An Extensive Guide on CSGO Gameplay, Point System, Maps, and more
Developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment, CSGO was first released in August 2012. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike gaming series and follows a similar game style and combat fighting modes. CSGO is also one of the most played gamels on Valve’s Steam platform. Now available as part of the free-to-play model, CSGO has an extremely active Esports scene with a number of domestic and international contests being hosted throughout the year. It has also been awarded as the “Best Esports Game” at The Game Awards 2017, The Game Awards 2019, and The Game Awards 2020 shows.
The Gameplay
As said, CSGO gameplay pays due faithfulness to the original Counter-Strike game. It is an objective-based, multiplayer first-person shooter including two teams (opponents)- Terrorists and the Counter Terrorists (CT). The player count in each team is not fixed, and the same depends on the host itself. In professional Esports tournaments, however, each team has 5 players in general.
Also, there are different objectives to follow of which the two most famous ones are-
- Planting/Diffusing bomb
- Captivating/rescuing hostages
Planting/Diffusing Bomb
“The bomb has been planted”, most of you must have gone on a nostalgia trip while reading this. We hear these words when the infamous Terrorist plants the bomb at a bomb site in CSGO gameplay. Let’s understand this with the example of a popular map- DeDust 2. It’s an open map that has two bomb planting sites- A and B. A terrorist has to plant the bomb in either of these two sites only. The system assigns the bomb randomly to a player but the same can be transferred to anyone on the team. Once the bomb is planted, the Terrorists have to defend the bomb until it explodes or until all Counter-Terrorists are dead.
Diffusing Bomb
As obvious, the Counter Terrorists have the task to diffuse the bomb. They have to find the site where the bomb is planted and diffuse the same before the final countdown to the explosion. Any player can diffuse the bomb, and while he/she is diffusing, the other players give cover or fight the Terrorists. Counter Terrorists either have to eliminate all the Terrorists before they plant the bomb, or they have to diffuse the same once planted.
Captivating/Rescuing Hostages
Although bomb planting mode is what preferred by most CSGO players, Rescuing Hostages has its separate fanbase and a different CSGO gameplay.
The match starts with some people being held as hostages by the Terrorists who have to hold them and fight Counter Terrorists against their rescue mission. The hostages are also held at specific points, and the Terrorists guard that area until the match is over.
Rescuing Hostages
The Counter Terrorists are given the task to rescue the hostages and take them to a pre-defined safe point. For this, they have to eliminate the Terrorists and take hostages safely with them.
In either mode, the match starts with both Terrorists and Counter Terrorists spawning at different places where they can buy their armory like guns, bullets, frags, protection kits, etc.
Popular Game Maps
CSGO gameplay, just like any other combat game, also has maps to choose from. There are a huge number of maps in CSGO, however, the size of all the maps is quite small as the average match time quite less. Here are the most popular CSGO maps you should know about.
DeDust 2
DeDust 2 is the face of some major tournaments. Only those who are aware of CSGO gameplay can never forget what delight the map brings. It’s an open map with less shelters and more open spaces, which makes it perfect for sniping. The map is played in bomb mode and has got two bomb sites- A and B. DeDust 2 gives you a fort in the desert feel with fewer but good hiding places.
Office
The Office is often known as the ‘official hostage rescuing match’. The game starts with Terrorists already having the building in control and Counter Terrorists starting from the parking area. The Office map in CSGO gameplay is a bit different from what was there in the original Counter Strike game. However, most part is still the same. Notably, Office is also one of the most popular maps in CSGO.
Train
The Train map is basically a railway yard with broken or inoperable trains standing. There are some structures as shelters but the main beauty of the map is obviously the Train. It gives you an entirely different feel. You can hide, scope, run, and combat closely, all in this map. The map has an interesting story with it where the Terrorists try second time to blow up the station entirely, which gets intercepted by the Intel. It’s now the job of Counter Terrorist to prevent the explosion.
How to Win?
We have already gone through when a team wins both in bomb defusal and hostage mode. The key thing however to learn here is how a team wins. We will start with the bomb defusal mode and see how a team organizes itself to win.
Terrorists
As learned, Terrorists can win bomb defusal mode either by eliminating all the Counter Terrorists before the bomb explodes or by protecting the bomb itself until the explosion. The latter way to win is preferred by most as this is what the game is all about. And to do this, Terrorists have to guard the bomb sites properly and hold the same for some time.
In case of a Hostage map, the Terrorists have to strategize their plan to keep hostages with them and alive for a specific time in order to win the game.
Counter Terrorists
The first and foremost aim of Counter Terrorists in the bomb mode is to prevent Terrorists from planting the bomb. For this, they have to divide their team into two groups, each group going to each bomb site. Once a group finds which bomb site has been picked by the Terrorists, they call the other group as well to rush there. However, preventing Terrorists from planting the bomb is pretty difficult. So, in case the bomb is planted successfully, the Counter Terrorists have to rush to the bomb site immediately and plan how to eliminate the Terrorists at the earliest, in order to defuse the bomb on time.
Whereas, in Hostage mode, the Counter Terrorists have only one goal- rescue! During their rescue mission, they need to ensure that the hostages don’t get killed in combat.
Read More – What is Fantasy on Esports?
Match Roles
In general, there are almost no player-specific roles given by the game. However, a team can strategize and assign different roles accordingly. Professional teams playing in major tournaments have roles assigned to each of the players in the team.
The responsibilities of a player are map specific. Open maps like DeDust and DeDust 2 require sniping skills and strategies to defend a site. For example, the Terrorists have a player who gives a call that Counter Terrorists are approaching the bomb site, one player snipes from long to eliminate as many Counter Terrorists as possible, one hides somewhere near the bomb, etc.
One the other hand, close-quarter maps like Office, City, etc., require quick responses, hardcore assualt skills, playing with grenades, etc.
Pro players however are known because of their specific skills which they master over time. Based on these skills only they take up some important roles. Here are the important roles known to us in CSGO.
In-game Leader (IGL)
In-game Leader or IGI is the mastermind behind all plans in CSGO. As the name suggests, he/she is the one who leads the team, assigns in-game roles, and takes key decisions. As a Terrorist, the IGL has to decide which bomb site to choose for planting the bomb, based on his/her’s team’s ability and how strong the CT team is. On the other hand, as a Counter Terrorist (CT), the IGL has to keep track of the enemy movement and plan the defense of the bomb sites.
Entry Fragger
Touted as the most fierce and aggressive roles in CSGO, Entry Fraggers are the ones who start dismantling the enemy’s defense with frags and other explosives. In the case of Terrorists, they are the one who enters the bomb site first and bombs the entire place to push the Counter Terrorists back. They are also the ones who die early. On the other hand, an Entry Fragger in Counter Terrorists harms the enemy’s defense when the bomb site has been identified and all Counter Terrorists players are rushing to defuse the bomb.
The AWPer
The AWPers are pro snipers of the team who sit and guard the pace. In maps like DeDust 2, the role of AWPers becomes prominent as they only eliminate the first few players before final combat starts. Their skills and the dominance of snipers in some maps is the only reasons some tournaments are held with snipers banned.
Match Results
The results in PUBG are shown after each match, and the final result is shown after the entire round ends. Note: each round has a number of matches, which is decided by the host. In professional tournaments, the match size, game time, and everything are predecided. Here are the key figures in match results:
- Winnings: The match result shows how many times each team has won
- Kills: This shows how many players have been eliminated by you
- Death: It shows how many times you died
Wrapping Up
So this has been all that you need to know about CSGO. However, theory is theory, and you can understand everything in detail only by playing the game. Know what? You can get CSGO for free and start playing either solo (with bots) or with your friends. Once you get a grip of the game, you can also start exploring arenas through which you can monetize your CSGO skills. Esports fantasy on FanClash is one of the best ways to earn money from your gaming knowledge and skills. So what’s the wait for? Explore the thrill of playing CSGO and prepare yourself to earn real money out of it.
