Counter-Strike (CS) is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games. In these games, teams compete to complete specific goals. The series began on Windows in 1999 with the release of the first game, Counter-Strike. It was first created as a modification for the game Half-Life by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe. Later, Valve, the company that made Half-Life, bought the rights to the modification and released Counter-Strike as a sold product in 2000.

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

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 Global Offensive with Valve. In March 2023, Counter-Strike 2 was announced and officially released on September 27, 2023, to replace Global Offensive.

Over the years, several third-party games based on Counter-Strike were created for Asian markets. These include the Counter-Strike Online series, Counter-Strike Neo, and Counter-Strike Nexon: Studio.

Gameplay

Counter-Strike is a game where players work together to complete goals in a virtual world. Two teams, called the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists, play against each other. They compete to achieve tasks, such as planting or removing a bomb in a specific place or rescuing and protecting hostages. After each round, players receive rewards based on how well they perform. These rewards are in the form of virtual money that can be used to buy stronger weapons for future rounds. Players who win rounds earn more money than those who lose, and completing tasks like defeating opponents gives extra rewards. Actions that harm the team, such as killing teammates, lead to penalties.

Main series

Originally a version of Half-Life, the development team was hired by Valve in 2000 when the company bought the rights to Counter-Strike.

The game was released for Xbox in 2003. It was also made available for OS X and Linux as a beta version in January 2013. A complete version was released in April 2013.

Counter-Strike was followed by Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, created by Turtle Rock Studios and released in 2004. This game used the Half-Life GoldSrc engine, like its predecessor. In addition to multiplayer mode, it included a single-player campaign with full levels and bonus content. The game received mixed reviews compared to its predecessor and was soon followed by another entry in the series called Counter-Strike: Source.

Counter-Strike: Source was the first game publicly released by Valve to use the Source engine. It was first shared as a beta with members of the Valve Cyber Café Program on August 11, 2004. On August 18, 2004, 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 original version was only for Microsoft Windows, but later versions were released for OS X in June 2010 and for Linux in 2013.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth main game in the Valve-developed Counter-Strike series, released in 2012. Like Counter-Strike: Source, it uses the Source engine. It is available for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux, as well as 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 game engine. It was first described as a free upgrade to Global Offensive with a summer 2023 release date. On September 1, 2023, it was released as a limited beta, and it replaced Global Offensive on September 27.

Spin-offs

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

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 payment system managed by a special version of Steam's backend. Released in 2012 for the Asian gaming market, a follow-up 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 version of the game focused on a zombie theme. It was built 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, such as team deathmatch, hostage rescue, and bomb defusal for player versus player play, and cooperative missions and base defending for player versus environment play. Critics generally gave the game negative reviews, citing issues with its user interface, microtransactions, and outdated graphics. On October 30, 2019, the game was renamed 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 event was held in 2001 by the Cyberathlete Professional League. This event, along with the World Cyber Games and Electronic Sports World Cup, were some of 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 respected tournaments in the franchise's history. These events offer prize money of 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 professionally and is often associated with first-person shooter games. By August 2011, the Counter-Strike game series had sold more than 25 million copies. Because of its popularity, scholars have studied Counter-Strike to learn about player emotions, how players with obesity perform, and how player performance has changed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.