into the Tier-1 scene. 

Mareks ‘YEKINDAR’ Gaļinskis

Latvian entry fragger YEKINDAR played a crucial role in shaping Team Liquid’s aggressive style after signing in October 2022 from Virtus.pro. However, the 2024-25 season was a challenging year for him, as he spent the majority of the year on the bench. In April 2025, he moved to Team FURIA as a stand‑in, where he began the 2025 CS2 season aiming to reassert himself among the elite. 

YEKINDAR has a strong grasp of tempo and rotations, which are essential for his role in high-pressure games. He consistently posts strong LAN ratings and multi-kill rounds, creating offensive opportunities for his teammates across CS2 maps. The Latvian star is also known for his adaptability and mid-round calling ability. 

VALORANT: New blood in the age of superteams

VALORANT enters its fifth year of international competition, and the superteam era is in full swing with iconic duos and veterans. In 2025, fresh talent is breaking through, and these rising players won’t settle for being on the bench or just filling roles. They’re set to take centre stage and etch their names among superstars. 

Kim ‘Karon’ Won-tae

Karon joined Gen.G Esports in November 2023, officially debuting at the Convergence 2023. It wasn’t an impressive run, having placed only 3rd-4th in an A-tier event, but he turned it around on his official S-tier debut at the VCT 2024: Pacific Kickoff. Karon played a crucial role in Gen.G Esports’ 1st place victory, earning the MVP award. 

With calculated aggression and sharp mechanical discipline, Karon typically showcases his strength in stabilising force in high-pressure skirmishes. He’s instrumental in Gen.G Esports’ strong international showings in recent years, including standout maps at Masters Shanghai 2024 and VCT 2025. 

Clément ‘CyvOph’ Millard

French VALORANT pro CyvOph has steadily climbed Europe’s competitive ranks since debuting in 2021. His breakthrough came with a 3rd-place finish at VALORANT Challengers 2025 EMEA: Stage 1 while playing for Team Mandatory, which caught the attention of top-tier squads. 

In March 2025, CyvOph joined Team Vitality before being loaned to Joblife, gaining exposure to both Tier A and S-level tournaments, including a 7th–8th place finish at VCT 2025: EMEA Stage 1. Known for his role anchoring sites and shutting down enemy advances, CyvOph continues to build a name for himself in the EMEA region.

League of Legends: From small time to primetime heroes

It takes a lot to stand out in League of Legends’ (LoL) massive global ecosystem, but two new esports players persevered. They proved that they are fit to play with the top teams in LoL through resilience, adaptability, and clutch factor. These are the esports players to watch in the latter split of 2025, and what to expect from their performance.

Ganbat ‘Yuuji’ Ulziidelger

Yuuji made a smooth transition into the unforgiving North American scene, helping Team Liquid secure 4th place at the LoL Championship of the Americas (LTA) North Split 2 playoffs. His debut reflected the same dominant form that earned him back-to-back MVP titles and a championship win in the North American Challenge League (NACL).

He made a strong impact in his first match with Team Liquid, helping them win 2-0 against Shopify Rebellion. His performance showed that he’s always been above Tier 2, and now the global LoL scene knows what he can do in 2025. 

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Simon 'TheBausffs' Hofverberg

TheBausffs, a.k.a Baus, has faced criticisms in League of Legends when he spent much of his early career as a streamer known for trolling, which led to a Riot Games ban. He eventually moved on and became a pro player, but with low expectations. That changed at the EMEA Masters 2025 Spring, where he played top laner for Los Ratones. 

At the Tier A tournament, TheBausffs played the top lane where his mastery in the position shone brightly. He still kept his meme-like play style, which entertained audiences watching him, but kept a level-headed approach to every situation. Fans expect to see more of TheBausffs as one of the esports players to watch with high expectations in 2025. 

Dota 2: A region’s hope, and a roster’s spark 

In a competitive landscape often dominated by familiar faces, a rising Dota 2 player must make every match count to stand out. In 2025, new talents step up with bold lane performances and playmaking confidence that shift momentum for their teams. Here’s one of the top upcoming esports players proving that he belongs in the conversation.

Erin Jasper ‘Yopaj’ Ferrer

Yopaj Ferrer is one of the Philippines’ most explosive Dota 2 mid-laners. Since joining Shopify Rebellion in November 2023, he’s helped the team top the DreamLeague Season 22 North America Open Qualifier. His best Tier 1 performance to date is reaching the 6th place at FISSURE Universe Episode 5. 

With heroes like Earth Spirit, Ember Spirit, and Void Spirit, Yopaj anchors Shopify Rebellion’s mid lane with relentless aggression. These heroes reflect his aggressive playstyle, dominating map presence, and tempo control as both anchor and playmaker for his team.

Overwatch 2: A second wind in the new era

The Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) marks a fresh chapter for Overwatch 2 esports after the Overwatch League era. With a redefined competitive landscape and shifting team dynamics, one returning player proves that experience still has its place. In 2025, he’s not just chasing a comeback; he’s aiming to rewrite his story.

Joseph ‘Lep’ Cambriani

After years in the competitive grind, Lep is reclaiming the spotlight in 2025 as a support player for NTMR. Before signing, Lep made headlines helping Northwood University secure its first Overwatch Collegiate Homecoming 2021 championship. NTMR needed his firepower as a newcomer to compete against the top teams in Overwatch 2.

Lep played for both collegiate and professional scenes in 2024 and is set to reach new heights in 2025. Now with NTMR, balancing experience and hunger for the spotlight, he aims to secure a spot at the 2025 Esports World Cup in Overwatch. Lep once again proves that his best years may still be ahead, and you can watch him soar in 2025 alongside other promising new esports players.

Who are the upcoming new esports players?

This is a list of names from different esports where all of whom have one thing in common: the potential to become superstars in 2025. They all have at least 2 or 3 years of experience in pro play and have rarely stepped up in the top-tier leagues. 

The year 2025 marks a turning point, as top-tier organisations are finally giving these rising stars their long-overdue break. Keep an eye on these esports players as they step onto the big stage and go head-to-head with the giants of their game.

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Bet on each featured team and their future matches right here at Gamdom, the best crypto esports betting website. Whether they’re rising through the ranks or making long-awaited comebacks, these players have the potential to shift the odds and win a big upset. 

Spot the momentum early and back these breakout names before the rest of the world catches on. Join Gamdom for competitive odds, lightning-fast crypto payments, and in-play betting that puts you right in the action.

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