Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 peaked at over 950,000 viewers as teams competed for a chance to qualify for the playoffs.
According to esports data platform Esports Charts, the final Swiss Stage of the Counter-Strike 2 tournament hit a peak of 970,598 viewers during a match between G2 Esports and Team Falcons.
Alongside a high viewership peak, Stage 3 of the tournament also recorded an average viewing figure of 552,748. This is currently a 17% decrease compared to the Stage 3 BLAST.TV Austin Major, which recorded an average of 667,705. Neverthless, the likelihood of this figure increasing during the playoffs is high.
Moreover, the Budapest Major has seen significant growth in Portuguese and Mongolian viewing figures. The Portuguese peak is already up 22% from the Austin Major’s third stage, peaking at 283,380 viewers, while the Mongolian broadcasts peaked at 86,634 viewers, a 65% increase from the entire Austin Major.
The Portuguese peak comes as a result of three Brazilian teams competing in Stage 3. While paiN Gaming and Imperial Esports didn’t qualify for playoffs, FURIA‘s 3-0 record saw the team become one of the first teams to book its place at the MVM Dome.
Compared to Stage 2 of the event, the Budapest Major’s peak viewership increased by over 300,000 as the battle for playoff spots intensified.
A Milestone For StarLadder
Despite several viewership categories declining compared to Stage 3 of the Austin Major, the Budapest Major is StarLadder’s most-watched esports event in the company’s history. The peak viewing figure from Stage 2 has already eclipsed the peak of 2019’s Berlin Major, which peaked at 836,306 during the Grand Final between Astralis and AVANGAR.
With Stage 3 almost eclipsing one million viewers, the playoffs have a strong chance of raising the peak further, as eight of the world’s best Counter-Strike teams compete for a chance to become a Major champion.
