Our Rewards System – ProSettings.net

Introduction

If you browse our website for a while, you may notice that products can earn awards. Most of these awards are related to our reviews, but some have links to how/if a product is used in the professional scene. In this article, we will tell you all about our awards and how they work.

Review Awards

These awards are chosen by our reviewers to highlight what really makes a product stand out. Rather than focusing on a long list of similar-sounding signs that make it difficult to see the forest for the trees, we stay focused and limit ourselves to a few meaningful differences.

That also means strong products may not receive awards. These labels are not the only measure of quality. We always recommend reading full reviews, and ideally other perspectives as well, before deciding whether a product is right for you.

Staff Choice

The Staff’s Choice Award is given to products that are outstanding in their field. This is a product with little to no objective drawbacks and is a product that our staff will be happy to use in their personal settings due to its overall quality. Products with a Staff Choice award are products that were in the top category at the time of review.

Budget Awards

The Budget Award is for products that offer exceptional value in their category. It is important to understand that this is always evaluated in context. We compare products to their direct competitors, not to the market as a whole.

For example, if a gaming mouse features the latest sensors and flagship-level internals and is priced at $80, while a similar model with similar specs sells for $150, the product could earn a Budget Award. So in essence, this award does not mean it is the cheapest product on the market, but rather provides standout performance and features at a much lower price than similar products.

Innovation Award

The Innovation Award is given to products that advance their category. These are products that introduce meaningful new technology or present truly fresh ideas, whether in function, form, design or overall concept.

However, innovation does not have to benefit every player or be applied equally across all games. Sometimes a breakthrough has a huge impact on a particular audience or playing style, and that’s valid too.

Pro Usage Awards

We are a website with a strong focus on gear made and used by pro players. It is therefore fitting that some of the ProSettings awards focus on the professional scene. These awards are based on our data and product use in the professional arena.

Pro Choice

The Pro’s Choice award is given to products that have been used by at least 50 professional players simultaneously for at least 30 consecutive days. In short, this shows that the product has achieved meaningful adoption at the highest levels of gaming.

It is important to note that these awards are permanent. Once a product earns Pro’s Choice status, it retains that distinction.

GOTY (Gear of the Year)

The Gear of the Year award is given at the end of the year to one product per category, per game. This applies to the products most used by professional players for most of the year.

To provide this award, we looked at our usage data month over month. If a product is the number one most used choice in its category for most of the year, and more than any other competing product, then it will win Gear of the Year. There can only be one winner per category in each game.

These awards demonstrate long-term popularity and trust from professionals, not short-lived spikes in usage. And just like the Pro’s Choice Award, this award remains with the product permanently once earned.

Products can earn multiple GOTY awards. For example, one mouse could be the #1 VALORANT Mouse of 2025 while also being the #1 Fortnite Mouse of 2025.

Brand #1

This award is No given to the product, but to the brand. Therefore, these awards will only be visible on the brand page.

At the end of each year, we analyze usage data across each game and category to determine which brands are leading the way. If a brand has the highest number of professional users across its product lineup for most of the year, it will earn the #1 Brand award for that particular game and category.

Brands can earn multiple Brand #1 titles. For example, a company might be the #1 Mousepad Brand of 2025 in CS2 while simultaneously holding the position of #1 Headset Brand of 2025 in VALORANT. Each award reflects the dominance of a particular category over a sustained period.

The #1 brand award is given at the end of each year.

Conclusion

With the ProSettings reward system, we keep things simple and intentional. We don’t share a long list of overlapping badges that all have more or less the same meaning. Instead, we focus on a small number of clear differences, each of which serves a specific purpose.

Looking for gear that is widely used by professional players? Our pro usage awards make it easy to spot. Want something that provides serious value for money? We highlight that as well. Each award is there to give you meaningful context.

Ultimately, the goal is clear: to help you make more informed decisions when choosing new equipment. If you have suggestions or feedback about our system, please share them in the comments.