Counter-Strike

Valve's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) debuted in 2012, backed by a strong heritage of multiplayer FPS titles, including the original Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source. Now, six years later, the fast-paced PC game still mostly holds its own against more modern titles, partly because of its established core gameplay and active community. Visually, however, CS: GO is starting to show its age and it's not as thematically rich as other popular titles, such as Overwatch. Still, many players will enjoy CS: GO's no-frills experience and competitive scene, especially now that it is free to play.

So, how does CS: GO retain its prominent role in an industry that has diversified considerably since 2012? A big part of its success is due to its massive esports following. It's always among the top titles streaming on Twitch and Mixer, and it benefits from a well-established (and financially lucrative) competitive scene. The game even includes a dedicated Watch section so you can follow and spectate tournaments.

To play CS: GO, you first need to download it from Steam. CS: GO requires a minimum of 15GB, which is relatively compact compared with most modern games' storage requirements. For comparison, Overwatch demands 30GB of disk space for installation and Fortnite takes up 20GB.

CS: GO's new Panorama menu UI is now enabled by default for all users. This interface change is highly welcome and a complete rework of the game's navigation. Gone are the confusing and unnecessarily taxing menu systems. Instead, the important options live in a neat stack of icons on the left-hand side of the screen. On the other side, you can see which of your friends are online. The middle section, like many other competitive games, now shows an overview of upcoming events on one side and your in-game character on the other. Displaying the character seems like an unnecessary use of resources, but otherwise, the Panorama update does make the experience feel a bit quicker and fluid. The simplified design language extends to many other in-game elements, including in-match leaderboards and the inventory selection screen.

The standard game mode (Bomb Scenario) involves either defending or exploiting a bomb site. I spent most of my test-play time playing this mode, but I did branch out to the Arms Race and Hostage modes. Most competitive matches that I've watched stick with the Bomb Scenario match type, as well, which is another reason for the mode's popularity.

The Bomb Scenario mode comprises a maximum of 15 elimination-style rounds that last until one side wins a majority of the rounds. Players spawn either on the Terrorist (T) or Counter-Terrorists (CT) side, which determines the objective. Terrorists need to plant a bomb at one of the two marked bomb sites on the map. The CT team must prevent the terrorists from planting the bomb or defuse it before it explodes (the bomb has a countdown timer of 40 seconds). The defuse process itself takes 5 seconds, so getting to the bomb site quickly is a priority. Of course, eliminating all the players on the other side makes this objective easier, so keep an eye out for enemies at all times.

CS: GO's Bomb Scenario mode is a simple, yet enjoyable, twist on the standard multiplayer FPS setup, which opens up a ton of variability in each round. Another game mode, called Hostage, flips the tables and has the Terrorists defend a hostage, while the Counter-Terrorists attempt a rescue mission. CS: GO typically gets new mission-based modes with new operations. The current operation, Operation Hydra (released in May 2017) brought War Games, Wingman, and Weapons Expert modes to the game. These modes introduce twists on regular gameplay and affect the available weapons, the match objective, and the playable maps. These operations typically include a narrative-driven campaign, too.