Counter-Strike outperformed Valorant in early-2026 S-tier viewership, generating 205 million hours watched compared to Valorant’s 130 million.
Counter-Strike achieved a peak viewership of 1.38 million, more than double Valorant’s peak of approximately 650,000.
Counter-Strike demonstrated higher audience density, maintaining a weighted average of 292,000 viewers versus 141,000 for Valorant.
Counter-Strike achieved superior engagement metrics despite having significantly less broadcast time, totaling 702 hours compared to Valorant’s 926 hours.
The viewership disparity is driven by tournament structure, as Counter-Strike’s international major-centric model concentrates global fanbases, while Valorant’s VCT system spreads elite viewership across regional broadcasts.
The data, covering global S-tier events from January to May 2026, indicates that Valorant’s regional focus builds localized audiences at the expense of overall broadcast density.
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