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CSGO Stockholm Major production is a major problem Counter-Strike CSGO Stockholm Major production is a major problem By William Davis How to get PGL Stockholm Major souvenir cases Counter-Strike How to get PGL Stockholm Major souvenir cases By Fariha Bhatti Astralis fumbles major matches to Entropiq, Copenhagen Flames Counter-Strike Astralis fumbles major matches to Entropiq, Copenhagen Flames By William Davis
Valve says space bar is best jump button in CSGO, but is it? Counter-Strike
Valve says space bar is best jump button in CSGO, but is it? William Davis The CSGO social media team is sticking to its guns on the default settings. The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team has revealed its preferred control scheme via social media. Valve started off with relatively normal grenade binds before things took a turn. The official CSGO account revealed it uses mouse wheel up to inspect weapon. Even more importantly, the account runner declared that space bar is the proper way to jump …
CSGO pros are using a new jump bind for EZ grenades Counter-Strike
CSGO pros are using a new jump bind for EZ grenades William Davis Jump binds are super useful for throwing grenades in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but pro players are abusing a Source engine quirk for a new and improved method. Astralis player and Stockholm Major qualifier Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen revealed his new jump bind through social media. With Bubzkji’s new tech, players can now throw grenades slightly further without giving up any accuracy.  To try his grenade bind for yourself, open the developer …
PGL Major Stockholm is equal parts important and dangerous Counter-Strike
PGL Major Stockholm is equal parts important and dangerous William Davis Beyond the international LAN play and the $2 million prize pool, the Stockholm Major will determine the future of CSGO esports. As the first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major in two years, PGL Major Stockholm is Valve’s way of showing its commitment to the game. If the event goes well, it will usher in a new era of LAN. If it goes poorly, it could doom CSGO to another year in …
PGL Major Stockholm opening round betting picks and analysis Counter-Strike
PGL Major Stockholm opening round betting picks and analysis William Davis Create your own prize pool for the Stockholm Major with smart picks on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s best teams. PGL Major Stockholm is a triumphant return to LAN majors for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The 24 best squads in the world are on their way to Sweden where they’ll battle for $2 million in prizes. And they don’t have to be the only ones winning cash from the event. With every top …
Who is Stewie2K? The North American giant seeking a second major Counter-Strike Who is Stewie2K? The North American giant seeking a second major By William Davis pashaBiceps returns to pro CSGO for PGL Major Counter-Strike pashaBiceps returns to pro CSGO for PGL Major By Fariha Bhatti kennyS returns to G2 Esports as PGL Stockholm Major sub Counter-Strike kennyS returns to G2 Esports as PGL Stockholm Major sub By William Davis
PGL Stockholm Major viewer pass arrives with stickers, patches Counter-Strike
PGL Stockholm Major viewer pass arrives with stickers, patches William Davis The PGL Stockholm Major is fast approaching, and that means a new assortment of cosmetic items are arriving alongside the major viewer pass. Valve has dropped a new update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s PGL Stockholm Major. The new patch includes the newest suite of team stickers and patches for CSGO esports fans to collect. The patch also includes a new Pick’Em challenge and souvenir drop system for the PGL Stockholm …
Mirage one-man triple smoke from one angle is too OP Counter-Strike
Mirage one-man triple smoke from one angle is too OP Fariha Bhatti With Operation 11’s release, Valve rolled out a significant game-changer in the nade drop mechanic. This Mirage execute on A is an excellent example of how players are squeezing full juice out of this new feature.  In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, each player can equip a maximum of four grenades. Players must prioritize their nades according to the team’s needs since you can shop every utility only once, except flashbangs. This …
CSGO player proposes to girlfriend with ring hidden in custom skin Counter-Strike
CSGO player proposes to girlfriend with ring hidden in custom skin Fariha Bhatti This Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player is winning hearts with his wholesome marriage proposal story. CSGO is one of the oldest first-person shooter games, and it has had a significant impact on many lives. People made new friends through Valve’s shooter, but this player took his love story to a whole new level by proposing to his CSGO duo through a weapon skin. https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/q715k9/ive_made_this_marry_me_skin_using_p90/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 Counter-strike is popular for its sure-fire gunplay …
CSGO Operation Riptide week five mission guide Counter-Strike
CSGO Operation Riptide week five mission guide William Davis Operation Riptide is taking it easy for week five, and we can help you to take advantage with some easy stars. The second month of Operation Riptide has started with a few softballs. The new set of challenges involves several Counter-Strike: Global Offensive game modes, with trips to fan-favorite maps and another Danger Zone checklist. This week’s six-star limit can be reached with just two missions, but all four will …
Chinese CSGO prodigy Starry may retire due to new gaming laws William Davis Counter-Strike For even the best players, three hours per week isn’t near to enough practice. China’s new gaming laws have begun to affect the country’s esports industry. Rising Counter-Strike: Global Offensive star Li Zhi “Starry” Ye of Lynn Vision Gaming is speculated to retire at the young age of 16. New laws restrict players under 18 to just one hour of gaming per day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He is …
CSGO pro dies to “Door Stuck” bug, bringing meme back to life Fariha Bhatti Counter-Strike An infamous door bug has returned to Nuke, and this time it has cost a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player his life. Some CSGO bugs are scarce and irreplicable. However, these glitches can occur at most inconvenient times. The popular “Door Stuck” bug returned during a professional game between Team Liquid and Mad Lions in the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown. It was equally hilarious and unfortunate, as Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski …
Xyp9x extends contract with Astralis ahead of PGL major Fariha Bhatti Counter-Strike Clutch minister Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth has decided to stay in Astralis after showing signs of uncertainty regarding his future two months ago.  Xyp9x has revealed that he’s extended his contract with the Danish team after weighing his options. The professional player will continue his esports journey in Astralis in hopes to bring the four-time major winning team back to the fore.  https://twitter.com/AstralisCS/status/1450069126702145536 The clutch king was hesitant about staying in …
Valve quickly fixes CSGO’s water footstep bug with fans’ help Fariha Bhatti Counter-Strike Valve has finally fixed the infamous water bug in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the help of Reddit users.  If you’ve ever heard spooky noises in waters across Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s maps, it’s likely a bug. A strange glitch has long caused issues when players walk on surfaces like fountains, mud, and canals. While it’s an enduring bug, it took professional player Martin “STYKO” Styk to finally get Valve to notice.  …
Are there lots of CSGO cheaters? Or just a lot of sore losers? Fariha Bhatti Counter-Strike Most Counter-Strike: Global Offensive accept players’ claims that the game is riddled with cheaters. But is that true? Or does CSGO just have a lot of sore losers and smurfs? Discussion regarding Valve’s first-person shooter often revolves around its cutthroat gameplay and bad actors abusing the anti-cheat system. Though it’s been quietly agreed upon that CSGO has a cheating problem, some players are now debating whether it’s actually true.  https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/q94kuj/does_the_game_truly_have_a_lot_of_cheaters_as/ …
This is how much money CSGO’s top Twitch streamers make Steven Rondina Counter-Strike Counter-Strike: Global Offensive boasts some of the richest streamers on all of Twitch, and it’s served as a jumping off point for a few of the platform’s biggest overall earners. Twitch recently suffered a massive data leak during which everything about the site was made public, from hidden moderation rules to the platform’s supposed source code itself. Included in that leak were exact figures related to the income of thousands …
JW leaves Fnatic to seek new opportunities in CSGO William Davis Counter-Strike Today marks the end of one of Counter-Strike’s longest player-organization partnerships with Fnatic and JW set to split up. The Swedish veteran has announced that he is leaving his longtime home. He first joined Fnatic in August 2013, where he stayed for the entirety of his career with the exception of a six-month stint on GODSENT. Along with Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson, JW is practically synonymous with the organization, but will …
Valve asking for fans’ help to fix notorious CSGO water bug Fariha Bhatti Counter-Strike The long-standing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive audio bug might be patched up soon as Valve employees have started investigating the issue.  Valve isn’t necessarily known for its community engagement or delivering hotfixes for game-breaking bugs. But this seems to be changing. A Valve employee DanB has requested community help to investigate the infamous water bug.  https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/q7lwnv/looking_for_demos_with_a_water_sound_bug_on_de/ CSGO has tons of bugs scattered across the maps, but few of those make any …
Bubzkji out, gla1ve in for Astralis at PGL Stockholm Major William Davis Counter-Strike With the biggest prize pool event in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive history drawing near, the best teams in the world have some tough decisions to make. Astralis may have made the toughest decision so far. After qualifying for the Stockholm Major, Astralis have announced its intended lineup for the event. The squad has decided to remove Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen from active play and return Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander to the starting roster. …
New timeout hack disconnects players mid-game Fariha Bhatti Counter-Strike The timeout exploit is becoming more common in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, marring games for competitive players.  WIN.gg previously discussed whether a disconnect hack exists in CSGO or not, and it seems to be real after all. More and more players are coming forward with complaints of being disconnected from a server repeatedly, especially after the Operation Riptide release.  https://www.reddit.com/r/counterstrike/comments/q6bsl0/timeout_exploithack_in_competitive_csgo/ CSGO has a hacker problem, and it’s not a new thing. …
Here are some one-way smokes pros are using on Mirage Fariha Bhatti Counter-Strike Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional players are redefining how the oldest map Mirage is played with these new one-way setups. Mirage is one of the oldest and most played CSGO maps. Both casual and competitive players know every corner of the location like the back of their hands. Still, pro players keep finding fresh ways to work this location. These newly discovered one-way smokes on Mirage’s B site will allow you …
The team list for CSGO’s Stockholm Major has been finalized William Davis Counter-Strike The stage has been set for the biggest tournament in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive history. CSGO esports have been slowly returning to a live format, and now a Valve major will really kick the scene back into gear. All year long, teams have competed in the Regional Major Rankings for spots at the upcoming Stockholm Major. Now that all RMR events are over, we know exactly which teams have earned a …

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.