Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Which rank plays the most CSGO in 2022?
Fariha Bhatti
Silver players take their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rank very seriously. New stats show which rank plays the most CSGO and when players quit official Matchmaking. In 2022, CSGO remains the most tactically advanced game, making ranking up a tall order. Learning lineups, understanding the economy, and tackling skilled enemies are just a few challenges to name. Valve’s FPS is a complex shooter that requires dedication and patience. But Silver players …
Counter-Strike
How to play your favorite CS 1.6 maps in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has over a dozen new locations, but players are still hooked on CS 1.6 maps. Here’s how you can play classic CS 1.6 maps in CSGO. A plethora of dedicated CS players switched to global offensive when it was released in 2012. The modern version was clean and balanced, but it lacked many CS 1.6 players’ favorite locations. Most of the omitted maps were clunky and unbalanced, …
Counter-Strike
Pro CSGO player says M4A1-S is more OP than the AUG ever was
William Davis
The M4A1-S is officially OP in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, at least according to some top-level professional players. In a recent long-form interview, ENCE in-game leader Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer claimed that the M4A1-S is now blatantly overpowered in CSGO. Snappi says that the low time-to-kill and high accuracy make it a direct upgrade compared to the M4A4. He also claims that the other gameplay changes added in Riptide have rewritten the …
Counter-Strike
Faceit now lets you block people from your CSGO matches
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players can now take control of their ranked gaming experience with this new Faceit matchmaking blocking feature. CSGO is a mentally taxing game to play due to rampant cheaters trolls. Faceit makes an active effort to resolve the cheating issue, but toxicity remains a problem. Players have long complained about non-serious trolls who throw games and create an unhealthy environment in the game lobby. Faceit has now …
FaZe Clan vs. ENCE betting odds & tips for ESL Pro League 15
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
FaZe Clan and ENCE are set for an interesting clash in the ESL Pro League Season 15. The newest iteration of FaZe Clan has been on fire despite the organization dealing with various health issues. Multiple bouts of illness saw players miss a chunk of IEM Katowice, with Justin “jks” Savage substituting in for both Håvard “rain” Nygaard and Robin “ropz” Kool at separate times. The former Renegades star stepped …
Is Gabe Newell really hand-delivering the new Steam Deck?
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
It seems like Santa has arrived earlier for PC gaming enthusiasts. Gabe Newell has reportedly been sighted hand-delivering the new Steam Deck to buyers. The lord of all things Steam, Gabe Newell, is sometimes not as much in touch with the community as fans would like him to be. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans have complained many times about his absence at major events. However, he seems to have taken a …
FaZe Clan wins IEM Katowice 2022 over G2 after 6 overtimes
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The IEM Katowice 2022 grand finals ended with a phenomenal championship run for FaZe Clan, defeating G2 Esports in a true marathon of a series. FaZe Clan defeated G2 Esports 3-0 to cap off a fantastic $1 million LAN tournament. After defeating Heroic, Gambit, and Team Liquid, FaZe overcame the final challenge to secure $400,000 and tons of circuit points for BLAST Premier and the ESL Pro Tour. While every …
FaZe Clan vs G2 Esports IEM Katowice finals betting picks
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The IEM Katowice grand finals is a well-deserved showdown between FaZe Clan and G2 Esports, and our betting picks are here to say which team will take the trophy. Almost two weeks of top-tier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive action comes down to this. G2 Esports’ remixed roster barreled past nearly all challengers on its path to the grand finals. FaZe Clan overcame multiple roster troubles and the most difficult path of …
Hilarious easter egg on Iris brings a new C4 hiding tech to CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive didn’t really have funny tactics to toy with the C4, but this new map is changing the meta. An easter egg on Iris can hide the bomb in a cheeky spot. Valve recently revealed the newest batch of community maps coming to CSGO. One of the latest maps is Iris, a location set in a small mid-century town that once thrived from its auto industry. The rusty …
FaZe Clan vs Heroic IEM Katowice betting analysis
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Quarterfinals have filtered out the best teams for the next stage. Faze has made it to the semifinals, but would it maintain a form against Heroic? After the thrilling quarterfinals games, it is now time for the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams to battle it out in the semifinals of IEM Katowice. After beating Gambit in a one-sided game, FaZe Clan is now going up against Heroic to secure a …
These are the best gaming keyboards to buy in 2022
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Keyboards are often an afterthought when building an optimal gaming setup. But a good keyboard can be a game-changer. How you interface with your computer matters a lot. The mouse and keyboard are two components that ensure a smooth interface in gaming. But players often put the keyboard on the backburner, not realizing that a good one can give you a real edge, not to mention adding to the comfortability …
Natus Vincere vs G2 Esports IEM Katowice betting & fantasy picks
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Natus Vincere and G2 Esports have made it to the final four of IEM Katowice, and our betting analysis predicts which one will advance to the grand finals. The final distribution of IEM Katowice’s $1 million prize pool is starting to solidify. Both Natus Vincere and G2 Esports have earned at least $80,000 already, but advancing to the grand finals earns a cool $180,000 with a shot at the $400,000 …
Deadly new Vertigo boost could stop ramp pushes forever
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
A deadly new boost has been discovered for Vertigo and it could redefine the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map’s notoriously contentious A site. In every iteration of Vertigo, sandbags has been a cheeky spot for CTs to lurk and a key point for defending ramp. What’s often forgotten about is everything behind Vertigo. A half-finished cement wall and railing is directly behind the spot to prevent players from falling off. What …
Virtus.pro vs G2 Esports IEM Katowice betting & fantasy picks
William Davis
Counter-Strike
G2 Esports and Virtus.pro both took tumultuous paths to the playoffs of IEM Katowice, but only one can advance to the final four. While the other top-six match is a battle between teams with something to prove, G2 and VP will be a true clash of the titans. Both of these squads were expected to go far at IEM Katowice. G2 Esports is still testing out its newest acquisition Ilya …
CSGO gets new community maps with the end of Operation Riptide
William Davis
Counter-Strike
A whole batch of new maps just got added to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the ending of Operation Riptide. On February 21, Valve revealed the newest batch of community maps coming to CSGO. The new options include two competitive maps, two Wingman maps, and a pair of community-made Danger Zone locales. The addition also means the removal of Operation Riptide community maps, as none will be promoted to regular play. …
How to get CSGO drops from official Valve tournaments
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments are exciting, and the possibility of getting a fancy souvenir drop only adds to the fun. Players just tuning in to CSGO tournaments now that LAN events are back may be disappointed by not getting any souvenir cases. They used to be distributed on a random basis to players watching at home, but Valve now uses a different method of handing out souvenir drops. This guide …
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.
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
