Tarık “Tarik” Çelik has announced he’s stepping away from hosting VALORANT watch parties. This will mark the end of his multi-year run that made the former Counter-Strike pro one of the most recognizable co-stream voices in the VCT.
In his X post, the Sentinels creator added: “Special shoutout to everyone who was a part of it. After a short break, I’ll be back to gaming streams. Thanks for the memories.”
Hey guys. To keep it short and sweet, I’m stepping away from hosting watch parties. The past few years have flown by and it’s been a hell of a ride.
— tarik (@tarik) August 14, 2026
Special shoutout to everyone who was a part of it. After a short break, I’ll be back to gaming streams. Thanks for the memories ❤️
Tarik has been a staple name in VCT coverage
Tarik’s watch parties had become a fixture of major VALORANT events, especially during the flagship Champions Tour events. He was regularly listed by Riot Games among official NA co-streamers for VALORANT Champions.
His broadcasts ran alongside Riot’s main livestreams on Twitch and YouTube. On top of that, his streams often featured pro guests and inside commentary, providing more value to the viewers than official streams. Sessions with TenZ and JohnQT were some of his most insightful watch parties.
In April 2025, Ben Affleck made a surprise appearance on Tarik’s watch party during a Sentinels match as part of a promotion for The Accountant 2. That campaign reportedly generated over five million views across social platforms within days.
2025 had a lighter schedule compared to 2024. Despite that, Tarik remained the top VALORANT streamer by audience engagement, with StreamsCharts listing him at No. 1 for 2025 with 25.6 million hours watched across Twitch and YouTube. During VALORANT Champions 2025, his event coverage alone pulled in more than 2.2 million hours watched, according to Escharts.
Tarik’s career milestones in VALORANT and beyond
Tarik entered Riot’s FPS scene already established as a major FPS name. As a former CS:GO pro, he won the ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018 with Cloud9 and was named MVP, part of the only North American team to win a major. He retired from pro play in 2019 to stream full-time and later signed with Sentinels as a content creator in August 2022.
In VALORANT, he quickly became one of the most popular co-streamers. His work earned him multiple Streamer Awards and Streamy nominations, including Best FPS Streamer wins in 2021 and 2023 and a Streamy Award for Competitive Gamer in 2022. He was also named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 2024 list.
On the tournament side, Tarik has organized and headlined showmatches and invitational events, including the Ludwig x Tarik Invitational series in 2024 with $50,000 prize pools, and other Sentinels-affiliated showmatches in 2023.
With that said, Tarik will continue as a content creator for Sentinels and ProCity VAL, and he notes he’ll be back to gaming streams after a short break. It won’t be unusual if VCT fans are upset by the news, as his match watch parties will pause.
