Retired professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Michael “shroud” Grzesiek no longer thinks Valorant is just as challenging as Valve’s FPS, and he has an explanation why.
The constant comparison between Valorant and CSGO is still going strong one year after Riot entered the first-person shooter category. Despite the endless debates, even the FPS experts like Shroud have failed to decide which game is more challenging.
In a recent stream, shroud commented that both games are complicated, but he’s backpedaled on his statement in a recent stream. The former pro explained how CS might be more complex than Valorant due to its utility usage.
“I love how easy this game [Valorant] is. Like in CS, you gotta learn every single flash and smoke and nade and moly lineup to be an effective player,” shroud said.
But on a higher level, winning a game of CSGO is impossible without learning crucial utility lineups. While the same goes for Valorant, the team play concept is slightly different. The utility might sit at the heart of Riot’s shooter, but since every agent carries a toolkit, it minimizes the complexity of team reliance. In CSGO, all players have the same utility, which requires everyone to master their lineups and actively coordinate.
“In this game [Valorant], you’re relying on your team to be the effective players in those roles, and you’re focused more on your role. And I love that. It’s so simple yet so elegant,” shroud said.
Why does shroud think Valorant is easier than CSGO?
A duelist in Valorant is expected to break open a site on the back of an Initiator and Controller. Category division allows players to pick their roles, commit to them, and successfully execute their jobs with zero distractions. Meanwhile in CSGO, the thin role line often gets blurred when site rushes get messy. This means every player in CS must be a sharp aimer, versatile support, and learn utility setups to come through in the time of need.
shroud has spent over 10 years playing the game, eventually becoming one of the best players in Counter-Strike esports. The level he competed at was all about team play, complex use of smokes, and communication. Thus, his opinion reflects his experience in Valve’s shooter. At a higher pro play level, utility and team coordination are just as complex as CSGO.
This isn’t the first time shroud has backflipped on his opinion. The pro player has previously called
CSGO easier than Valorant
due to the skill level. However, the change of view could be attributed to the ever-changing meta in Valorant, which is still evolving. Whatever the case, both the titles depend highly on aim-play, which is the true spirit of any shooter game.
Fariha Bhatti
About Fariha Bhatti
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
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