Valve makes big change to CS2 roster rules before Budapest Major

Valve has made the regional invites for the Budapest Major public and amended its rules for CS2 roster changes mid-season in a move that could have a major impact on how pro Counter-Strike 2 teams operate.

CS2 Major invites are undergoing changes after the Austin Major ended in June, as Valve has canceled MRQs. Valve had announced that all 32 upcoming Budapest Major teams would be invited based on Valve Regional Standings. The upcoming tournament is set to take place between November 24 and December 14, and the teams participating at that event have not been announced yet.

Official invites will be revealed on October 8, but Valve has already added the regional invites to the CS Major Supplemental Rulebook. The regional invites for the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 are based on the results of the BLAST.tv Austin Major. Valve has also made a rule change for Majors starting with the Budapest Major that will significantly affect teams’ planning on the road to the Major competition.

Valve makes Major rule change for CS2 core rosters

Valve has added to its rulebook that the players who qualify for a CS2 Major must be part of the team’s qualifying core roster during the tournament, and teams can’t change that lineup after the fact.

The change made by Valve to its rulebook is regarding roster changes while a Major is ongoing. The five players who are registered in the VRS when the invites are sent become the team’s inflexible core roster. These players can’t be changed, and teams are only allowed to register one substitute, a player whose presence can’t change the team’s region.

The rule change could protect players by ensuring that if they are a part of a team’s Major qualification, they will have the opportunity to play for the team in that Major tournament. But while players will be better protected in this way, teams will now have less flexibility in deciding their rosters for Major championship play, beginning with the Budapest Major.

Valve hasn’t revealed official Major invites yet, but the game developer has made the regional invites public. CS2 fans now know how many spots each region is allocated. The Americas received two direct invites to Stage 3 and Stage 2, Asia received one for each stage, and Europe received five. This isn’t a drastic change from the Austin Major.

Europe remained consistent compared to the Austin Major, but the Americas loses one spot, while Asia gaines one. The 16 Stage 1 invites haven’t been announced yet and are stated to be determined. This may hint at Valve deviating from the previous structure, where Americas and Europe got six spots each, and Asia received four.