Counter-Strike (CS) is a series of multiplayer team-based shooting games where two groups of players compete to complete different goals. The first game in the series was released for Windows in 1999. It began as a modification for the game Half-Life, created by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe. Later, Valve, the company that made Half-Life, bought the rights to the game and released it as a sold product in 2000.

After the original Counter-Strike, Valve released Counter-Strike: Condition Zero in March 2004. This version was made by Turtle Rock Studios. A different version of Condition Zero, called Condition Zero: Deleted Scenes, was also released at the same time by Ritual Entertainment. Eight months later, Valve released Counter-Strike: Source, which was a remake of the original game. This version used Valve’s new Source engine for the first time.

The fourth main game in the series, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, was released in 2012 for Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Hidden Path Entertainment, which worked on Counter-Strike: Source after its release, helped develop this game with Valve. In March 2023, Counter-Strike 2 was announced and officially released on September 27, 2023, as a replacement for Global Offensive.

Over the years, several other versions of Counter-Strike were made for Asian markets. These include the Counter-Strike Online series, Counter-Strike Neo, and Counter-Strike Nexon: Studio.

Gameplay

Counter-Strike is a goal-oriented, multiplayer tactical first-person shooter. Two teams, called Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, play against each other to complete goals, such as planting or defusing a bomb or rescuing and protecting hostages. After each round, players receive in-game money based on how well they perform. This money can be used to buy stronger weapons in later rounds. Winning a round gives more money than losing, and completing tasks like killing enemies also gives extra money. Actions that harm the team, such as killing teammates, result in a penalty.

Main series

Counter-Strike was first created as a modification for the game Half-Life. In 2000, Valve hired the development team after buying the rights to the game.

The game was made available for the Xbox in 2003. Later, it was tested on OS X and Linux as a beta version in January 2013. A full version for these platforms was released in April 2013.

Counter-Strike was followed by Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, developed by Turtle Rock Studios and released in 2004. This game used the same Half-Life GoldSrc engine as its predecessor. It included both multiplayer and single-player modes, with a full campaign and bonus levels. Reviews for this game were mixed compared to the original. It was soon followed by another game in the series called Counter-Strike: Source.

Counter-Strike: Source was the first game from Valve to use the Source engine. It was first released as a beta to members of the Valve Cyber Café Program on August 11, 2004. Later, the beta was made available to owners of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and to people who purchased ATI Radeon video cards with a Half-Life 2 voucher. The game was originally only available for Microsoft Windows but was later released for OS X in June 2010 and for Linux in 2013.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth main game in the Counter-Strike series developed by Valve. Released in 2012, it uses the Source engine. It is available for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux, as well as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. It is also compatible with the Xbox One console.

On March 22, 2023, Valve announced Counter-Strike 2, which uses the Source 2 engine. It was initially planned as a free upgrade to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with a summer 2023 release. On September 1, 2023, the game was released as a limited beta. It officially replaced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on September 27, 2023.

Spin-offs

Counter-Strike Neo (also called NEO) is a Japanese arcade game based on Counter-Strike. It was created by Namco for computers that use the Linux operating system. The game takes place in a futuristic version of Counter-Strike, with characters that have designs similar to those in anime. The game includes single-player missions, mini-games, and seasonal events to keep players interested for longer.

Counter-Strike Online is a free-to-play version of the game available in many parts of eastern Asia. It was developed by Nexon, with guidance from Valve. The game uses a system where players can make small payments for in-game items, managed by a special version of Steam's system. Released in 2012 for the Asian gaming market, a follow-up game called Counter-Strike Online 2 was created by Nexon using the Source game engine and launched in 2013.

In August 2014, Nexon announced Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies, a free-to-play game with a zombie theme. It was made using the GoldSrc game engine. An open beta version was released on Steam on September 23, 2014, and the game officially launched on October 7, 2014. It included 50 maps and 20 game modes. The game offers both player-versus-player modes, such as team deathmatch, hostage rescue, and bomb defusal, and player-versus-environment modes, like cooperative missions and base defending. Many critics did not like the game, criticizing its poor user interface, microtransactions, and outdated graphics. On October 30, 2019, the game was renamed to Counter-Strike Nexon: Studio. On August 21, 2024, it was renamed again to Counter-Strike Nexon.

Competitive play

Counter-Strike has more than 20 years of competitive gaming, starting with the original version of the game. The first major competition was held in 2001 by the Cyberathlete Professional League. Along with the World Cyber Games and Electronic Sports World Cup, these events were among the largest tournaments for the Counter-Strike series until 2007. Since 2013, the Valve-sponsored Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships have been the most important tournaments in the game's history. These events offer prizes totaling about $1,000,000.

Reception

Counter-Strike is one of the most important first-person shooter games in history. The game series has a large group of players who compete against each other and is often compared to other first-person shooter games. By August 2011, the Counter-Strike game series had sold more than 25 million copies. Because of its popularity, researchers have studied Counter-Strike to learn about players' emotions, how players who are overweight perform, and how players' performance has changed since the Russian invasion began in Ukraine.