Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
How to equip the ghost knife, CSGO’s forbidden melee weapon
William Davis
The ghost knife isn’t meant to exist in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but savvy players can summon it for themselves. The ghost knife is one of a few hidden knife skins in CSGO. Instead of a Steam inventory item that can be used in-game, this skin is actually hidden in the files and not meant to be used by players. However, by using a special set of console commands, players can …
Counter-Strike
New CSGO Recoil Case adds new gloves and pricy AWP skin
William Davis
The Recoil Collection is the new batch of skins added to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive including a new chance to get some gloves. With no announcement whatsoever, Valve has released a brand new CSGO weapon crate called the Recoil Collection. The new case includes 17 new skins across four rarities. The reds of the case include an eye-popping pink AWP and Printstream pistol for the CT side. Recoil Crates also have …
Counter-Strike
Here’s what happened to Team Envy after OpTic Gaming merger
Olivia Richman
Veteran esports brand Team Envy is being retired to exclusively focus on OpTic Gaming in the future. Envy merged with OpTic Gaming at the end of 2021. Moving forward, Envy is going to exclusively use the OpTic Gaming name and brand across all of it esports teams and enterprises. The major update was first discussed on the latest episode of the Eavesdrop podcast, titled “Announcing the Future of OpTic Gaming.” …
Counter-Strike
xQc blows thousands in skins on failed Dragon Lore AWP trade-up
Fariha Bhatti
Félix “xQc” Lengyel is no stranger to losing massive amounts of money on gambling, but his trade-up attempts for a Dragon Lore AWP in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive were a nightmare for any fan. Popular Twitch streamer and former Overwatch pro xQc has garnered a fanbase of millions with his rage fits and high-risk trading habits. He may not be the best aimer in CSGO, but his inventory is already mouth-watering. …
Counter-Strike
The owner of CSGO’s legendary bugged Karambit has been revealed
William Davis
The Starless Karambit has been a mystery for years, but now Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin fanatics finally know who owns the legendary knife. Thanks to a prolific trader briefly turning their profile to public after years of being private, CSGO fans now know who owns the famous Starless Karambit. It is currently in the inventory of a prolific trader using the handle HFB. Here’s how fans learned about its owner …
Counter-Strike
Did WarOwl just leak the CSGO Source 2 port release date?
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive YouTuber WarOwl may have leaked details regarding the long-awaited Source 2 port of CSGO. During a recent stream, WarOwl was talking with fans regarding map-making in CSGO. WarOwl has dabbled with map designs since 2019, and a fan commented that he ought to try map editing tool Hammer++, which is a mod pack for Hammer, the map editing tool used for Source games including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. …
Counter-Strike
This new Nuke run boost is your ticket out of silver
Fariha Bhatti
They say Nuke is too CT-sided, but this newly discovered jump boost proves that it might actually be true. According to the stats, Nuke is one of the most Counter-Terrorist sided maps in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The bombsites require terrorists to move through hazardous entryways and have dangerous layouts with many sightlines for defenders. It’s a tricky situation for the Ts in any sense but tricks reinforce the stats even …
Counter-Strike
Pop heads in style with the best Deagle skins in CSGO
William Davis
The Desert Eagle is an icon in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. From the legendary Juan Deag to mishaps at the majors, the Deagle is a gun of highlights and lowlights. Nothing feels better than beating an AWPer at their own game, and nothing feels worse than emptying a clip without a kill. No matter how your peaks go, you can always appreciate having a fancy skin for your premium pistol. Here …
The best M4A1-S skins in CSGO are silent and stylish
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The M4A1-S is the best CT rifle money can buy, but the best skins for the gun range from a dollar to basically being priceless. Even after the recent nerfs, the M4A1-S is still the best defensive rifle for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players who value precision. Lower-skilled players will start switching back to the M4A4 for its larger magazine and reserve ammo. That means that dropping serious cash on an …
Valve finally nerfs the M4A1-S, should you go back to M4A4?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Valve has announced long-overdue nerfs for the OP M4A1-S after a meta-shaking stint. CSGO has had various meta shifts, but the Operation Riptide update changed the game’s trajectory. Professional and casual players have dropped their M4A4 in favor of the M4A1-S. The budget change boosted the CT economy, resulting in significant imbalances in how each map plays out. The new nerfs in CSGO’s June patch notes should bring M4A4 back …
CSGO pro blasts OP M4A1-S as “cheat weapon,” is he right?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Operation Riptide was a massive meta-changer for the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, thanks to the M4A1-S buff. Now, Natus Vincere’s Valerii “b1t” Vakhovskyi has gone as far as to label it as a “cheat weapon” and he’s not the only person saying it’s OP. In September last year, Valve released a new update called Operation Riptide that tinkered with the loadout. The buffs to the M4A1-S substantially increased the damage dealt …
Why the most expensive CSGO knife costs more than $1.5 million
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The most expensive knife skin in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is worth almost as much as a Bugatti Veyron luxury sports car. But why? A Factory New Karambit | Case Hardened with a perfect blue gem pattern is currently the most expensive knife skin in all of CSGO. Valued for at least $1.5 million, the skin is the single most valuable skin in the entire game. The skin is currently owned …
The best M4A4 skins in CSGO to buy before the buffs
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Make your CT side stylish with the five best M4A4 skins in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In the current CSGO metagame, the M4A1-S reigns supreme. The buffs from Operation Riptide have made it superior to the M4A4 and, overpowered according to pros. That may be bad news for M4A4 enjoyers, but it also means that skins for the gun are cheaper than they’ve been for a very, very long time. Now …
CSGO Source 2 code hints at vehicles, ray tracing, new crouch
William Davis
Counter-Strike
New Source 2 code hints at big things for the future of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Source 2 rumors are flaring up again, and new code strings added to the Valve engine may hint at some exciting future features. A keen-eyed Valve fan has discovered several new strings in Source 2 that may refer to CSGO. Among them are references to drivable vehicles, a reworked crouch system, and fancy new graphics …
Here’s how to aim train while matchmaking in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matchmaking queues can be long and tedious, but instead of wasting time while waiting, you can actually aim train. Here’s how. CSGO official matchmaking has become deadlier and more challenging over the years. Whether higher skill play is attributed to cheaters or rank demons is unknown, but new players may find silver lobbies highly demanding. Each low rank in CSGO has become more populated by agile players …
Team Liquid designs CSGO skins, will they appear in-game?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Team stickers are a favorite in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but rocking a skin designed by a pro player is truly next-level. Team Liquid’s CSGO team has designed its own set of custom skins, unique for each player. Each squad member sketched out their dream skins idea, which was then turned into reality by an artist. There’s already plenty of pro scene recognition in CSGO, so a pro-designed case isn’t that …
This new smoke from s1mple actually lets you B-rush on Mirage
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev has shared a perfectly slick Mirage’s market window smoke to fool enemies. Mirage ranks as one of the most balanced CSGO maps. The A site is easier to attack, as B rushes can easily be stopped by some grenades or one skilled AWPer. The layout doesn’t necessarily favor either side, which is why it’s one of the most fun maps to compete …
Is your trash CSGO skin secretly expensive? Here’s how to check
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Is there an expensive skin hidden in your blue-rarity trash? Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players can find out with this tip. CSGO skins are commonly known for being expensive, but the vast majority of them are surprisingly cheap. From blues in recent cases to unattractive map skins, there are a ton of skins that aren’t worth much more than an empty inventory slot. But diligent players can sometimes discover a surprisingly …
Boombl4 divorces wife, claims she is blackmailing him
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov is getting divorced from his wife and the drama is spilling out onto social media. Natus Vincere announced the sudden decision to release Boombl4 due to his being a “high reputational risk.” Though many suspected the cause of this was a possible pro-Russia Instagram post made by his wife or a possible move back to Russia for Boombl4, it might have been something else entirely. A video …
Become a CSGO action star with these coop Workshop maps
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Coop maps are the perfect way to unwind from a long day of grinding ranked in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The CSGO Workshop is full of amazing user-created content. From in-depth aim trainers to crosshair generators, there’s a tool to solve nearly every problem CSGO players might run into, including boredom. Coop maps are a perfect way to lighten the mood after a few tough competitive matches. The low-stakes gameplay and …
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.
