This is what realistic smoke grenades would look like in CSGO

It’s no secret that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s smoke grenades don’t behave in a realistic way. But what if they did?

A CSGO modder created a way to have smoke grenades pop and deploy as they would in real life. While this may seem like a small change, it would completely impact the game if implemented. 

In CSGO, smoke grenades deploy all at once and instantly. Smoke is also completely opaque throughout its area of effect, allowing players to peak around it while remaining completely obscured when they move back behind the smoke.

In both real life and more realistic shooters such as PlayerUnkown’s Battlegrounds, smoke grenades can start deploying before they land and the smoke comes out over time. The edges of the smoke aren’t as thick and players aren’t able to completely jiggle peak around it. Not only that but the smoke tends to linger and doesn’t just dissipate entirely within a couple of seconds. 

The CSGO modder did something much more realistic for Valve’s tactical shooter, showing off the tactical implications for realistic smoke grenades. Players could emulate something similar to certain one-way smokes where players have a bit of vision along the perimeter of the smoke and could fire on enemies while being difficult to see. Plays could also be made around attacking and disappearing into the smoke as it deploys. 

While these realistic smoke grenades will not be replacing the ones that have been in the game for years, it’s very interesting seeing what might have been and how games may have played out if this one bit of utility had changed.

Why are smokes important in CSGO?

Smokes are important in CSGO due to their ability to set up rotations and block off strong angles that can shut down pushes. 

For example, if T-side players are looking to rush the B site on Dust 2, putting a smoke grenade in the doors denies one of the strongest defensive positions in that area. This forces them to either quickly change positions or back off and wait for the smoke to clear. Either way, it’s a major tactical advantage for the attacking side.

Alongside this, smoke grenades can be used to obscure player or team movements. A smoke on catwalk that blocks vision from mid doors lets the T-side tease a push up catwalk or safely watch for CTs pushing out of tunnels or mid doors.

For these and many other reasons, smoke grenades are critically important in CSGO.