StarCraft 2 might not be the newest esports title around, but its longevity and continued popularity so long after release is pretty impressive. It still has one of the most active and exciting esports scenes, over a decade since the game launched. Some of the best StarCraft 2 players ever are currently still active in the game. There are a few individuals who really do stand out above the competition, those who tend to come out ahead in most competitions.
The answer to who is the best StarCraft player is still a difficult one..
Ours isn’t a fully objective list. However, it is based on the most recent results with a look at longer-term performance. For example, a number of major players lost their high ranking at the last major. This has resulted in quite a bit of a change in these rankings even if they performed very strongly in previous years.
Rogue winning GSL 2025 Season 1
Best StarCraft 2 Players
StarCraft has a lot of players in competition at any one time. Typically, Korean players tend to dominate the top flight. This can leave things like the best StarCraft 2 players kind of lopsided since the other regions like Europe don’t attract as much attention.
Some players have pulled off impressive feats in the past, this is more weighted towards more recent tournaments. Something else to keep in mind is that western players do more tournaments in total. This sometimes means their score or rank is higher, if just from having more recent games and wins. However, it doesn’t mean they’ll always triumph in direct matchups against others.
1. Oliveira
Source: StarCraftHistorian
IEM Katowice this year saw a bit of a big change in powers, with Oliveira taking the first place. The Chinese player has been active since 2013, but has risen to the absolute top of the pack this year. He could be the best StarCraft 2 player right now. This was one of the biggest upsets in StarCraft 2. The player beat Maru in the final and managed to win 4:1.
This big win definitely puts him on the top of StarCraft 2 right now. Where will he be at the end of the current year though? He’s looking strong for the 2025 Katowice too.
We’ve seen Oliveira win a regional event and secure his spot early at the early. Only time will tell if he can repeat the feet, but his current ranking definitely puts him as a contender for holding that number 1 spot.
2. Maru
Maru isn’t quite number one yet, but he’s still one of the top players. He still retains the glory achieved from his youth and is one of the veteran prodigies of the scene. His biggest accomplishment is being a back-to-back champion at the GSL. He looked strong at the 2025 IEM Katowice, but he ended up faltering a little, finishing in the quarter-finals in 2025 and third to fourth the year prior. In 2025 he did manage to take 2nd though, which showed real improvement from the player. He still remains the only player with three domestic titles to his name as well as being the first player to break through 3000 points on Aligulac!
In 2025, Maru has won tons of tournaments. He’s recently won at the World Team League 2025 Winter, the Cursory Cup, and WardiTV Korean Royale. Before this, Maru has had some strong placements earlier in 2025. He won first place at the 2025 Global StarCraft 2 League Season 1 Code 5, beating Cure. He took a high ranking at DH SC2 Masters 2025 Atlanta, along with placing 2nd at IEM Katowice 2025. Maru’s the kind of player that proves StarCraft 2 isn’t dead, pushing forward year after year.
3. Serral
Serral is an older player who has spent a while at the very top of the game in recent years. At IEM Katowice 2025, the player took first place beating out many of the other best StarCraft 2 players. Prior to this, he has strong results across tournaments. Including consistently placing high in DH SC2 Masters events, such as winning in Winter for Europe in 2025 and Fall. This all led to his big victory at IEM Katowice.
Since that major tournament, he’s kept up strong form. Serral has taken first at multiple events since. He’s beat Clem and Meru at TeamLiquid StarLeague and the HomeStory Cup. In 2025’s later DH SC2 Masters events, he’s kept this strong performance up. The player consistently puts in outstanding performances across the board, even as a “washed out” veteran.
© HSC 2020
Serral has continued to perform well in 2025. He’s won the Summer SC2 Masters event for Europe, and the ESL SC2 Masters Winter. He could definitely rise back up the rankings at IEM Katowice this year.
4. RagnaroK/Shin
RagnaroK is another Korean player, one who has recently started to play under the name Shin instead. He’s been active in the game since 2011, being one of the longer-serving players to stick in the top flight of the game. In recent major results, they’ve stuck around at the highest level of the game’s skill though.
Source: Shineebeom, YouTube
RagnaroK came in 3-4th at IEM Katowice 2025. An impressive achievement and it shows their skills haven’t dulled over the years. Even outside of this big event their recent results are impressive. They won WardiTV Christmas Invitationals, came second in a Global StarCraft League event, and more. Shin could still make number 1 again in his long career.
5. Dark
Dark is a player with some impressive results in recent years for StarCraft II. Most notably, he topped the EPT KR rank in 2025. By competing in so many events, he climbed to number 1 on this scoreboard. This sheer number of wins is reflected in his winnings, crossing $1 million. He’s been active since 2012 and is still climbing in the game.
Source: WESG
Most recently, Dark came in 2nd at the ESL SC2 Masters Winter, only just losing out to Clem. He’s also taken third and fourth at the Global StarCraft II League Season 3. Plus coming in joint 5, 6, 7, 8 at IEM Katowice 2025. His wins are a common feature in StarCraft news and he’s a player worth watching.
6. Cure
Cure is a Korean StarCraft 2 player who has been active since 2011. In over ten years, he’s racked up some decent accomplishments and risen to the top flight of the game. Cure is currently with Team Liquid, but he previously stayed with Jin Air Green Wings for over six years. Cure’s long career in the game took a while to rise to the very top. He’s won a few accolades along the way through, like regular-season MVP at the World Team League.
© Red Bull
In the past, he had some great results. Including taking first at the World Team League for both Summer and Winter in 2025. In terms of his recent performances, Cure has picked up steam lately. He came in second at the 2025 DH SC2 Masters Last Chance. This is an impressive showing but it wasn’t a one-off.
Cure took joint third-fourth at the 2025 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament 3. Along with first at the 2025 Global StarCraft II League Season 3. Across 2025 he’s won events like the Cursory Cup, 3-4th at Winter ESL SC2 Masters, and 2nd at the World Team League 2025. He’s ranked highly against the other best StarCraft 2 players too.
7. Solar
Solar is another Korean player that has been a part of Onsyde gaming. He’s been active since 2011 and has amassed nearly half a million in prize money along the way. In recent performances, he has achieved a lot of consistency and even came 5-8th at IEM Katowice 2025.
Kang “Solar” Min-soo
In 2025, he had a strong year. He took third at the recent World Team League 2025 Summer, and third-fourth at DH SC2 Masters Last Chance 2025. In late 2025 and early 24, he’s had great finishes too. That includes winning team events like the World Team League, the Cursory Cup, and the 2025 League Season 3 Code S event.
8. Reynor
Reynor is an Italian player who proves that there are still chances for international players in StarCraft 2. He’s been a major part of the community for a while but has been most active since 2013. In the past, he’s looked like one of if not the best StarCraft 2 players. In recent years he’s stepped up though and achieved major wins pretty consistently. He’s risen back up the list this year, after a strong season. He took fifth at the most recent IEM Katowice and has won in the past.
© Red Bull
The player is one of the most decorated in StarCraft history. He’s been the youngest player to win IEM Katowice and the only player to win both regional and seasonal finals in the same DH Masters event. Reynor’s records might usually acknowledge his success at a young age, but he’s not done. He’s still one of the best StarCraft 2 players.
Those are the top StarCraft 2 players going into 2025. IEM Katowice 2025 saw some of the biggest upsets we’ve ever had in StarCraft, so things could remain unpredictable this year too.
Best Starcraft Players in Early 2025
1. Serral
Serral is an older player who finally hit the very top of the game in recent years. At IEM Katowice 2025, the player took first place beating out many of the other best StarCraft 2 players. Prior to this, he has strong results across tournaments. Including consistently placing high in DH SC2 Masters events, such as winning in Winter for Europe in 2025 and Fall. This all led to his big victory at IEM Katowice.
Since that major tournament, he’s shown no drop in form. Serral has taken first at multiple events since. He’s beat Clem and Meru at TeamLiquid StarLeague and the HomeStory Cup. In 2025’s later DH SC2 Masters events, he’s kept this strong performance up. Serral looks like he has a real shot at repeating his big win in 2025., The player consistently puts in outstanding performances across the board, even as a “washed out” veteran. He might be the best StarCraft 2 player.
2. Reynor
Reynor is an Italian player who proves that there are still chances for international players in StarCraft 2. He’s been a major part of the community for a while but has been most active since 2013. In the past, he’s looked like one of if not the best StarCraft 2 players. In recent years he’s stepped up though and achieved major wins pretty consistently. He’s risen back up the list in 2025, after a strong season. He took second at the most recent IEM Katowice and first the year before.
His strongest results to date have included firstt at the DH SC2 Masters 2025 Summer Final and In the time since he’s continued to get good results. Most recently placing second at DH SC2 Masters 2025 Atlanta. The player is one of the most decorated in StarCraft history. He’s been the youngest player to win IEM Katowice and the only player to win both regional and seasonal finals in the same DH Masters event. Reynor’s records might usually acknowledge his success at a young age, but he’s not done. He’s still one of the best StarCraft 2 players.
3. Rogue
Rogue is another Korean player who is currently a part of Dragon Phoenix Gaming. Out of the StarCraft 2 best players, he has some impressive results. He won the Global StarCraft League’s first season in 2021, the Global StarCraft II League Season 2 in 2020, and IEM Katowice 2020. Although, missed out in 2025 and 2025 to the two players above him here, but still placed well. He came in third at the most recent event.
The player rankings for StarCraft are more of a snapshot of the game’s current competitive balance rather than a definitive ranking. However, they are important for looking at who is the best StarCraft 2 player. Rogue’s consistent big wins in tournaments both put him high in the rankings, and show what he can do. He’s had a strong summer and looks set to come into 2025 as a player to watch.
4. HeRoMaRinE
HeRoMaRinE is a more recent addition to the best StarCraft 2 players, although he’s been active since 2018. He doesn’t have a recent huge win like some of the others here, but he’s definitely on the rise. He’s been grabbing third or fourth place finishes at most DH SC2 Masters events across 2021, and one in 2025. At IEM Katowice he took 3-4th place too. HeRoMaRinE is one of the top StarCraft 2 players to watch this season.
5. MaruMaru is down a bit from previous rankings, but he’s still one of the top players. Maru still retains the glory achieved from his youth and is one of the veteran prodigies of the scene. His biggest accomplishment is being back-to-back champion at the GSL. He looked strong at the 2025 IEM Katowice, but he ended up faltering a little, finishing in the quarter-finals in 2025 and third to fourth the year prior. He still remains the only player with three domestic titles to his name.
Maru has had some strong placements since the early 2025 too. He took a high ranking at DH SC2 Masters 2025 Atlanta, along with winning an event at the Global StarCraft 2 League. He might finally be able to make the jump up in 2025.
6. Cure
Cure is a Korean StarCraft 2 player who has been active since 2011. In over ten years, he’s racked up some decent accomplishments and risen to the top flight of the game. Cure is currently with Dragon Phoenix Gaming, but he previously stayed with Jin Air Green Wings for over six years. Cure’s long career in the game took a while to rise to the very top. He’s won a few accolades along the way through, like regular-season MVP at the World Team League.
In terms of his recent performances, Cure has picked up steam lately. He came in second at the 2025 DH SC2 Masters Last Chance. This is an impressive showing but it wasn’t a one-off. Cure took joint third-fourth at the 2025 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament 3. Along with first at the 2025 Global StarCraft II League Season 3.
More recently, he’s taken first at the World Team League for both Summer and Winter. These results mark him as a player to keep an eye on for the 2025 events. Cure might be able to really break the top flight of IEM Katowice this year.
Solar is another Korean player that has been a part of KaiZi gaming. He’s been active since 2011 and has amassed nearly half a million in prize money along the way. In recent performances, he has achieved a lot of consistency.
In recent tournaments, he’s done well in 2025. Taking third at the recent World Team League 2025 Summer, and third-fourth at DH SC2 Masters Last chance 2025. Solar needs a bit more of a jump to get up to the winner’s spot at the bigger major tournaments. However, he’s definitely one of the best StarCraft 2 players in 2025.
Those are the top StarCraft 2 players going into 2025. We’re close to IEM Katowice 2025 now though, where we’ll surely have to revaluate which player stands where in the game.
Best Starcraft Players going into 2025
1. Maru
Maru retains his #1 spot from our previous rankings with ease. He still retains the glory achieved from his youth and is one of the veteran prodigies of the scene. His biggest accomplishment is being back-to-back champion at the GSL, but this year he looks to finally claim the IEM Katowice trophy after finishing bronze two years in a row. He still remains the only player with three domestic titles to his name.
Maru isn’t sat here at number 1 because of his past accomplishments. Even in 2025, he’s already won a major event. Maru came in 1st at the DH SC2 Masters 2021: Last Chance. He took the same top spot at the Winer Season Finals, a pretty big achievement for the year. Maru is definitely the player to beat at the moment in StarCraft.
2. Cure
Cure is a Korean StarCraft 2 player who has been active since 2011. In that time, he’s racked up some decent accomplishments and risen to the top flight of the game. Cure is currently with Dragon Phoenix Gaming, but he previously stayed with Jin Air Green Wings for over six years. Cure’s long career in the game has taken a while to rise to the very top. He’s won a few accolades along the way through, like regular-season MVP at the World Team League last year.
In terms of his recent performances, Cure is kind of an up-and-comer. He came in 2nd at the 2025 DH SC2 Masters Last Chance. This is an impressive showing but it wasn’t a one-off. Cure took joint 3-4th at the 2025 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament 3. Along with 1st at the 2025 Global StarCraft II League Season 3. These are three very impressive results coming in the last few months.
Before the end of 2021, Cure was a player who hasn’t quite broken into the top batch. He pulled off a 3-4th finish at the Summer season finals and the result for 2025 StarCraft II League Season 1. While he was in the top part of the community, Cure seems to have broken through that barrier to winning major events. 2025 looks set to be an interesting year for Cure.
3. Solar
Solar is another Korean player that has been a part of KaiZi gaming. He’s been active since 2011 and has amassed nearly half a million in prize money along the way. In recent performances, he has achieved a lot of consistency. While it was been a little while since he had a big win, his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th placements have been very consistent.
Solar took home 3-4th at the recent DH SC2 Masters 2025 last Chance, AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament 3, and the 2025 AfreecaTV Super Tournament. His second-place results included the NeXT 2025 S1, where he came out just shy of victory 3-4 against Trap.
Solar needs a bit more of a jump to get up to the winner’s spot at these major tournaments, he’s lost out to Maru on a few occasions. However, he’s definitely one of the best StarCraft 2 players in 2025.
4. Reynor
Reynor is an Italian player who proves that there are still chances for international players in StarCraft 2. He’s been a major part of the community for a while but has been active since 2013. In the past, he’s taken looked like one of if not the best StarCraft 2 players. He’s been achieving major wins pretty consistently. He is slightly down this list at the moment, after a few weaker performances.
His strongest results to date have included 1st at the DH SC2 Masters 2025 Summer Final and IEM Katowice 2021. He’s also taken 2nd at the 2025 Summer Europe DH SC2 Masters and 2025 Winter. More recently, he’s been a bit slower though. He came in 5th-8th at the 2025 Masters Last Chance 2025. This is a bit of a disappointment. However, it isn’t enough of a drop to warrant downgrading expectations of him. Reynor is still one of the top players in the game.
5. Serral
Serral still retains his spot in the top 5 coming into Katowice 2025. Continuing his decade long pursuit for Starcraft dominance, 2025 may be the year he finally climbs to the top of the scene globally. He’s cleared second place in DH SC2 Masters 2025 Fall in Europe, in the Masters Last Chance 2021, and won the Masters 2025 Winter season finals. Serral puts in consistently outstanding performances across the board even as a “washed out” veteran.
6. Rogue
Rogue is another Korean player who is currently a part of Dragon Phoenix Gaming. In most recent seasons, he’s sat pretty high in StarCraft 2 rankings. Out of the StarCraft 2 best players, he has some impressive results. He won the Global StarCraft League’s first season in 2021, the Global StarCraft II League Season 2 in 2020, and IEM Katowice 2020. These are some of the biggest events of the season, and he won them convincingly.
The player rankings for StarCraft are more of a snapshot of the game’s current competitive balance rather than a definitive ranking. However, they are important for looking at who is the best StarCraft 2 player. Rogue’s consistent big wins in tournaments both put him high in the rankings, and show what he can do. Rogue has the performance to clearly set himself apart from most other StarCraft 2 players.
There you have it, six players worthy of your attention for the rest of 2025. There’s plenty more Starcraft to be played by the end of the year, and our ranking order might change drastically by the end of it.
Quick List
| Serral |
| Reynor |
| Rogue |
| HeRoMaRinE |
| Maru |
| Cure |
| Solar |
Best SC2 players in 2021
1. Maru
In terms of who is the best StarCraft player, Maru might be the single best one around at the moment. He originally came to prominence as being one of the most successful players at the youngest age. He won a televised game at only 13. One of Maru’s biggest accomplishments was being back-to-back champion at the GSL, as well as the youngest player with four GSL titles. He is one of very few players to achieve this feat, and the only one with three domestic titles to his name.
It all shows his strength in the game as one of the best StarCraft 2 players. Maru’s accomplishments stretch out pretty wide. However, the player isn’t done yet. His shoulder issues are being addressed, and he is still a big contender for the top spot at major competitions by end of year.
2. Clem
When looking at the best StarCraft 2 players, Clem is one of the first players that come to most people’s minds. Clem is notable for being probably the best non-Korean StarCraft players since they do tend to dominate the top end of the player base. His recent results have included taking first at the DH SC2 Masters Fall Europe 2025 and Summer. Prior to this, he took 3-4th at the Last Chance and the Winter Season Finals, while winning the Europe finals for 2025 too.
Clem’s results speak for themselves. He is an outstanding player who is still very much at the top of his game. While Europe isn’t as competitive for StarCraft, Clem can compete with just about any player in the game.
© HSC 2020
3. Rogue
Rogue is another Korean player who is currently a part of Dragon Phoenix Gaming. In most recent seasons, he’s sat pretty high in StarCraft 2 rankings. Out of the StarCraft 2 best players, he has some impressive results. He won the Global StarCraft League’s first season in 2021, the Global StarCraft II League Season 2 in 2020, and IEM Katowice 2020. These are some of the biggest events of the season, and he won them convincingly.
The player rankings for StarCraft are more of a snapshot of the game’s current competitive balance rather than a definitive ranking. However, they are important for looking at who is the best StarCraft 2 player. Rogue’s consistent big wins in tournaments both put him high in the rankings, and show what he can do. Rogue has the performance to clearly set himself apart from most other StarCraft 2 players.
4. Serral
If you’re wondering who is the best StarCraft player in the world, Serral easily hits the top 5. He’s a player for ENCE esports. Serral is the only one of the “elders” listed here. Having been active since 2011, he has been instrumental for the SC2 scene for over a decade. In that time, he’s had some great results. He’s cleared second place in DH SC2 Masters 2025 Fall in Europe, in the Masters Last Chance 2021, and won the Masters 2025 Winter season finals. Serral puts in consistently outstanding performances across the board even as a “washed out” veteran.
5. INnoVation
INoVation rounds out the top five best StarCraft 2 players at the moment. He’s a South Korean Terran player who has previously been known as Bogus. INoVation has been active since 2012, and while he’s had ups and downs he has been pretty consistent across that time. Some of his best results have included winning the World Electronic Sports Games in 2018 and the Gold Professional Championship 2019. He hasn’t exactly fallen off in years since either. In 2021, he came 3-4th in DH SC2 Masters 2025 Summer Finals and the Fall Season Finals in 2020.
There you have it, five players worthy of your attention for the rest of 2025. There’s plenty more Starcraft to be played by the end of the year, and our ranking order might change drastically by the end of it.
