Counter-Strike

Officially Counter-Strike 2 (CS2, formerly CS:GO)

Legendary tactical first-person shooter esport — 5 vs 5 team-based competitive gameplay pitting Terrorists (T) vs Counter-Terrorists (CT) in objective-based rounds on maps like Dust II, Mirage, Inferno.

📐map⏱~60 min🌤indoor

What is Counter-Strike?

Counter-Strike is a series of multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) games in which Terrorists (T) and Counter-Terrorists (CT) 5 vs 5 compete in objective-based rounds (typically bomb defusal on Dust II, Mirage, Inferno etc., or hostage rescue). Started as Half-Life mod (Counter-Strike 1.6, 1999); became standalone franchise. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) launched 2012 by Valve + Hidden Path; became world's most-played competitive FPS. Replaced Sep 2023 by Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) — Source 2 engine upgrade. Standard competitive format: 30-round matches (16-14 wins to end), first team to 13 rounds wins (Modern MR12). Major tournaments (Valve-sanctioned): World-class prizes; PGL Antwerp Major, IEM Katowice, Blast Premier World Final. Top pro teams: NAVI (Ukraine), FaZe (multi-national), G2 (EU), Astralis (Denmark), Vitality (France), Furia (Brazil), Cloud9 (USA). Individual legends: s1mple (Ukraine), ZywOo (France), NiKo (Bosnia), device (Denmark).

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Bomb Defusal: Terrorists plant bomb at bombsite A or B, protect until it explodes (~40 sec). Counter-Terrorists defuse it in time (10 sec / 5 sec with kit) OR eliminate all Terrorists.

Match structure

Best-of-1 (BO1), Best-of-3 (BO3), or Best-of-5 (BO5) format. Each map: 30-round split (15 Terrorist + 15 Counter-Terrorist sides). MR12 format: first team to 13 rounds wins map. Team wins Bo3 = 2 map wins.

Rules

Basic rules

5 vs 5 team play
5 Terrorists vs 5 Counter-Terrorists per round.
Round objectives
T: plant bomb OR eliminate all CTs. CT: prevent bomb / defuse bomb / eliminate all Ts.
Economy system
Each player gets money from kills + round wins/losses; spend on weapons + utility.
Halftime
After 12 rounds, sides swap; team ends with more rounds after 24 total wins map (MR12).
Death = elimination
Eliminated players spectate; team must win with fewer players. Respawn only in casual.
Bomb defusal timer
Bomb detonates 40 sec after plant; CT defuse: 5 sec with kit, 10 sec without.
Overtime (MR3)
Tied 12-12 in MR12? OT: MR3 (3 vs 3, first to 4 rounds wins).

Advanced rules

Economy management
Full buy ($3-4k+): AK-47/M4 + full utility. Force buy ($2k): SMGs + one nade. Save ($0-500): pistol only, save money for next round.
Utility usage
Smoke (block sight), Flashbang (blind opponents 3-5 sec), Molotov (area denial), HE grenade (damage cluster).
Map executes
Coordinated 5-man site push using specific utility line-ups — teamwork critical.
Anti-eco round
When opponent is saving, buy less to preserve economy for next round.
AWP (sniper) usage
One-shot rifle worth $4750; positioning + peek timing critical.
Roles
AWPer, Rifler, IGL (in-game leader), Support, Entry fragger, Lurker — specialized roles per team.
MR12 vs MR15
Valve-official MR12 (13 wins), older MR15 (16 wins) — MR12 is now standard as of 2024.

Scoring

Round wins accumulate to map wins. Match: Bo1/Bo3/Bo5 first to majority map wins.

Action	Points
Round win	+1 team round
Map win	First to 13 rounds (MR12) wins map
Match win (Bo3)	2 map wins
Match win (Bo5)	3 map wins
Team overtime (tied 12-12)	MR3 first to 4 rounds
Individual stats	KDA (Kills-Deaths-Assists), HLTV Rating 2.0, HS%, ADR

Win condition · First team to win majority of maps in Bo1/Bo3/Bo5 series wins match.

Playing area

Called

map

Dimensions

Digital maps: Dust II, Mirage, Inferno, Ancient, Overpass, Nuke, Anubis (competitive rotation).

Each map has T spawn + CT spawn, bombsite A + bombsite B, chokepoints (mid, long, short), bomb defusal objectives.

Equipment

Gaming PC
High-end: 240 Hz monitor, gaming mouse (1-3 g), keyboard, headset with mic.
Mouse (competitive)
6-16k DPI capability but typically 400-800 DPI setting; low-latency wireless (Logitech G Pro X Superlight, Razer Viper V3 Pro).
Monitor (240Hz+)
OLED / LCD panels 240-540 Hz refresh rate; low input lag critical.
Headset with mic
Team communication essential; open-back audio for competitive.
In-game weapons
AK-47 (T), M4A4/M4A1-S (CT), AWP sniper, USP-S/Glock pistols; grenades: HE, flashbang, smoke, molotov/incendiary.

Officiating

LAN events have on-site referees + admins; online events monitored by tournament staff + anti-cheat.

Tournament Admins
Referees (LAN venue)
Anti-cheat monitoring (VAC + Valve)

Strategies

Site executes with utility
Coordinated smokes + flashes for site push; specific line-ups per site.
Anti-flash pre-aim
Pre-flip camera before flash detonates to reduce blind time.
Rotations
Read enemy audio cues + timing to rotate defenders between bombsites.
Economy planning
Play in 3-4 round windows; force-buy only when opponents' econ is weak.
Individual awareness
Track K/D + utility usage; adapt to team's economic state per round.
Roles + specialization
AWPer (long-range sniper), IGL (strategist), Support (utility user), Entry fragger (first through door), Lurker (flank/backline).

Terminology

T-side / CT-side: Terrorists (attacker) or Counter-Terrorists (defender) side per half.
Bombsite A / B: The 2 objective points; T plants bomb, CT defuses.
AWP: Sniper rifle, one-shot kill, $4,750 — highest-value primary weapon.
AK-47 / M4: Standard rifles — T (AK, $2,700), CT (M4A4/M4A1-S, $3,100/$2,900).
Eco round: Save money round — buy pistol only.
Force buy: Half-buy round with weakened economy hoping to steal round.
Full buy: Rifle + full utility purchase (~$3-4k per player).
Utility: Grenades: Smoke, Flashbang, Molotov/Incendiary, HE, Decoy.
One-tap: Single-shot headshot kill.
Spray control: Managing rifle recoil during full-auto burst.
Peek: Move around corner to see enemy — 'wide peek', 'jiggle peek', 'shoulder peek'.
Clutch: Winning round outnumbered (1v2, 1v3, etc.).
Ninja defuse: Successfully defusing bomb without CT team knowing — sneaky play.
MR12 / MR15: Max Rounds per Half — MR12 (first to 13), MR15 (first to 16). MR12 is current standard.
IGL: In-Game Leader — team strategist/caller.
Major: Valve-sanctioned world championship (twice per year); highest prestige event.

Major competitions

CS Major Championship (Valve-sanctioned)
twice per year · worldwide · since 2013
IEM Katowice
annual · Poland · since 2013
Blast Premier World Final
annual · worldwide · since 2020
ESL Pro League
seasonal · worldwide · since 2015
PGL Antwerp Major (S1mple's peak)
single event · Belgium · since 2022

Where it is played

Governing bodies

Valve Corporation (game developer/publisher)
Founded 1996 · Bellevue, WA, USA
Official site ↗
Counter-Strike Global Offensive Major Championships (Valve-sanctioned)
Founded 2013 · worldwide (multi-organizer)
ESL / DreamHack (major organizer)
Founded 2000 · Cologne, Germany
PGL (Professional Gamers League)
Founded 2002 · Bucharest, Romania

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

Oleksandr 'S1mple' Kostyliev (Ukraine, b. 1997) — widely considered greatest CS player ever; NAVI 2016-2024
Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut (France, b. 2000) — Team Vitality; 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 HLTV Player of the Year
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač (Bosnia) — FaZe/G2; 2× Major MVP; positional AWPer master
Nicolai 'device' Reedtz (Denmark, b. 1995) — 4× Major winner with Astralis; former #1 rated player
Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth (Denmark) — Astralis clutch god; 4× Major winner
Peter 'dupreeh' Rasmussen (Denmark) — Astralis entry fragger; 4× Major winner
Christopher 'GeT_RiGhT' Alesund (Sweden) — 4× Major finalist; Fnatic/NiP legend
Ladislav 'GuardiaN' Kovács (Slovakia) — NAVI 2015 AWP legend; 2× Major finalist
Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub (France) — 2015 EnVyUs Cluj-Napoca Major MVP; AWP legend
Håvard 'rain' Nygaard (Norway) — FaZe 2022 Antwerp Major MVP

Records

Most CS:GO/CS2 Majors won (player)
Dupreeh, device, Xyp9x (Astralis) — 4 each (2018-2019) (2019)
Player consistently rated #1
Oleksandr 'S1mple' Kostyliev — 2018, 2021 HLTV Player of the Year (2021)
Most HLTV Player of the Year awards
Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut (France) — 4 (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) (2023)
Highest single-tournament earnings
PGL Copenhagen Major 2024 — $1.25M prize pool (2024)
Peak concurrent CS2 players (Steam)
Valve — 1.8+ million (2024) (2024)

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Play casual/deathmatch
50-100 hours getting familiar with weapons + maps.
2
Learn top 3 maps deeply
Dust II + Mirage + Inferno callouts, angles, common line-ups.
3
Ranked matchmaking
Play 50 competitive matches to get calibration rank; join Discord/friends for team play.

intermediate

1
Aim training
Aim Lab, Kovaak's, deathmatch daily; focus on flick + tracking.
2
Utility learning
Learn 20 essential smokes + line-ups on top maps.
3
FACEIT / ESEA rank climb
Ranked matchmaking Level 5+ for competitive play.

advanced

1
FACEIT Level 10 / Global Elite
Top matchmaking rank.
2
ESEA / ESL Pro League tier feeder tournaments
Amateur + semi-pro leagues.
3
Pro team scouting / academy
5-man team makes name in ESEA Advanced/Premier; scouted for tier-1 pro team.

Frequently asked

What is Counter-Strike?+

Legendary 5v5 tactical first-person shooter — Terrorists vs Counter-Terrorists in bomb defusal / hostage rescue rounds. Original CS 1.6 (1999) as Half-Life mod. CS:GO (2012-2023) → CS2 (2023+, Source 2 engine).

How many maps in competitive CS pool?+

7 maps in active competitive rotation: Dust II, Mirage, Inferno, Ancient, Overpass, Nuke, Anubis. Valve rotates maps in/out of active duty pool every 6-12 months.

What's MR12 vs MR15?+

MR12 = 24 max rounds per map (first to 13 wins). MR15 = 30 max rounds (first to 16 wins). Valve made MR12 the standard in 2024 to shorten esports matches; MR15 remains in some legacy tournaments.

Who is the best CS player ever?+

Debate: S1mple (Ukraine, NAVI) — 2× HLTV Player of the Year + widely considered greatest all-around. Vs ZywOo (France, Vitality) — 4× HLTV Player of the Year (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023). Vs Astralis 'core 4' (device, dupreeh, Xyp9x, gla1ve) — 4× Major winners.

How much do pro CS players earn?+

Tier 1 salary: $25k-100k/month + tournament winnings + streaming + sponsorships. Top players (S1mple, ZywOo) reportedly $500k-1M+ per year including transfers. Major prize pools: $1-1.25M split among top 24 teams; winner ~$500k.

What's the difference between CS:GO and CS2?+

CS2 (Sept 2023) is CS:GO upgraded to Source 2 engine — improved graphics, dynamic smokes (physics-reactive), sub-tick netcode, redesigned maps. Same core gameplay + weapons. All CS:GO skins carried over. Free upgrade for all players.

Sources & provenance

Wikipedia — Counter-Strike— Wikipedia
Valve — Counter-Strike 2— Valve
HLTV — CS Rankings + Statistics— HLTV.org

Last verified 2026-08-24.community