Tournament formats in Counter-Strike esports rarely change, with several event organisers often opting for a Swiss Stage followed by a Playoff to determine the eventual champion.
However, in January 2025, BLAST tweaked the system slightly, launching its Bounty event that saw the world’s best teams each have a monetary bounty instead of prize money distributed based on placement.
Ahead of BLAST Bounty Season 1 2026, Esports Insider takes a closer look at the event’s format with fresh insight from the tournament organiser.
BLAST Bounty Season 1 2026 Format
The $500,000 (~£371,480) prize pool up for grabs is split among the top 16 teams from the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). The teams seeded from 17th to 32nd are therefore the ‘bounty hunters’ and have selected their opponents from the draft stage. These teams have a chance to win a 50% share of the bounty.
In the round of 32, Virtus.pro selected Team Vitality, which has a $60,000 (~£44,566) bounty on its head. If Virtus.pro defeats Team Vitality, it wins $30,000 (~£22.283) as a guaranteed payout, while the other $30,000 carries forward to the next round with the aim of raising the stakes further.
“As we entered 2025, we really wanted to create something new and unique for this new era of Counter-Strike,” revealed a BLAST spokesperson to Esports Insider.
“The CS calendar is incredibly busy, with lots of events across the year, so we saw Bounty as a great opportunity to create something fresh and unique, offering fans a new tournament experience.”
At the end of each round, the lower-ranked teams continue choosing their opponents until the Grand Final, where the two remaining teams compete for a chance to lift the trophy.
Format Changes
For 2026, BLAST has moved away from teams wagering their bounties before a match takes place, launching a non-monetary mechanic that debuts at Bounty Season 1. Previous editions of the tournament rarely saw teams put their prize money on the line in case an underdog side defied the odds and scored an upset.
“2025 proved the importance of VRS points in this new Counter-Strike climate and just how valuable every single point is on teams’ quests to qualify for events and climb the rankings,” added BLAST.
“Wagering didn’t quite work out the way we wanted to, so we’ve gone back to the drawing board and adapted the Bounty format moving forward. We’re always reflecting and analysing our formats for improvements and changes, not just for Bounty but also our Open and Rivals events.”
