Counter Strike Global Offensive

Overview

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a modern-military first-person shooter developed and published by Valve (in conjunction with Hidden Path) for the PC(via Steam) Mac (also via Steam), Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade), andPlayStation 3 (via PlayStation Network).

The fourth official iteration of Counter-Strike (and the second based on the Source engine), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (or CS:GO) features new maps (including updated versions of the original maps), new weapons (including a molotov cocktail and astun gun), new game modes (including an official variation of the popular Gun Game mod for Counter-Strike: Source), and a renewed focus on both eSports and ranked matchmaking.

The game also includes numerous minor gameplay enhancements, including weapon price rebalancing, enhanced bot interaction (such as allowing bots to take place of empty player slots and allowing dead players to take full control of alive bot teammates), and map-based player factions (removing the ability to select one manually).

Prior to the game's release, Valve has released the game in both closed beta for key community players (from November 30, 2011 to August 14, 2012) and open beta for those who pre-ordered (from August 14, 2012 to the game's release date) Along with purchasing it at a 10% discount and access to the open beta, the pre-order also includes an item for Team Fortress 2 (the "AWPer Hand", a re-skin of the Sniper's sniper rifle featuring the sounds and likeness of the AWP rifle).

The PC and Mac versions have received numerous updates since the game's release, tweaking certain gameplay aspects while adding new mechanics and UI enhancements. One key addition, added on February 8, 2013, is Steam Workshop support, allowing map builders to share maps with the community (while keeping the community up-to-date on those maps) and allowing server owners to use the Steam Workshop to host those maps for the client players.

Game Modes and Maps

Classic Mode

Two of the standard game modes from previous Counter-Strike games (Bomb Defusal and Hostage Rescue) make a return in the "Classic" game mode, which comes in two forms: Classic Casual and Classic Competitive.

Classic Competitive is the main matchmaking service of CS:GO. It's a standard 5v5 match and includes a matchmaking and ranking service as follows:

• Silver I
• Silver II
• Silver III
• Silver IV
• Silver Elite
• Silver Elite Master
• Gold Nova I
• Gold Nova II
• Gold Nova II
• Gold Nova Master
• Master Guardian I
• Master Guardian II
• Master Guardian Elite
• Distinguished Master Guardian
• Legendary Eagle
• Legendary Eagle Master
• Supreme Master First Class
• The Global Elite

Unlike Classic Competitive, which plays more like the traditional Counter-Strike games, Classic Casual disables friendly fire, team collision, and purchasing requirements of both armor (everybody has one automatically) and defusal kits (all Counter-Terrorist players have them automatically), while increasing the cash reward after each kill (but decreasing the maximum cash cap from $16000 to $10000). The team with the most amount of rounds won (15 rounds total (8 wins) for Casual, 30 rounds total (16 wins) for Competitive), wins the match.

Bomb Defusal

In Bomb Defusal, the Terrorist players must plant a C4 Explosive (randomly given to one Terrorist player) in one of the two designated "bomb sites" and prevent the Counter-Terrorist players from defusing it before it detonates. While players cannot move or attack while planting or defusing, they can prematurely stop and restart the process. It takes half a minute for armed explosives to detonate (the round time stops and the music and bomb sound effects change at key points prior to detonation) and ten seconds to defuse the explosive (which can be halved if the player is carrying a Defusal Kit).

Terrorist players win by either detonating the explosive or eliminating the Counter-Terrorist players. Counter-Terrorist players win by either defusing an armed explosive, letting the round time expire, or eliminating the Terrorist players prior to them arming the explosive.

• Aztec
• Dust
• Dust II
• Inferno
• Nuke
• Train
• Vertigo (added for the PC/Mac on October 1, 2012)
• Mirage (added for the PC/Mac on June 12, 2013)

Hostage Rescue

In Hostage Rescue, the Counter-Terrorist players must rescue NPC hostages kept near the Terrorist spawn and escort them to a designated "rescue zone" located near their spawn. This mode received a significant overhaul for the PC and Mac versions in the March 21, 2013 update:

• On the PC and Mac versions after March 21, 2013, Counter-Terrorist players must manually carry one of two tied-up hostages to the rescue zone. Those players must interact with them (by holding down the "Use" button for a certain amount of time) to untie their hands and pick them up over a player's shoulder. By default, it takes four seconds to untie and pick up a hostage from his starting location (which can be halved by purchasing or picking up a Rescue Kit). The player that holds the hostage can still use his weapons and equipment, but his movement speed is drastically reduced. If that player dies, the hostage will remain at that spot and can be picked up again (which takes half the time, regardless if the player has a Rescue Kit or not). When a hostage is first picked up, the round time extends by a minute (to compensate for the slow movement). Hostages cannot die from weapons and equipment, but harming them causes the offending player to suffer a cash penalty.

• On console versions (and PC/Mac versions prior to March 21, 2013), Counter-Terrorist players must escort two of the four hostages (each of which follow the player who activated them) to the rescue zone. Each hostage starts out standing in one spot, and must be interacted (using the "Use" button) by a Counter-Terrorist player. Escorted hostages will blindly follow the player until that player interacts with them again (in which they "wait"), the player dies, or they die. Any player (on either team) who harms a hostage suffers a cash penalty, and any player who kills a hostage suffers a severe cash penalty (and the risk of being kicked from the current server).

Counter-Terrorist players win by either meeting their hostage rescue quota or eliminating the Terrorist players. Terrorist players win by either letting the round time expire or eliminating the Counter-Terrorist players.

• Italy
• Office
• Assault (added for the PC/Mac on Feburary 7th, 2013)
• Militia (added for the PC/Mac on March 21, 2013)

Demolition

A fast-paced variation of the Bomb Defusal game mode, Demolition disables the ability to buy weapons and gear. Instead, the player's starting weapon is based on both their weapon difficulty and their amount of kills in the previous round. While team collision is disabled, friendly fire is enabled. The team with the most amount of wins out of 20 rounds wins the match.

During each round, if a player gets one kill (with any weapon or equipment), then he/she gains a weapon difficulty level (up to the maximum level) for the next round. If a player gets more than one kill, then along with the weapon level gain, he/she gets one grenade (HE Grenade for two kills overall, Flashbang for three kills, or Incendiary Grenade for four kills) for the next round.

1. M4A4 (CT) / AK-47 (T)
2. P90
3. UMP-45 (CT) / PP-Bizon (T)
4. Desert Eagle
5. Nova
6. Five-SeveN (CT) / Tec-9 (T)
7. P2000 (CT) / Glock-18 (T)
8. SSG 08
9. AWP
10. SCAR-20 (CT) / G3SG1 (T)

There are six new medium-sized maps developed for this game mode. Other than their size, the key difference from other Bomb Defusal maps is that these maps only have one "bomb site" located near the center of the map.

• Bank
• Lake
• Safehouse
• Shorttrain
• St. Marc
• Sugarcane

Arms Race

The game's official variation of Gun Game, Arms Race is a team deathmatch mode where individual players compete to win the match by being the first player to score a kill with a Gold Knife. Players must earn their Gold Knives by killing enemy players with all of their designated weapons consecutively. While team collision is disabled, friendly fire is enabled. Players have infinite ammo and instantly respawn (in a random location) after their killcam, in which they are invulnerable for a few seconds (or until they fire their weapon). Each match has only one round.

Each player starts at the first weapon rank, equipped with a MP9 and a knife. Killing a player with their equipped gun increases that rank and immediately switches it with the weapon of the next rank. Killing a player with a standard knife increases the killer's weapon rank while decreases the victim's weapon rank. Committing suicide causes the player to decrease their weapon rank.

1. MP9
2. MAC-10
3. MP7
4. PP-Bizon
5. UMP-45
6. P90
7. Nova
8. Mag-7
9. XM1014
10. Sawed Off
11. Galil AR
12. FAMAS
13. AK-47
14. M4A4
15. SG 553
16. AUG
17. AWP
18. M249
19. Negev
20. Glock-18
21. P2000
22. Tec-9
23. P250
24. Five-SeveN
25. Dual Berettas
26. Gold Knife

There are three new small maps developed for this game mode, each just containing the designated spawn zones for each team.

• Baggage
• Shoots
• Monastery (added for the PC/Mac on October 1, 2012)

Deathmatch

Added for the PC and Mac versions on January 23, 2013, Deathmatch is a standard team deathmatch mode where individual players compete to win the match by having the highest score (by killing players and gaining bonus points) after ten minutes. Both team collision and friendly fire are disabled. Players have infinite ammo and instantly respawn (in a random location) after their killcam, in which they are invulnerable for six seconds (or until they fire their weapon) and have a limited buy period (in which they can purchase any of their team's weapons for free). Players can choose whether they respawn with a random weapon or respawn with their previously-used weapon. Each match has only one round.

Players gain 2 points per kill, adjusted with 10-20 bonus points for a kill with a specific weapon:

• 10 points - All machine guns and sniper rifles (except the SSG 08).
• 11 points - All assault rifles, the SSG 08, the XM1014, and the P90.
• 12 points - All pistols, all shotguns (except the XM1014), all SMGs (except the P90), and the Zeus x27.
• 20 points - Knife

Players also gain 6 points for assisting with a teammate's kill. Chickens are scattered around the level, and eliminating them give 1 point each. At certain intervals of the match, a random weapon (that can only be accessed by both teams) is highlighted in the HUD for 30 seconds, and killing enemies with it grant 5-10 bonus points (which vary depending on the weapon).

This game mode is compatible with all official maps included with the game.

Community Servers

This is most reminiscent of previous iterations of Counter-Strike, as these are player-hosted servers that hosts a wide variety of custom maps and gamemodes.

Weapons and Equipment

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive includes over 29 lethal guns to choose from, split up into five categories: Pistols, Submachine Guns, Rifles (both Assault Rifles and Sniper Rifles), and Heavy Weapons (both Shotguns and Machine Guns). The game also has six types of grenades (and a single-use taser), each varying in utility. Players can equip only one primary weapon (Submachine Guns, Rifles, and Heavy Weapons) and one secondary weapon (Pistols) at a time. They may also carry up to three grenades at a time (each of which must be unique) and one taser at a time. (In later PC/Mac versions on Classic Competitive mode, this was changed to four grenades, two of which could be flashbangs)

In Classic game modes, most of the weapons and equipment must be bought using the game's currency (gained by completing matches, winning matches, performing objectives, and getting kills).

Pistols

Tec-9

All pistols have a +50% kill cash bonus in Classic Casual mode.

Slots (PC/Mac)

• Glock-18, P2000, USP-S
• P250
• Tec-9, Five-SeveN
• Dual Berettas
• Desert Eagle

Weapons

• Glock-18 - $300 (T Only). Starting weapon for T in Classic modes. Previously known as the "9x19mm Sidearm". Secondary fire toggles burst-fire mode, which fires three rounds (in quick succession) at a time. Purchasable by both teams in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• P2000 - $200 (CT Only). Starting weapon for CT in Classic modes. New to the series. $300 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• USP-S - $200 (CT Only). Added in the August 13, 2013 update (PC and Mac versions only). Starting weapon for CT in Classic modes. Previously known as the "KM .45 Tactical". Unlike the P2000, it carries a detachable suppressor at the cost of limited ammunition (half the magazine amount).

• P250 - $300. New to the series, succeeding the ".228 Compact". $500 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• Tec-9 - $500 (T Only). New to the series. $400 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• Five-SeveN - $500 (CT Only). Previously known as the "ES Five-Seven". $650 and purchasable by both teams in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• Dual Berettas - $700. Previously known as the ".40 Dual Elites" (and previously only purchasable by T players).

• Desert Eagle - $800. Previously known as the "Night Hawk .50c".

Submachine Guns

PP-Bizon

All submachine guns (other than the P90) have a +100% kill cash bonus (+200% in Classic Casual mode). The P90 has a +50% kill cash bonus in Classic Casual mode.

Slots (PC/Mac)

• MAC-10, MP9
• UMP-45
• PP-Bizon
• MP7
• P90

Weapons

• MAC-10 - $1050 (T Only). Previously known as the "Ingram Mac-10". $1200 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• UMP-45 - $1200. Previously known as the "KM UMP45". $1500 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• MP9 - $1250 (CT Only). New to the series, succeeding the "Schmidt Machine Pistol".

• PP-Bizon - $1400. New to the series.

• MP7 - $1700. New to the series, succeeding the "KM Sub-Machine Gun".

• P90 - $2350. Previously known as the "ES C90".

Rifles

SSG 08

All rifles (other than the AWP) have a +50% kill cash bonus in Classic Casual mode. The AWP has a -66% kill cash penalty (-50% in Classic Casual mode).

Slots (PC/Mac)

• Galil AR, FAMAS
• AK-47, M4A4, M4A1-S
• SG 553, AUG
• SSG 08
• AWP
• G3SG1, SCAR-20

Weapons

• Galil AR - $2000 (T Only). Assault rifle. New to the series, succeeding the "IDF Defender".

• FAMAS - $2250 (CT Only). Assault rifle. Previously known as the "Clarion 5.56".

• SSG 08 - $2000. Bolt-action sniper rifle. New to the series, succeeding the "Schmidt Scout".

• AK-47 - $2700 (T Only). Assault rifle. Previously known as the "CV-47".

• M4A1-S - $2900 (CT Only). Added in the August 13, 2013 update (PC and Mac versions only). Previously known as the "Maverick M4A1 Carbine". Unlike the M4A4, it carries a detachable suppressor at the cost of limited ammunition (10 less rounds per magazine and one less spare magazine).

• M4A4 - $3100 (CT Only). Assault rifle. New to the series.

• AUG - $3500 (CT Only). Assault rifle. Previously known as the "Bullpup".

• SG 553 - $3500 (T Only). Assault rifle. New to the series, succeeding the "Krieg 552".

• AWP - $4750. Bolt-action sniper rifle. Previously known as the "Magnum Sniper Rifle". On console and previous PC/Mac versions, the kill cash penalty was -83% (-75% in Casual).

• SCAR-20 - $5000 (CT Only). Semi-automatic sniper rifle. New to the series, succeeding the "Krieg 550 Commando".

• G3SG1 - $5000 (T Only). Semi-automatic sniper rifle. Previously known as the "D3/AU-1".

Heavy Weapons

Sawed-Off

All shotguns have a +200% kill cash bonus (+350% in Classic Casual mode). All machine-guns have a +50% kill cash bonus in Classic Casual mode.

Slots (PC/Mac)

• Nova
• Sawed-Off, MAG-7
• XM1014
• M249
• Negev

Weapons

• Nova - $1200. Pump-action shotgun. New to the series, succeeding the "Leone 12 Gauge Super". $1500 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• Sawed-Off - $1200 (T Only). Pump-action shotgun. New to the series. $1500 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• MAG-7 - $1800 (CT Only). Pump-action shotgun. New to the series. $2000 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• XM1014 - $2200. Semi-automatic shotgun. Previously known as the "Leone YG1265 Auto Shotgun". $2500 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• M249 - $5200. Machine gun.

• Negev - $5700. Machine gun. New to the series.

Grenades

Molotov

• Decoy Grenade - $50. New to the series. Emits the sound of gunfire as a diversion.

• Flashbang - $200. Emits an ear-deafening noise and a blinding flash, temporarily neutralizing nearby players.

• High Explosive Grenade - $300. Standard damage-dealing explosive grenade.

• Smoke Grenade - $300. Quickly provides a large, thick cloud of smoke, which players can not see through. The smoke also extinguishes flames created by Molotovs and Incendiary Grenades.

• Molotov - $400 (T Only). New to the series. Covers a large area (around the point of impact) in damaging flames for a short time. $850 in console and early PC/Mac versions.

• Incendiary Grenade - $600 (CT Only). New to the series. Covers a large area (around the point of impact) in damaging flames for a short time. The incendiary grenade does not explode prematurely if thrown too far/high like the molotov cocktails do.

Equipment

Zeus x27

• Kevlar Vest - $650. Body protection against projectiles and explosives. Given to players automatically, except in Classic Competitive. Cannot be dropped.

• Kevlar + Helmet - $1000. Body and head protection against projectiles and explosives. Given to players automatically, except in Classic Competitive. Cannot be dropped.

• Defuse Kit - $400 (CT Only). Halves the amount of time required for the user to disarm C4 explosives. Only available in the Bomb Defusal and Demolition modes. Must be purchased in Classic Competitive mode. Given to all Counter-Terrorist players automatically at the beginning of the round in both Classic Casual and Demolition modes. Can only be dropped (for other CT players) automatically upon death.

• Rescue Kit - $400 (CT Only). New to the series and added in the March 21, 2013 update (PC and Mac versions only). Halves the amount of time required for the user to pick up a hostage. Only available in the Hostage Rescue mode. Can only be dropped (for other CT players) automatically upon death.

• C4 Explosive - (T Only). Arm it at the designated control points (and prevent CT players from defusing it) to win the round. Can be dropped manually (or automatically via death) for other T players. Only available in Bomb Defusal maps (including the Demolition variant). Given to one random Terrorist player automatically at the beginning of the round.

• Knife - Close-range weapon given to all players. Primary attack gives a quick slash while secondary attack gives it a slower, more powerful stab. A golden variant is given to players who reach the last weapon level of Arms Race, in which a kill with it results in the wielder winning the game. Cannot be dropped. Gives a +650% cash bonus per kill in Classic Competitive (and a +1400% cash bonus per kill in Classic Casual).

• Zeus x27 - $1000. New to the series. Close-range one-use taser that automatically kills upon impact. Only available in Casual Classic mode.

Weapon Skins

Starting with the August 13, 2013 update, the PC and Mac versions of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have additional cosmetic weapon skins that can be unlocked for each of the game's default weapons through random weapon drops (or by opening specific "cases" that are randomly dropped and must be opened through purchasable keys).

Similar to Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2, players have a loadout and a personal inventory to store additional weapon skins (which are treated as their own separate weapons when equipping them to their loadout), cases, and other cosmetic items (such as a token to display on the player list). Weapon skins and cases are tradable through Steam and can be sold to another player via the Steam Market.

Rarity and Quality

Each weapon has their own unique color-coded rarity (to distinguish them from other weapons). From least rare to most rare:

• Stock (Gray)
• Consumer Grade (Light Blue)
• Industrial Grade (Blue)
• Mil-Spec (Dark Blue)
• Restricted (Purple)
• Classified (Pink)
• Covert (Red)

Stock weapons are only found on non-skinned weapons (including new weapons such as the USP-S and M4A1-S) and are not dropped or unlocked. Consumer Grade weapons can only be found in random weapon drops, while Classified and Covert weapons can only be found in weapon cases.

In addition to rarity, most weapon skins have their own unique build quality, which degrades and wears out the skin for a "used" look. There are several factors within a build quality, so two identical skins of the same quality can still look different in terms of how worn the skin is. From least worn to most worn:

• Factory New
• Minimal Wear
• Field-Tested
• Well-Worn
• Battle-Scarred

The most common quality found in weapon drops is Field-Tested. Weapon skins unlocked in cases are only either Factory New or Minimal Wear.

System Requirements

PC

• OS: Windows 7, Vista, or XP.
• Processor: Intel Core™ 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom X3 8750 processor or better.
• Memory: 1GB XP or 2GB Vista.
• HDD: 7.6GB
• Video Card: DX9 compatibile card with 256MB RAM. Pixel Shader 3.0.

MAC

• OS: MacOS X 10.6.6 or higher.
• Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or better).
• Memory: 2GB
• HDD: 7.6GB
• Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 2400 or better / NVidia 8600M or better.