This bouncing molotov shows the weird ways CSGO molotovs work

A runaway molotov turned a Mirage mid play into a rare video clip, and highlighted just how strange the behavor of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s molotovs can really be.

Most Mirage players know that just one or two moltovs can be their ticket into Mirage’s A bombsite, this particular mid molotov seems like it had a mind of its own.

A recent clip posted to social media showed off what can happen when one of CSGO’s grenades hits a static prop at just the right angle such that it bounces straight back on the same trajectory it took in. While an attacker dropping a Molotov at their own feet is nothing new, it’s a great opportunity to get into why and how Molotov’s can even bounce at all.

CSGO’s molotovs can interact with the game in some odd ways, all stemming from the way the grenade decides to whether it should explode. Even though this clip features a particularly rare event, bouncing molotovs are pretty common. On Mirage’s A site, for example, a player in the palace can molotov under dark by bouncing the grenade off the ramp-side wall. 

The clip shows the attacker grenade sail into snipers’ before slamming into the bench prop and immediately flying right back out of the window, The angle, velocity, and server tick that causes it to bounce right back out of the window is something else. CSGO’s players know that the game’s velocities can be a little wonky sometimes, but this usually results in things slowing down suddenly. This rare bounce on Mirage probably won’t happen again anytime soon.

All of CSGO’s grenades operate differently in the game’s engine

There are great variations between when CSGO’s various grenades can and will go off. The game’s high-explosive grenade works on a timer that starts when it’s thrown. Once the timer is up, it’s guaranteed to explode. Flashbangs also work off their own internal timer.

CSGO’s smokes work a little differently than the HE or the flash. Here, the game only checks for whether or not the smoke has completely stopped moving before detonating. That’s why some smokes can block helpful angles but still be poor smokes to execute on because of the lengthy time they take to bloom. If a smoke bounces seven times before it pops, players might want to look for a new way to close off that angle. 

The best flash we’ve ever seen for taking B site on Inferno can be learned by clicking the photo below.

CSGO’s developers recognized the molotov grenade’s potential early on and made attempts to limit the range and angle at which they could be used. Without these limitations, CSGO would be a much hotter place. 

From time to time, CSGO’s grenades and physics come together to do some funny things and some pretty dumb things. The clip above does an excellent job of highlighting one of the many curious effects CSGO can exhibit in just the right circumstances.