Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
The best loadouts in Counter-Strike 2 for T and CT sides
Steven Rondina
Players first jumping into Counter-Strike 2 will have to make the very difficult decision of setting their loadout for games, but which is the best? Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gave players access to every weapon available to their team. While the most obvious gameplay changes in Counter-Strike 2 are the changed maps, missing game modes, and engine change, something that fans will constantly struggle with is having access to just a …
Counter-Strike
Pick’ems for Shanghai Major playoffs: Get your platinum coin
William Davis
The pick’ems for the Shanghai Major playoffs are about to open up, and this is players’ last chance to secure that gorgeous platinum coin. The Shanghai Major has already delivered on storylines. It cemented The MongolZ as a top-tier team in Counter-Strike after a year of rising star status. It also cast major doubt on Natus Vincere, as the reigning champion failed to make it to the final round. However, …
Counter-Strike
Is the CS2 Shanghai Major crowd ruining the event?
William Davis
The Shanghai Major is in full swing, but one CS2 pro is calling out the crowd and observers for potentially affecting the outcome of clutch situations. The Shanghai Major is about to advance to the playoffs, and multiple teams have gone against the odds. The MongolZ has cemented its place as a top-tier squad after a year of success, blasting past the elimination stage 3-0. Meanwhile, reigning champion Natus Vincere …
Counter-Strike
WIN.gg’s pick’ems for the Shanghai Major group stage
William Davis
The Shanghai Major group stage is upon us, and WIN.gg has the best pick’ems to secure another free souvenir package. The play-ins are over, the stage is set, and the main event of the Shanghai Major is about to begin. CS2 players are chomping at the bit to earn their free souvenir packages, and WIN.gg is here to help them upgrade their event coin. With 16 teams left in contention, …
NA CS2 sends Virtus.pro, Cloud9 home from Shanghai Major
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
The 2024 Shanghai Major just saw two of the favorites to win out of the group stage handed a ticket home, with Cloud9 and Virtus.pro both eliminated from the tournament. The opening stage for the Shanghai Major hasn’t gone to plan for Europe and the CIS region. Though Team GamerLegion made it through the stage without much trouble, other teams have flopped. Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson may have teased his departure …
Impress a CS2 fans with these 2024 Christmas gifts
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Christmas is right around the corner, and we have a few gift ideas to help surprise the CS2 fans in the family. Counter-Strike 2 is one of the most popular games in the world. Its unique blend of slow-burn strategy and split-second action makes it one of the biggest competitive and casual games on the market. Of course, with popularity comes merch, and there are many great and no-so-great options …
How good is China at CS2? Shanghai Major update
William Davis
Counter-Strike
China is one of biggest regions for casual CS2 players, but how do its esports teams stack up against the west? The Shanghai Major has put a new spotlight on the competitive Chinese CS2 scene. Asia and Oceania as a whole are on the rise, with The MongolZ rising through the ranks and FlyQuest taking surprise matches off top teams. However, it’s still rare to see teams from China at …
Start your platinum coin with our Shanghai Major pick’ems
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Pick’ems are back for the Shanghai Major, and we call exactly which teams will advance to the next stage. WIN.gg has a reputation for top performances at pick’ems. Readers who followed our picks got a platinum coin at both the Stockholm Major and the Antwerp Major, and we still have enough gas in the tank for a repeat at Shanghai. We analyzed all the top predictions from personalities and meshed …
CS2 players can now rent every skin, here’s how
William Davis
Counter-Strike
CS2 experimented with a skin rent feature in the Kilowatt case, and it seems Valve liked it so much that it’s extending the feature to every case ever released. For many Counter-Strike 2 fans, skins are more important than the title’s actual gameplay. After all, if a player is going to miss their shots, they may as well look good doing it. Valve knows this all too well, and the …
CS2 pros drag ESIC over Astralis’ cadiaN substitution ruling
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike esports has seen some controversial dust kicked up with the ESIC issuing a ruling on Astralis’ controversial substitution and replacement of Alexander “br0” Bro with Casper “cadiaN” Moller. The ESIC has long been a controversial entity within the world of Counter-Strike esports. From conflict of interest concerns to its open admissions of poor investigative practices, the commission has been brushed off by fans and pro players alike. But that …
New CS2 ban wave to wipe 100,000 smurfs off FACEIT
William Davis
Counter-Strike
A new ban wave has rippled through FACEIT, and CS2 players rejoice. Cheating is such a problem in Counter-Strike 2 that many players look to third-party matchmakers to help. When Valve doesn’t cut it, anti-cheats like the ones from FACEIT can help. However, even paid options aren’t infallible, and plenty of smurfs, cheaters, and toxic players still exist on the platform. That’s something the platform is actively looking to tackle …
Next CS2 major leaked for Budapest, where are tickets?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The Budapest Major has leaked for CS2, and fans are already chomping at the bit to secure tickets. While much has changed with the release of Counter-Strike 2, the major series continues as strong as ever. With the Shanghai Major RMR still ongoing and the Austin Major looming for 2025, Valve is already making plans for late next year. Now, insider sources claim that the next major city is leaked …
Team Falcons benches most of its CS2 roster; here’s who is left
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Team Falcons’ star-studded Counter-Strike 2 roster is no more, with the organization announcing that it has benched the bulk of its lineup and confirmed a split with Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev. Counter-Strike has seen many superteams come together over the years. Building a roster on star power hasn’t typically yielded results, though. Team Falcons is now learning that the hard way. The organization announced that it is benching or parting with …
s1mple isn’t sticking with Team Falcons, is he going to retire?
Steven Rondina
Counter-Strike
Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev is done with Team Falcons and questions are swirling about whether he’s going to be returning to NaVi, returning to vacation, or if he’ll just retire. s1mple is almost inarguably the greatest Counter-Strike player of all time. He’s collected every notable trophy there is in the game, topped scoreboards, and dazzled fans and opponents alike with both his shooting and smarts. That made his indefinite hiatus in …
CS2 Pros criticize Valve slow update pace
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Counter-Strike
It has been nearly a year since the release of Valve’s Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), and the professional community remains divided on its current state. While excitement surrounded its launch as the successor to CS, many CS2 Pros are voicing frustration over the game’s development. Pro are particularly disappointed with Valve’s slow pace in rolling out major updates. This has lead some to speculate that the game won’t reach its peak …
How to Buy and Sell CS2 (CSGO) Skins for Crypto and Real Money
William Davis
Counter-Strike
The CS2 market offers gamers the opportunity to buy CS2 (CSGO) skins or sell CS2 (CSGO) skins for cryptocurrency and real money. While many platforms facilitate these transactions, let’s take Waxpeer as an example to illustrate how the process works. Waxpeer is a peer-to-peer marketplace that enables users to trade CS2 (CSGO) skins securely and efficiently. Supporting both crypto and real money transactions, it offers flexibility for the gaming community. …
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
