KRAFTON has spotlighted Virtus.pro’s 2026 run in PUBG: Battlegrounds after the team won PGS 10 and moved into a commanding position in the PGS Points standings. In an official post published on October 22, the developer described Virtus.pro as PUBG Esports’ new dominant force, pointing to a season of repeated podium finishes across major events.
The post presents the team’s rise as a clear break from the previous cycle, when Twisted Minds set the pace. KRAFTON says the shift came from a European roster that has paired consistent results with sharper decision-making and a stronger championship approach than many of its rivals. Virtus.pro’s PGS 10 title adds to a year that already included a championship at PGS 3, second place at PEC Spring, third at PGS 5, a title at the Esports World Cup, runner-up finishes at PGS 7 and PGS 8, and another second-place finish at PEC Fall.
Virtus.pro’s results across the 2026 season
KRAFTON says Virtus.pro’s momentum started with its PGS 3 championship, then carried through each major stop on the calendar. After taking second at PEC Spring, the roster placed third at PGS 5 before winning the Esports World Cup. Two more runner-up finishes followed at PGS 7 and PGS 8, then another second place at PEC Fall. PGS 10 added another trophy and pushed the team to the front of the points race.
The developer also contrasts the current lineup with the version that played through 2025. Virtus.pro finished as runner-up at PGS 9 and then won PGS 10, but it still had to settle for second at PGC 2025. KRAFTON describes the 2026 team as a different group under pressure, one that has turned strong placements into a sustained run of titles and near misses at the top of the standings.
That broader climb has been covered in GAMER2GO’s ongoing PUBG Esports reporting, including our previous report on PGS 10’s final stage as the race toward PGC 2026 entered its last three events.
ibiza’s coaching shift and curexi’s arrival
One of the biggest changes, according to KRAFTON, happened in mid-2025. After announcing his retirement as a professional player, ibiza moved into a coaching role with Virtus.pro, while curexi joined the roster to replace the open spot. KRAFTON says ibiza made his professional debut in 2018 and spent the rest of his career building a reputation as one of Europe’s most experienced veterans.
Before stepping into coaching, ibiza had served as the team’s in-game leader. In his new role, KRAFTON says he has used the experience and strategic knowledge built over a long career to prepare the team for each tournament in a more tailored way. Curexi, who previously played for Heroic and FaZe Clan, adapted quickly to the roster and strengthened the team’s overall balance without taking long to settle in.
The post links that personnel change to the team’s form throughout the season. KRAFTON says Virtus.pro has become more precise about how it prepares, how it divides responsibility in matches and how it shifts between aggression and restraint depending on the situation. That mix, the developer argues, has helped keep the team difficult to beat at major events.
Three strengths KRAFTON says define the roster
KRAFTON breaks Virtus.pro’s success into three main strengths: decision-making under pressure, elite fighting skill and a championship-focused strategic mindset. The first is the team’s ability to make quick, accurate choices when a fight or rotation changes in an instant. Lukarux, the in-game leader, is credited with identifying which positions to take and which routes to use, while the other players adjust in real time to support the larger plan.
The post says those calls come from confidence in the team’s ability to win fights and a clear sense of what to prioritize when the pressure rises. Rather than weighing too many options, Virtus.pro commits once it identifies a target. KRAFTON says that willingness to act quickly is part of why the team can play more aggressively than many others while still keeping its shape.
The second strength is raw mechanical skill. KRAFTON singles out NIXZYEE as the most formidable fighting player in 2026, saying he combines a wide range of combat techniques and movement skills with strong firepower and teamwork. The developer says his scoped sprays are precise, his peeks are extremely fast and his movement makes him hard to read. It also says he keeps studying and refining new techniques rather than sticking to one style.
Beami and curexi also receive praise for long-range damage, especially with sniper rifles. KRAFTON says they often secure the first knock in fights and open the door for the rest of the team to push. The post says their headshot accuracy often exceeds 30%, compared with the roughly 20% mark it gives for many professional players. That precision, according to KRAFTON, helps Virtus.pro force opponents out of position and seize space on the map.
The numbers from PGS 10 back that up. KRAFTON says Virtus.pro recorded 55 first knocks during the tournament, which works out to an average of 5.5 per match. The figure is used in the post to show how often the team starts fights on its own terms and turns those openings into control of the round.
The Taego final against Team Liquid
The third strength KRAFTON highlights is the team’s ability to build strategies for a championship race, not just for a single match. The developer says Virtus.pro studies the overall standings, identifies its nearest title rivals and builds plans to attack them directly when the situation calls for it. The final match of PGS 10 on Taego is the clearest example.
At that point, Virtus.pro was tied with Team Liquid on 86 points. Instead of relying only on its usual approach and trying to outscore Team Liquid in the normal way, KRAFTON says the team chose to target its rival directly. The post describes the move as calculated rather than reckless, and ties it to Virtus.pro’s confidence in early-game fights and in reading how Team Liquid would respond.
According to KRAFTON, the plan worked right away. Virtus.pro eliminated two Team Liquid players in an early engagement, then blocked the routes Liquid could have used to move into the playable area and pick up more points. By shutting down its closest rival, Virtus.pro took control of the championship race and secured the title. That is how the PGS 10 trophy ended up with Virtus.pro.
KRAFTON closes by pointing toward what comes next for the roster. The post says there is still more to learn about Virtus.pro’s winning formula, but does not spell out every part of its approach. It ends by asking whether the team can go one step further and finally win the PGC trophy it has been chasing, with the next phase of the season still ahead.
KRAFTON calling VP the new dominant force feels a bit early to me. One PGS 10 win doesn’t erase how often this game turns into a last-lobby coin flip.
They’ve got way more than one win though – PGS 3, EWC, and all those runner-up finishes say the form is real.
And you trust the same guys who can look unstoppable one day and implode the next? PUBG title races age like milk.
Sure, but stacking podiums all year is different from a random hot streak. That kind of consistency usually means the ceiling is actually there.
55 first knocks in one tournament is the bit that jumps out to me most. 5.5 per match means they’re not just surviving for points, they’re forcing the pace and getting openings before other teams can settle. The headshot note on beami and curexi is wild too – if KRAFTON’s right about them hitting over 30%, that’s a nasty edge in a lobby where most pros are sitting way lower. It makes the whole PGS 10 run sound less like luck and more like they were winning the little fights that decide the macro game later.
had a duo wipe like that once, felt illegal
30% really that high?
The Taego call is funny. When two teams are tied on points, most squads get scared and play like they have homework due, but VP just went straight at Team Liquid. That is either genius or very lucky and people will call it genius because they won. I still like it better than teams hiding for placement and praying someone else does the dirty work.
Not genius, just good timing.
Good timing is part of genius in PUBG, no? If you wait too long, the lobby already killed your dream.
ibiza going from player to coach is the smartest change they made.
Nah, curexi was the real upgrade
So the old IGL suddenly means nothing?
Not nothing, but player-coach moves usually matter less than adding fresh gunskill. Still, ibiza probably made the whole setup cleaner.
30% HS is filthy
Maybe on paper. In scrims people miss more than they admit
I’m not saying every player in the lobby is sitting at 20%, but KRAFTON mentioning that number means they think VP are getting more value from opening knocks than everyone else. If beami and curexi are creating first damage that often, the rest of the team can play simpler and cleaner. That matters a lot more than people think in PUBG, because one good first knock can turn a dead rotate into free space. It’s not just aim, it’s what that aim lets your team do next.
scoreboard stat farming vibes
Do you think the PGS 10 final was actually won on that early Liquid fight, or were they already ahead mentally?
early fight. once Liquid lost two bodies, the point race was basically over