Valve's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) debuted in 2012, backed by a strong heritage of multiplayer FPS titles, including the original Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source. Now, six years later, the fast-paced PC game still mostly holds its own against more modern titles, partly because of its established core gameplay and active community. Visually, however, CS: GO is starting to show its age and it's not as thematically rich as other popular titles, such as Overwatch. Still, many players will enjoy CS: GO's no-frills experience and competitive scene, especially now that it is free to play.
So, how does CS: GO retain its prominent role in an industry that has diversified considerably since 2012? A big part of its success is due to its massive esports following. It's always among the top titles streaming on Twitch and Mixer, and it benefits from a well-established (and financially lucrative) competitive scene. The game even includes a dedicated Watch section so you can follow and spectate tournaments.
CS: GO is now free to play after a recent update. Its previous $14.99 cost was not expensive, but this price change opens the game to an even wider audience than before. In comparison, Overwatch costs $39.99, Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) costs $29.99, and Ubisoft charges $14.99 for the Starter Edition of Rainbow Six Siege. Fortnite is, of course, free as well.
Similar Products
Overwatch (for PC)
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (for PC)
Fortnite (for PC)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (for PC)
Team Fortress 2 (for PC)
Battlefield V (for PC)
Getting Started
To play CS: GO, you first need to download it from Steam. CS: GO requires a minimum of 15GB, which is relatively compact compared with most modern games' storage requirements. For comparison, Overwatch demands 30GB of disk space for installation and Fortnite takes up 20GB.
CS: GO's new Panorama menu UI is now enabled by default for all users. This interface change is highly welcome and a complete rework of the game's navigation. Gone are the confusing and unnecessarily taxing menu systems. Instead, the important options live in a neat stack of icons on the left-hand side of the screen. On the other side, you can see which of your friends are online. The middle section, like many other competitive games, now shows an overview of upcoming events on one side and your in-game character on the other. Displaying the character seems like an unnecessary use of resources, but otherwise, the Panorama update does make the experience feel a bit quicker and fluid. The simplified design language extends to many other in-game elements, including in-match leaderboards and the inventory selection screen.
Gameplay
The standard game mode (Bomb Scenario) involves either defending or exploiting a bomb site. I spent most of my test-play time playing this mode, but I did branch out to the Arms Race and Hostage modes. Most competitive matches that I've watched stick with the Bomb Scenario match type, as well, which is another reason for the mode's popularity.
The Bomb Scenario mode comprises a maximum of 15 elimination-style rounds that last until one side wins a majority of the rounds. Players spawn either on the Terrorist (T) or Counter-Terrorists (CT) side, which determines the objective. Terrorists need to plant a bomb at one of the two marked bomb sites on the map. The CT team must prevent the terrorists from planting the bomb or defuse it before it explodes (the bomb has a countdown timer of 40 seconds). The defuse process itself takes 5 seconds, so getting to the bomb site quickly is a priority. Of course, eliminating all the players on the other side makes this objective easier, so keep an eye out for enemies at all times.
CS: GO's Bomb Scenario mode is a simple, yet enjoyable, twist on the standard multiplayer FPS setup, which opens up a ton of variability in each round. Another game mode, called Hostage, flips the tables and has the Terrorists defend a hostage, while the Counter-Terrorists attempt a rescue mission. CS: GO typically gets new mission-based modes with new operations. The current operation, Operation Hydra (released in May 2017) brought War Games, Wingman, and Weapons Expert modes to the game. These modes introduce twists on regular gameplay and affect the available weapons, the match objective, and the playable maps. These operations typically include a narrative-driven campaign, too.
Why You Should Game on a PC
Danger Zone
Along with making the game free to play, Valve added a battle royale mode called Danger Zone. CS: GO's take on this latest gaming craze is much smaller in scale than that of Fortnite and PUBG. Instead of the typical 100-player matches, solo matches are restricted to just 16 players and team modes are capped at 18 total players. The map size is also much smaller than those in either of the other titles.
After a brief warmup period, players get to choose a spawn point on the map. Each drop point is limited to a single player, so make sure you choose your preferred spot quickly. Matches unfold in much the same way as in any other battle royale game. Your goal is to eliminate all the other enemy players or teams. You must scavenge for weapons, avoid taking damage from the random bombings, and keep pace with the ever-closing boundaries of the play area.
That said, CS: GO does bring some unique mechanics to the genre. For example, as the match progresses, you can purchase weapons and items, which are delivered by drone to your location. Be aware that these drone deliveries can reveal your hiding spot, though. Another cool mechanic is the in-game map that highlights the regions where either you or enemy players are located. The map is not detailed enough to give away specific locations, but the information it provides is helpful for planning your next movements. CS: GO also has the upper hand in terms of combat mechanics. Weapons and movement especially feel more accurate than in Fortnite and PUBG.
All these factors make for a much more condensed and manageable experience. I particularly enjoy that matches tend to only take about 10 minutes from start to finish. In terms of potential improvements, I would like to see a few additional maps and gameplay variations, such as a one-on-one mode or an eight-person team mode.
Maps
Which CS: GO maps you can play depends largely on the game mode. Regardless, you should try to familiarize yourself with as many as possible, if you care at all about strategy or coordinating with your teammates. There's no worse in-game feeling of being the last one on your team alive and frantically trying to find the bomb site in time while your teammates watch (and judge) you. All maps have a couple of different paths, clearly marked bomb sites, and recognizable features, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get up to speed.
CS: GO hosts a large number of official maps; despite my 50-plus hours into the game, I have not encountered all of them through regular play. For example, the Casual mode currently lists four different playlists of maps: Sigma (Austria, Shipped, Train, Overpass, Nuke, and Canals), Delta (Mirage, Inferno, Cache, and Cobble), Dust II (Dust II) and Hostage Group (Agency, Insertion, Office, Italy, and Assault). Variety is always appreciated, but I feel like some maps don't receive the same level of attention as others.
Dust II is probably the best-known map. Some form of this iconic map has been in every Counter-Strike title to date, and it's a heavy favorite in player voting at the end of matches. There's nothing wrong with the map, but playing it over and over again can get stale after a while. I appreciate that Valve has moved Dust II to its own playlist in casual modes. Maps are frequently added and dropped from the playable lists though, so your experience may vary.
Weapons, Equipment, and Combat
When I first started playing CS: GO, I was confused by the weapon purchase system at the beginning of each round, and I suspect most newcomers will feel the same way. Basically, at the beginning of each round, you have a certain amount of money to purchase weapons and other equipment for the round. In the first round, you only have enough cash on hand to buy a pistol and one other item (I talk about equipment a bit later). During the round, you earn additional cash by eliminating enemies and, of course, for your team winning the round. The losing side also gets some cash, but the cost of multiple weapons, grenades, and other equipment quickly adds up, so winning teams and skilled players will have the tactical advantage. In later rounds, players on both sides have more than enough cash to buy multiple weapons and items.
Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists have access to most of the same weapons, and the ones that are different are balanced with each other. CS: GO organizes weapons by type: pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, rifles, and machine guns. Generally, the more powerful the gun, the more it costs. However, don't simply buy a weapon because it's the most expensive one. Take some time to experiment and find a loadout that works for you. You can carry up to two guns (a pistol and something else), which is always a good idea, for those times you are caught by an enemy mid-reload. There are also quite a few fan favorites, such as the "Deagle" (Desert Eagle pistol) or the AWP (a powerful sniper rifle) that tend to make an appearance in most matches. One recent addition, the R8 Revolver, has a distinct feel; the trigger-pull is slow, but it is highly accurate and powerful once it fires.
At the beginning of each round, players can also purchase equipment. The equipment list for either side is mostly identical. The main difference is that CTs have a bomb-defusal tool and the option to purchase a rescue kit (which cuts down on time it takes to rescue a hostage), while terrorists get C4 to plant at the bomb site. Both teams can purchase a Kevlar vest and helmet (you start out with these in casual modes), and a Zeus x27 (a one-hit-kill electrical weapon). You also have access to a wide range of grenades and decoys, which can really disrupt a team's progress. For example, the flashbang grenade emits a blinding flash of light that renders your vision useless. Smoke grenades are a great way to cover movement across exposed sections.
CS: GO relies heavily on reaction time and twitchy movements. Thus, line-of-sight is one of the biggest advantages you can create. Of course, that also means, that other players can camp out at locations where they know they can catch unsuspecting enemies off-guard. The central path in Dust II (which you must jump past to avoid sniper fire) comes immediately to mind.
Aiming is accurate, but the damage system may require some adjustment. Basically, unless you use a rifle, you need to hit an enemy several times (in high-impact body areas) or many times (in the arm, leg, or stomach) to eliminate them. Reload times on more powerful weapons are also longer than what I originally anticipated. Note that your character's movement speed depends on the type of weapon you carry. So, in effect, you will be able to move more quickly equipped with a pistol, for example, than with a machine gun.
Inventory, Crates, and Customization
You can unlock alternate weapons by completing matches or objectives and can switch those out for some of the default ones via the inventory system. Often these upgrades are just differently skinned versions of existing weapons, but sometimes alternative weapons are available. This console used to be a bit confusing, due to its sprawling layout and disjointed options, but as mentioned, the Panorama update improves how this works. For example, it's much clearer which weapons you can swap into which slots for both your Terrorist and Counter-Terrorist loadouts. Right-click on the weapon to add it to either side.
The inventory section shows the crates you earned from playing matches. These crates contain rarer guns and knife types, many of which have unique skins. Unlocking the crate, however, requires you to buy a case key, which costs real money. Each key costs $2.49, but you can get these for a couple of cents cheaper via the Steam Community Market. I'm not a fan of any kind of microtransactions, but at least you can unlock some special items without paying extra as mentioned above. For example, I unlocked a forest camouflage pistol to replace the standard one by placing well in a match. That said, the paid crates typically contain much more exotic variations of weapons. Rocket League ($19.99 at Humble Bundle) uses a similar loot crate system.
Although it may seem a minor point, CS: GO's lack of customizable characters detracts from the experience a bit. There are some variations in player models based on the location, but these are not user-controlled. Thus, the characters feel a bit lifeless. Overwatch, by comparison, offers a wide variety of differentiated characters, each with troves of unlockable customizations. Even Valve's own Team Fortress 2 lets players outfit their characters in various items.
Competitive Community
As with any multiplayer game, the community is almost as important as the game itself. CS: GO's community is mixed at best. While you can certainly land in games with supportive (or preferably silent) teammates, I more often had to deal with disruptive members. Negative behavior includes trolls in the team chats, people who scream into their mics, and people (including children) who simply can't keep quiet. To deal with this preemptively, I recommend just muting all communications and ignoring the chat. People who advertise their Twitch channels via their usernames and those who take it upon themselves to commentate the match as it unfolds are also highly irritating.
That doesn't even address the cheating situation. Cheats typically involve slight performance perks, but the Valve Anti-Cheat System (VAC) is getting better all the time at detecting cheats installed on player's computers. Quite a few high-profile CS: GO players have been banned in the past for cheating scandals. There is an option to propose a vote to kick players out of the match, but that requires a (wholly unrealistic) consensus of players.
There are legitimate reasons for kicking players out of a match, such as if they are AFK (away from keyboard) or unnecessarily aggressive towards other players. Still, I've witnessed this system abused on occasion for players who simply make too many mistakes. Be aware that kicking off too many players can also have repercussions; you (the kicker) might be temporarily or permanently banned.
Ranked CS: GO matches are even worse. I was quite literally shouted at by teammates over the voice chat in one of the first matches I played. I am by no means great at CS: GO, but this does not make for an enjoyable experience. By comparison, I seldom have issues with Overwatch ($38.55 at Amazon) teammates and most people are receptive to in-game communication and coordination, even in the non-ranked matches.
If you don't want to deal with the online community, you can always play offline with bots. Of course, if you choose the free version, this is your only option. Bots are a great way to practice combat and get into the rhythm of a match, but note that playing at even the highest difficulty levels here will artificially inflate your confidence. AI-controlled bots are no substitute for the reactive, sometimes random, decisions of human-controlled players. Bots also aren't particularly good representatives of teammates either, since they tend to follow set paths and strategies, regardless of the situation at hand.
Visuals and Sounds
CS: GO looks fine, but it's easily outclassed by more-contemporary multiplayer FPS titles. On some maps, colors are bland and object textures have a fair amount of grain. CS: GO skews towards realism, similar to PUBG , but the latter's atmospheric weather systems, environmental lighting, and overall detail combine for a much better experience. CS: GO doesn't keep up with the colorful (often zany) styles of Fortnite or Overwatch either. Further, Fortnite and PUBG's maps are significantly larger than CS: GO's, which should make it easier to create more-detailed settings. CS: GO's maps don't encourage interaction either; I always enjoy exploring Overwatch's many charming locales.
That said, some of CS: GO's maps have gotten massive visual upgrades since the initial release. One of the most notable examples is the Nuke map. The map's dull color palete and dingy interiors got swapped out for brighter textures and cleaner scenery. Check out the full rundown of Nuke's changes. I hope that, over time, some of the other maps receive the same level of attention.
Normally, a game's engine is not notable, but I would be remiss to not at least mention the legendary Source engine. First showcased in Counter-Strike: Source, and then the ever-excellent Half-Life 2 and Portal games, this engine is famous for its versatility (it works flawlessly on every type of hardware) and (at the time) its excellent physics model. When I first played Half-Life 2, I was fascinated by the Gravity Gun; from playing catch with Dog at the Black Mesa East scrap yard to firing saw blades and flammable projectiles at zombies in Ravenholm, these elements truly were a masterclass in gameplay. Although the Gravity Gun is not available in CS: GO (Valve, please add this), the bullet physics and explosions are still impressive for an engine that is now almost 15 years old.
One of CS: GO's strong suits is its sound design. Weapons all sound distinct and sharp when firing. CS: GO also isolates player footsteps against the silence to create suspense similar to the way PUBG does so well. My favorite effect by far is the countdown of the bomb. Once planted, the bomb emits increasingly frequent tones up until it explodes. All players can hear this countdown regardless of where they are on the map, so it is a pervasive and effective way to capture everyone's attention.
System Performance
CS: GO is available on macOS, Windows, and Linux. You can also play CS: GO on Xbox One and Xbox 360, as well as on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles. CS: Go is not available on Android or iOS as PUBG and Fortnite ($0.00 at Epic Games) are, but that's probably for the best. Mobile controls aren't great for either of those games and CS: GO's pacing and game style likely wouldn't translate well.
You don't need very powerful hardware to run CS: GO. The minimum specs only include an Intel Core 2 Duo (or AMD equivalent), 2GB RAM, a DirectX 9-compatible GPU with 256MB of vRAM, and 15GB of hard drive space. I tested CS: GO on a Dell Inspiron 5675 desktop running Windows 10 equipped with a Ryzen 1700X CPU, Radeon 580 8GB GPU, and 32GB RAM. Needless to say, I had no trouble running the game at its highest settings. I recorded CS: GO's frames per second with FRAPS and the game averaged well above 200 FPS.
Although not part of the official recommendations, make sure that you have a decent internet connection at your disposal if you plan on playing any competitive matches. Since CS: GO is so reliant on quick reaction times and fire-on-sight mechanics, having a fast connection is critical. For reference, I tested the internet speeds of my home network (200 Mbps download over Ethernet) with Ookla's internet speed test tool (Ziff Davis, PCMag's owner, also owns Ookla). Again, this connection speed is likely overkill, but for reference, I didn't have any connection-related performance issues.
Steady Shooter
If you have never played Counter Strike: GO before, it's worth giving it a shot despite its age. If you have played it and decided to leave for whatever reason, know that not much has changed. CS: GO is still a solid multiplayer FPS with a good variety of weapons, maps, and modes. However, despite the Panorama UI update, some maps are starting to look dull compared with those in more modern titles such as PUBG and Overwatch. And although CS: GO's esports following contributes to its prolonged success, the player community is not as welcoming as others.
The free-to-play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is arguably one of the most iconic FPS titles of its generation. The new Panorama UI drastically improves its interface, but the gameplay can sometimes feel repetitive.
Like What You're Reading?
Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Sign up for other newsletters
