Counter-Strike Global Offensive

The seminal team-based first-person shooter experience is back and better than ever in Counter-Strike Global Offensive. With more maps, more character, new weapons, and an ever-increasing selection of skins for each of your guns, this is easily the ultimate Counter-Strike experience, and it's now completely free to play.

Some players might find some of the monetary tactics employed by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive a bit over the top, but the core gameplay is as solid as it ever was. As long as you don't mind some heated competition, the toxic gameplay space of CS: GO is one of the most addictive in the entire online gaming scene.

Team Tactics

One of the things that made the Counter-Strike franchise feel so unique since the early days – when it was just a mod of Half-Life – was its emphasis on team-based gameplay. Simply put, there's no place for lone wolves in Counter-Strike.

Every round focuses on working as a team to complete specific objectives. From disarming bombs to rescuing hostages, the core gameplay mechanics that have become a landmark of the franchise over the years remain untouched. It might sound as if there's nothing new in Global Offensive, but for veteran players, that's part of Counter-Strike's appeal.

Collect 'Em All

For returning players, one thing that's definitely changed since the days of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero is the game's approach to microtransactions and online in general.

While LAN used to be the Counter-Strike standard, global multiplayer is now the main focus of the Counter-Strike community. This means that players should be prepared and use a microphone to coordinate their tactics a bit better.

Another thing that's changed with the massive popularity of games like Call of Duty and Fortnite is that Counter-Strike now has a skins system. Players can get different skins – some more valuable than others – to show off during gameplay, though they don't grant any real tactical advantage.

Realistic Battlefields

The original Counter-Strike used the blocky textures and basic character models from Half-Life as its base. This meant that, while the shooting felt phenomenal, the rest of the game looks awfully dated by today's standards.

Global Offensive, on the other hand, uses the latest version of Valve's proprietary Source engine, making the game feel and look like a proper modern shooter. Character models now feature tons of true-to-life details, even if they still look a bit stiff compared to some other more graphically-intense modern shooters, like Call of Duty: Warzone.

If you're in the mood to relive some of the classic team-based action of your LAN party days, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive won't disappoint you.

Pros

• Great performance on most PCs
• Addictive team-based gameplay
• The best the series has ever looked

Cons

• Microtransactions can feel a bit pricey
• Toxic online community
• There's a noticeable cheating issue in online play

Counter-Strike Global Offensive is a world-famous online shooter, where the confrontation between special forces and terrorists on the map Dust 2 lasts forever.

Go-go-go-go!

Gameplay:

• Control an armed first-person soldier
• Throw fragmentation, smoke and stun grenades
• Get to the bomb site and mine the C4 if you play as a terrorist
• Kill illegal gang members and carry demining tongs if you're a SWAT team
• Communicate via voice communication with a team of four real people