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esports
From esports fever to cheating… Counter-Strike: Global Offensive had it all
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is gone but not forgotten, with its place in gaming’s history books secured. Here we reveal how CS:GO became a top first-person shooter.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive isn't just a game, it's a culture. The game is fast, precise, thrilling and fiercely strategic, from its opening buys to its closing clutch kills... and its audience laps up every moment of high-octane action. Starting from humble beginnings and rising to become one of the most popular esports in existence, let's find out how Counter-Strike: Global Offensive put itself on the map.
Red Bull Gibaway participants in Gothenburg
© Stephanie Lindgren/Red Bull Content Pool
CS:GO was the first Valve game truly built for esports
01
From humble beginnings to esports glory: The history of Counter-Strike
In November 1998, Half-Life was released for PC. This engrossing story-based first-person shooter put Valve on the map, captivating players with its tight gunplay and addictive exploration. Minh 'Gooseman' Le and Jess 'Cliffe' Cliffe were two such fans who also happened to be amateur video game developers. Inspired by the mechanical genius of Half-Life, the duo developed Counter-Strike, a multiplayer mod that would go on to birth a new gaming franchise.
In 2000, Le and Cliffe teamed up with Valve to release an official stand-alone version of Counter-Strike, which was an instant hit. Gamers couldn't get enough of planting and diffusing bombs and gaining funds for their kills as the fight played out across multiple rounds. Players connected with the quick and responsive gameplay, and soon, a community was forming around the game. Players created their own maps, with the best creations rising to the top, organically fueling the game's growth.
As competitive gaming became more popular, an esports scene began to develop. Major events like the Cyberathlete Professional League emerged, giving teams like Ninjas in Pyjamas a chance to shine on the world stage. With interest growing, it would soon be time for Valve to iterate on CS.
Players became worldwide stars, with legions of fans
Counter-Strike Source was considered by many to be a misstep, lacking the responsiveness of its predecessor, despite its superior graphics. The community became divided over which version of the game was superior and discord split the fanbase. While this civil war was raging, the esports scene was reaching new heights, with the Intel Extreme Masters emerging as the top competition in CS. To this day, IEM remains one of the premier majors in Counter-Strike.
Camaraderie has always been a big part of Counter-Strike
© Stephanie Lindgren/Red Bull Content Pool
02
The mechanics that made Counter-Strike a legend
By 2010, it was clear that something new was needed to keep Counter-Strike thriving. Thus, the development of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive got underway. Two years later, the game was almost ready for launch, and with fans growing restless, its launch felt like make-or-break for CS.
Despite a lukewarm reception, Valve doubled down on CS:GO, implementing updates and patches that made the gameplay feel better than ever. New features like night vision were added and movement was tweaked to feel more responsive. There were also more guns available, allowing for more tactical variety. The core gameplay loop of throwing smokes, peeking, fighting and buying felt as satisfying as ever, and the added features only enhanced the experience. It wasn't long before the vast majority of CS fans were moving over to Global Offensive for good.
Community fueled Counter-Strike's initial success
Tactics are never far away
© Stephanie Lindgren/Red Bull Content Pool
03
The rise of competitive Counter-Strike
The new matchmaking system in CS:GO spurred interest in high-level play just as CS esports was exploding. This was when blockbusting events like IEM Katowice began to dominate esports discussions, with stories of Kenny 'KennyS' Schrub's no-scope rampages dominating message boards.
In the mid-2010s, CS:GO fever spread around the world, with teams from Europe and the Americas competing for dominance in tournaments whose prize pools reached into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. As player numbers skyrocketed, so did viewing figures for CS majors, as stars like Natus Vincere's Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev, Team Vitality's Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut and G2 Esports' Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač became household names.
This golden era for CS:GO wasn't without its fair share of controversy. The addition of weapon skins saw the advent of skin gambling – a scandal that landed Valve in hot water, as well as cheating in pro leagues. But even these squabbles couldn't derail the CS:GO train, as fans continued to log thousands of hours into the game, attempting to rise to the top of the ranks.
That winning feeling
© Stephanie Lindgren/Red Bull Content Pool
CS:GO was a certified phenomenon
04
The enduring legacy of Counter-Strike
In 2023, a new era of Counter-Strike began. Bearing the bold title of Counter-Strike 2, the new name overhauled the visuals, bringing the game in line with other high-profile shooters while updating physics and effects for a much more realistic experience.
By now, the Counter-Strike esports scene was expansive, incorporating multiple major tournaments and drawing in millions of viewers across the globe. The most popular CS:GO tournament of all time, PGL Major Stockholm 2021, reached a peak of 2.75m viewers, proving CS to be a massive industry unto itself.
While we love the shiny new graphics of CS2, there was something special about CS:GO that we just can't get over. Although it's no longer available to play, CS:GO will live on in our memories as a watershed moment for esports and gaming as a whole.
