Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Check out the decade-old AWP hack kept hidden by CSGO players
Fariha Bhatti
What if we told you it’s possible to no-scope enemies in CSGO every single time? Well, there’s a long-standing secret hack in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that gives you a regular crosshair on AWP, enabling no-scopes. CSGO has a litany of long-standing bugs, thanks to Valve not really offering fixes unless absolutely necessary. This means OGs are aware of some hacks that are game-breaking in MM. You won’t see them being …
Counter-Strike
$15,000 Paris Major pick ’em contest announced for Skin.Club
William Davis
The Paris Major is coming soon, and Skin.Club is putting up a $15,000 prize pool for its pick’ems to celebrate the final big tournament of CSGO. Pick’ems are the best way for Counter-Strike fans to show off their knowledge of the pro scene. Predicting the outcome of matches usually just earns a shiny coin and some souvenir skins, but one company is putting valuable prizes on the line for hard …
Counter-Strike
Millions of Anubis packages sell out in CSGO within 24 hours
Fariha Bhatti
Players have purchased an insane amount of Anubis packages in CSGO as Counter-Strike 2 release date nears. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive market is thriving, and amid sky-rocketing sales, Valve has announced the Anubis collection package and players are hoarding the cases like there’s no tomorrow. In fresh news, millions of Anubis packages have sold out. According to credible data miner and skin aficianado TDM_Heyzeus, players have purchased about 5.5 million Anubis …
Counter-Strike
GuardiaN has put his AWP up for auction after eight years
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive sharp-shooter Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács is retiring his AWP Asiimov after eight years, and it’s being auctioned on a skin website. On April 25, GuardiaN listed his iconic AWP, which he used between 2014 and 2022, on a skin website called Buff. The Field Tested AWP has a 0.276874 float and features three different GuardiaN stickers. Even more importantly, it was used by GuardiaN, an AWPer that formerly …
Counter-Strike
Fan discovers potential reason behind slow CS2 beta access
William Davis
Developments on Counter-Strike 2 have been stagnant since its bombshell reveal, and the reason may not be what you expect. Fans are chomping at the bit for more CS2 news, but close to nothing has come out about the engine refresh since the launch of the limited beta test. Valve is notoriously quiet about future projects, but it would make sense to keep the hype train rolling. However, a massive …
Counter-Strike
Blue gem AK-47 and karambit combo sells for $500,000
William Davis
Another massive skin deal just went down in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with a blue gem AK-47 and karambit selling for over $500,000. Blue gems are the pinnacle of most CSGO skin collections, but just like pet rabbits or reptiles, they can get lonely by themselves. This is totally why one CSGO collector dropped over $500,000 on a blue gem combo featuring two of the most coveted skins in the game. …
Counter-Strike
These are statistically the best CSGO players in 2023
William Davis
Every FACEIT player hopes to gain some sweet, sweet ELO with every win, and these pros have racked up the highest rankings in the entire world. Third-party matchmaking services have become the de facto standard for top-level play in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Valve matchmaking, with its mediocre anti-cheat and 64-tick servers, just doesn’t cut it. However, server providers like FACEIT also allow for a more in-depth rating system than Valve’s …
Counter-Strike
Ceiling collapse during CSGO game forces player to end stream
Fariha Bhatti
A game of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may have just saved a Twitch streamer from a ceiling collapse. CSGO streamers are known for their ability to come up with unique and engaging content, but there are situations that are beyond their control, like ceilings collapsing mid-stream. Not every day do you see a streamer playing CSGO while a roof casually caves in the background. But that’s exactly what happened to Dylastein. …
This CSGO player scored 5 kills in just 1 AWP shot
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Five kills with a single AWP shot is something most players can only dream about, but one random player lived the dream in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. For the first time in recorded history, a CSGO player earned five kills from a single AWP shot in public matchmaking. The feat has been performed dozens of times in simulations, but this seems to be only the second time it has ever occurred …
shroud says CS2 needs this one thing to hit 5 million player count
Fariha Bhatti
News
FPS maestro and popular Twitch streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek has some thoughts about Counter-Strike 2, again, but players would agree with him this time. CS2 is still in beta, but it’s already making waves, with even the best of the best begging Valve to grant them access. Unfortunately, only 3% of the player base currently has the privilege of testing the game in beta, with the rest eagerly grinding ranked …
CS2 may add taunts, according to data miners
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Getting ego peeked in Counter-Strike already sucks, but at least you don’t have to watch your killer get sturdy afterward. The release of CS2 was exciting for the average player, but its also a feast for data miners. Just weeks after the launch of the extremely limited beta test, several potential features have been discovered in the new client. The most shocking of all is the possible addition of taunts. …
Shooting in Counter-Strike 2 will be easier, here’s why
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 is removing all excuses for poor performance and whiffed shots as leaks scoop out hitbox changes for all player models. Aiming in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is no cakewalk, so it’s understandable if players find themselves struggling on some days. However, Valve is tweaking the skill ceiling in CS2 by making shooting comparatively easier. So far, leaks have discovered significant changes to hitboxes that’d aid players in landing headshots. …
New smoke trick in CS2 creates a jaw-dropping one-way
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
The new Counter-Strike 2 smokes are volumetric objects, meaning they no longer rotate randomly. But it’s still possible to do one-way smokes. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, smokes were lighter at the edges, rotating in a way that created a one-way window at the corner. Players had created proper lineups to pop heads through the smokes, and it was tactically incredible. But, in CS2, the infamous one-way mechanic no longer works …
CS2 testers are calling for an open beta, here’s why
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The limited beta test for Counter-Strike 2 is insanely exclusive, which has led to calls for an earlier open beta. The most exciting part of the CS2 announcement was the beta test, with all Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players hoping to get into the extremely exclusive affair. However, the lucky few who got in are now decrying the beta for its limited player count. Now, fans want Valve to switch CS2 …
Pros are suspicious of CS2 subtick servers, here’s why
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Subtick is supposed to be one of the most advanced gameplay changes coming in Counter-Strike 2, but the future CS2 pro community has its doubts. The few players who managed to get into the CS2 limited beta test have now had time to evaluate the new gameplay changes, including the flashy new subtick servers. However, the reception has been mixed, with some pros claiming that 128 tick will remain the …
New Counter-Strike 2 update proves Valve is finally listening to the players
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike fans are hard to please, but recent release notes received positive feedback from players after Valve added a new feature over fans’ requests. Counter-Strike 2 was released with three significant changes alongside numerous tiny upgrades. Keen players have been discussing new changes in social media threads, providing valuable feedback for Valve. But no one was expecting that Valve would deliver the upgrades right away. Besides unique smokes, CS2 also …
Counter-Strike 2 wallhack disabled, but players found a new one
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
The in-game wallhack in Counter-Strike was recently removed after fans brought it to Valve’s attention, but a new command has resurfaced, and it’s much worse. Fans weren’t expecting a flawless Counter-Strike 2 during the beta, but they definitely weren’t anticipating in-game wallhacks. A few days ago, Ohnepixel and fl0m came across a game-breaking command that triggered wallhacks during a game in Counter-Strike 2. All enemies would be highlighted in green …
How much money do CSGO skin traders actually make?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Skins can be big money in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and committing to them as a real job can yield massive returns. It’s often thought that CSGO traders are in it for the love of the game, but many of them make a shockingly large amount of money by trading digital assets. The relatively unknown industry has finally been analyzed by EX CORP, and the results are surprising. Despite taking just …
New high jump mechanic in Counter-Strike 2 lets players self-boost
Fariha Bhatti
News
Movement is a big part of the Counter-Strike franchise, and now Valve seems to be taking it to another level in Counter-Strike 2. Since the early renditions of Counter-Strike, surf matches have been the bread and butter of serious players. Bunny hopping, high jumps, cutting shortcuts, all of this and more can be game-changing in high-stake games since every second matters. Now, Counter-Strike 2 is here, and players are sure …
Counter-Strike 2 has a legal command that lets you wallhack
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Since Counter-Strike 2 is still in beta, it is reasonable to anticipate minor bugs. But there’s a whole wallhack command in Counter-Strike 2 — and Valve is aware. Counter-Strike has always had a cheating problem, but players had high hopes from the latest Source 2 port. While Valve is tight-lipped about the anti-cheat updates, fans had expected that the cheating issue would somehow mitigate in the new game. But, not …
Counter-Strike has long been among the biggest titles in esports and competitive gaming, even going back to esports’ deepest roots from decades past. What’s more, the game continues going strong today, with developer and publisher Valve releasing the latest iteration of the franchise in 2023. The newest version, Counter-Strike 2, has not been without its issues. But its popularity continues the enduring prominence of the Counter-Strike series, signaling that the venerated franchise is likely here to stay for many years yet to come.
But how did the franchise come be to so prominent in the esports space, and role does CS2 have to play in the industry moving forward?
Counter-Strike has roots in the beginnings of esports
Counter-Strike was unquestionably one of the biggest drivers of what we would today consider to be early professional esports movement. It was far from alone, and it wasn’t the most advanced. That likely was StarCraft: Brood War, a real-time strategy game from famed developer Blizzard that caught on in South Korea and led to a professional scene in the country well ahead of any examples of esports industry elsewhere in the world.
But outside of Korea, Counter-Strike quickly became the driving force behind competitive gaming and esports. First released in 1999 as a modification for popular first-person shooter Half-Life, the game was easy to pick up and play for many gamers. Half-Life was borderline ubiquitous software for gamers with a PC, and adding a mod to it was as simple as downloading and applying said mod. So it was that Counter-Strike began to catch fire and spread across the world.
As it spread, so too did its competitive play. Early competitions often centered around online play, most prominently including the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL) in North America and the Clanbase Eurocup in Europe. But live, in-person tournaments, similar to those enjoyed by StarCraft players and fans in Korea, were also rising in prominence.
Within just a few years, there were a number of major annual tournaments being held for the original version of Counter-Strike. Notable international tournament organizers included the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in the United States, the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in France, and the World Cyber Games (WCG) in Korea. This was in addition to many other regional tournaments through which teams could test their mettle and battle over smaller prizes.
But even at bigger tournaments, prizes weren’t what they are today, and in general there was far less money available to professional Counter-Strike players than there is in today’s thriving esports industry which sees many players and teams playing at the full-time pro level. That’s a far cry from a time when perhaps a small handful of players were able to make a true living through playing CS alone, and even them, it was often a modest one.
Counter-Strike 2 at the fore of a bigger esports scene than ever before
Counter-Strike 2 was released to a far different esports space than that which the original Counter-Strike occupied. But what exactly is it that has changed the scene so much, besides the accrual of years?
Esports betting is at the top of the list. The sports betting industry is growing and expanding around the world each and every year, and esports has absolutely been a part of that. As esports betting continues to grow and thrive, it brings its benefits to the games that are being bet on. And Counter-Strike 2 is at the top of that list.
These benefits have arrived through a myriad of means. Fan interest in tournaments has gone up and become more consistent with betting markets available for each and every game played, which further incentivizes tournament organizers and their sponsoring partners. But those partners are also now more likely to work with the pro teams and players themselves. Betting operators are among the most common and most generous sponsors in the pro CS2 space, showing how esports betting’s rise has contributed to Counter-Strike’s continued prominence in esports and competitive gaming as a whole.
