The game pits two teams—the Counter-Terrorists and Terrorists—against each other in objective-based game modes. The most common objectives are bomb defusal and hostage rescue, each with designated maps. At the start of each round, players begin with a knife and pistol; however, they can purchase weapons and equipment from the buy menu. They are able to earn money through eliminating an enemy or accomplishing a goal, but are fined for injuring a teammate if friendly fire is enabled. If eliminated, players do not respawn until the end of the round.
Plans of a game based on counterterrorism were made in 1998 by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe; however, actual development began the next year, with the first few betas being released. The Half-Life modification gained significant popularity and interest, which attracted Valve. Valve later acquired the game's intellectual property and announced a partnership with Le and Cliffe. After finishing development, Counter-Strike was released by Valve for Microsoft Windows in November 2000. Several remakes and ports were released on Xbox, as well as OS X and Linux.
Since its release, Counter-Strike received positive reviews from critics who praised the gameplay and its emphasis on teamwork and strategy. It has been called as one of the most influential first person shooters, noting its realistic and tactical approach to counterterrorism. The game became a major hit after it went retail, selling millions of copies and grossing millions of dollars. Because of this success, sequels of Counter-Strike came out, with the first one being Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, released in 2004, which was received with mixed reviews. Counter-Strike: Source came out later that year, which ran on Valve's Source engine, offering improved visuals and physics. In 2012, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was launched, giving the franchise new game modes and better matchmaking. Counter-Strike 2, developed in the Source 2 engine, was released in 2023 as an update to Global Offensive.
Gameplay
The player standing in the terrorist starting zone (spawn point) of de_dust using a CV-47 (AK-47)
Counter-Strike is a team-based multiplayerfirst-person shooter video game in which players can join either the Terrorists (T) or the Counter-Terrorists (CT).[4][5][6][7] If one team has more players than the other, the server settings may automatically balance. Each game begins with both teams spawning simultaneously as one of eight possible default character models (four each for Counter-Terrorist and Terrorist). Each player begins with $800, two magazines of ammo, a knife, and a handgun: a Heckler & Koch USP for the Counter-Terrorists or a Glock 18c for the Terrorists. Players are usually allowed a few seconds before the round starts to purchase equipment but not move. Players may purchase equipment whenever they are in a buy zone for their team.[8]
The scoreboard displays team results as well as information about each player, including their name, score, deaths, and ping/latency (ms) on the map, it also displays if each player is dead, carrying a bomb (in bomb defusal maps), or a VIP (in assassination maps), albeit the player must be killed during the round to gain this information about opposing team members. Players that are killed become "ghosts" for the rest of the round; they are unable to alter their names or receive chat/voice messages from live players, unless the console command sv_alltalk is set to 1. They may typically watch the rest of the round from a variety of chosen observer modes (free-look mode, locked chasecam and free chase chasecam),[9] but some servers limit some of these views to prevent dead players from conveying information about surviving players to their teammates via alternate media (most notably voice in Internet cafés). Many players believe this practice known as "ghosting" to be cheating.[10] Players receive standard bonuses, such as $3500 for winning a round, $1500 for losing one, and $300 for killing an enemy. They can have up to $16000 via earning and can be fined (e.g. killing a teammate fines the perpetrator $3300).[11]
Currently, there are three objectives depending on the map:[12][13][14]
Bomb defusal: The Terrorist team has a bomb when the round starts. The goal of the Terrorists is to plant the bomb at a bomb site—usually called Bombsite A or Bombsite B on the map—and make sure it explodes. The Counter-Terrorist team wins if they are able to defuse the bomb within a set time limit. If either team is eliminated before the bomb is planted, the other team wins. Bomb defusal maps start with the prefix "de_" (e.g de_dust2).[15]
Hostage rescue: Four hostages are often located close to the Terrorist base on the map. The goal of the counter-terrorists is to lead the captives to a location on the map where they are rescued.[13] A team wins if every member of that team has been eliminated. The Counter-Terrorists win and get $2400 for each captive that survives, provided that the number of rescued hostages is at least half of the original hostage count. The Terrorists win when the round ends. Maps with this objective start with the prefix "cs_" (e.g cs_office).[15]
Assassination: In this objective, one Counter-Terrorist member becomes into a VIP, armed with 200 units of Kevlar vest and nothing more than the Counter-Terrorist standard-issue USP handgun and one additional magazine. Except for their own handgun, the VIP is not permitted to retrieve dropped firearms. The VIP's goal is to get at an extraction zone (1, typically), which is when the counter-terrorists triumph. The Terrorists win if the VIP dies. The Counter-Terrorists win if every Terrorist dies, while the Terrorists also win when time runs out. A VIP shouldn't expect to escape without the team's help due to the gun's shortage of ammo, but the unique armor and the pistol together offer sufficient protection.[15]
Formerly, there was a fourth objective called Escape. The scenario is that the terrorist team must "escape" to one of the designated escape points after beginning their mission in a protected area. Before they can flee, the Counter-Terrorist team needs to kill them. Once half of the team has managed to escape, the Terrorists win the round. Following each of the eight rounds of play, the two sides will trade roles. If one team eliminates the other, both teams can also win the scenario.[16]
Three categories exist for weapons: Melee (knife), Secondary (handguns), and Primary (rifles, shotguns, machine and submachine guns). There is a separate category for equipment like defusing kits and hand grenades. With the exception of equipment, which may hold many items at once, players are only allowed to carry one item in each of these categories at a time.[17]
Development
Video game programmer Minh Le was previously involved in developing mods, such as Navy SEALs for Quake and Action Quake 2.[18] However, he decided to create his own mod to seek more control over development[19] and chose GoldSrc for its game engine as he had already worked with the Quake and Quake 2 engines.[20][21] The realistic setting of Half-Life, which was developed using GoldSrc, made Half-Life well-suited for his concept of a mod involving terrorists and counter-terrorists.[18] Development began in January 1999, but as the Half-Lifesoftware development kit (SDK) was not yet released, Le initially created new weapon and player models.[22] In February 1999, the first screenshots of Counter-Strike were released, accompanied by an interview with Le about the mod.[23] Le and Jess Cliffe, who had both worked on Action Quake 2, connected through Internet Relay Chat, during which Le shared his idea for the mod. Cliffe, excited by the concept, offered to create a website for it, thus becoming involved in the project.[22][24]
Several movies served as sources of inspiration for prospective weapon candidates. For instance, the Krieg 552 and M249 were included in Counter-Strike due to inspiration from the 1998 film Ronin. Additionally, the films Air Force One and Léon: The Professional served as further influences for weapon selection.[25][21] Gun magazines and the Internet were key sources for the team to gather information about the actual firearms used in the game.[26] A few weapon models in Counter-Strike deviate from their real-world counterparts because Minh Le, the game's main developer, had to make assumptions about how certain weapons would behave during animation due to limited information.[20] The weapons had to not only look and sound good but also feel satisfying to use. Realism, as well as the type of weapons the groups would likely use in real-life scenarios, were prioritized when selecting the weapons for the game.[27]
On March 15, 1999, the mod received its name following an ICQ chat between Le and Cliffe.[23][24] Le suggested names based on his favorite TV shows and movies, with options like Counterrorism, Counter-Strike, Strike Force, FRAG HEADS, Counter-Terror, Terrorist Wars, Terror-Force, and Counter Force. They eventually chose Counter-Strike as the title.[24][23] The official Counter-Strike website was launched on March 24, 1999.[28] It was hosted by GameSpy's Joost Schurr on Planet Half-Life.[21] When the Half-Life SDK was released on April 7, 1999, mod development officially began.[28][29] Although the mod had not been officially released, Minh Le's reputation from his previous work on Action Quake 2 sparked significant interest. The mod's official website quickly attracted 10,000 visitors within two and a half weeks.[22]
Le focused on the player models, taking him 40 hours for each one. Cliffe contributed to the game's design, sound, art and public relations, while closely following the development of Half-Life and reading interviews with Gabe Newell.[30]
In May 1999, the mod's most pressing issue was a shortage of mappers.[22] Despite several requests for mappers posted on the official website, the response was minimal. Cliffe began directly contacting Half-Life mappers.[20] Jess Cliffe reached out to many people who had previously submitted maps to Radium, an old Half-Life mapping site.[31] A contest was held to select maps for the initial beta, though some maps were discarded.[22][32]
Before the first Beta's official release, a pre-Beta build was leaked online, potentially accelerating the release of the mod.[22] The first Beta, released on July 15, 1999,[33] featured a hostage rescue scenario, 9 weapons, 4 maps, and one player model per side. Jess Cliffe reported that the release was well-received by the community.[28] Beta 2 and Beta 3 followed, adding new weapons, maps, and factions. Beta 3 introduced a controversial change: the removal of frags from the scoreboard, a change later reversed.[22] Beta 4 introduced the bomb defusal scenario, a significant new feature, and many map designs incorporated this scenario.[28][34][35] The interest in the game drew numerous players to Cliffe's website, which helped both him and Le to make revenue from advertisements hosted on the site.[36] Another website related to Counter-Strike was launched by John "Rizzuh" Jensen as a source for information about the game, tactics, skins and sounds.[37]
In late 1999, Minh Le began working at Barking Dog Studios while finishing his studies. When Valve Software learned of this, they asked Barking Dog to assist in developing Beta 5, offering to finance the project and acquire the game's intellectual property.[36][38] The development was mainly handled by Barking Dog, as Le was occupied with his university studies.[38][18] Valve contributed by cleaning up code, fixing bugs, and enhancing the interface.[39][40] New hostage models were introduced, and the development of the game was further supported with the release of Beta 5.2.[38] With Beta 6.0, new scenarios, such as assassination and escape, were added. While assassination found moderate success, the escape scenario was later removed.[41]
Following the acquisition of the game by Valve, while Cliffe continued working for them, Le did additional work towards a Counter-Strike 2.0 based on Valve's upcoming Source engine, but left to start his own studio after Valve opted to shelve the sequel.[36]
Release
On April 12, 2000, Valve Software announced a partnership with the Counter-Strike Team, confirming that Counter-Strike 1.0 would be included in an upcoming Half-Life patch.[42] Though not explicitly stated, it is widely believed that this followed Valve's acquisition of Counter-Strike. Statements suggest the rights were sold in early 2000, involving a financial transaction.[43]
Despite the partnership, two more beta versions were released. Beta 6.5 (June 8, 2000) introduced an updated netcode,[44] while Beta 7.0 (August 26, 2000) added driveable vehicles.[45]
Valve planned to release Counter-Strike both as a Half-Life mod and a standalone retail product, scheduled for August 31, 2000.[46] The decision aimed to increase accessibility and test market demand for a multiplayer game independent of Half-Life. Legal issues arose before the retail release, particularly regarding weapon names, which were changed to fictional alternatives.[47] Valve also had to secure rights for maps and textures, leading to modifications and removals of certain assets.[48] Minh Le, one of the original developers, compensated mappers whose work Valve did not purchase.
The retail version included new content, such as three additional weapons designed by Minh Le and updated player models provided by Valve.[49] Maverick Developments created a training map for the retail edition.[50] On November 9, 2000, Valve announced that the retail version had gone gold, and the mod version was released shortly after.[51] It was launched under the name Half-Life: Counter-Strike because according to Jess Cliffe, did not have a "strong identity."[52]
After launch, Valve continued releasing updates. Version 1.1 implemented a new spectator mode,[53] version 1.3 introduced voice chat[54] and version 1.4 added anti-cheat measures.[55]Counter-Strike 1.5, released on June 12, 2002, was the last update before transitioning to Steam.[56]
In October 2002, it was stated that Counter-Strike 1.6 would initially be distributed via Steam, with a beta test preceding its official release.[57] Public beta testing was originally set to begin in mid-November,[58] but the launch was first postponed to mid-December[59][60] before finally starting on January 16, 2003.[61] On the same day, due to overwhelming demand, further beta admissions were quickly suspended as Steam's servers ran out of bandwidth.[62] It was made public the next month.
During the beta phase, the game underwent multiple updates, introducing new weapons and a completely redesigned interface based on Valve's VGUI2 technology.[63] Additionally, the official bot, developed by Turtle Rock Studios for Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, was publicly tested within Counter-Strike 1.6 from June 5.[63] After more than six months of public testing, the beta phase concluded on September 9, 2003.[63] The final release of Counter-Strike 1.6 was initially scheduled for the following day, but last-minute changes to the Steam network caused a brief delay. The final version, along with the Steam client, was officially launched on September 12, 2003.[64] Following release, advertisements were brought to Counter-Strike.[65] They were removed after the game was converted to the SteamPipe content delivery system.[66] Plans for Counter-Strike 1.7—which aimed to merge the player bases of Counter-Strike and Condition Zero—were never realized.[67]
The game faced scrutiny in Germany after being linked to the Erfurt school massacre in 2002, as it was found on the computer of perpetrator Robert Steinhäuser. Politicians, including CSU's Günther Beckstein, and media outlets, particularly Bild, popularized the term "killer game" in reference to Counter-Strike. Calls for banning violent video games intensified, with politicians like Beckstein advocating for penalties against users of such games. Media outlets like Frontal 21 on ZDF often portrayed players negatively.[68]
In 2002, Germany's BPjM considered indexing Counter-Strike but ultimately rejected it, concluding that the game's objectives could be achieved without violence and that its communication aspects were beneficial. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder criticized the decision, citing it as irresponsible.[68]
In January 2013, Valve began testing a version of Counter-Strike for OS X and Linux, eventually releasing the update to all users in April 2013.[69][70]
2001 edition: Rookie Studio Award, Best Innovation of the Year[82]
Player count
Counter-Strike became one of the most popular video games. During the beta stages, it garnered over 245,000 players.[83] After its release in November 2000, the game reached a player count of over 700,000, who played on over 7000 servers, surpassing both Team Fortress Classic and Unreal Tournament.[84]
Critical reception
PC reception
Upon its retail release, Counter-Strike received highly favorable reviews.[73][71][75][76][77][78]The New York Times reported that E-Sports Entertainment ESEA League started the first professional fantasy e-sports league in 2004 with the game Counter-Strike.[85][86] Some credit the move into professional competitive team play with prizes as a major factor in Counter-Strike's longevity and success.[87]
The game was praised by critics for its emphasis on teamwork and communication among players. Scott Osborne, writing for GameSpot, felt that the audio messages were a decent feature, which covered requests for backup, status reports and warnings. One problem, according to him, was that both teams used the same voice.[77] Clayton Wolfe of IGN expressed the importance of teamwork and stating, "It's the team-based tactics that make [Counter-Strike] so fun."[78]Computer Games Magazine's Bill Hiles also commented about the social aspects of the game, saying that a player should work in teams rather than alone.[75] Joe Dodson for GameRevolution wrote that "Nothing can beat a coordinated, experienced team in [Counter-Strike], except an even more coordinated and experienced team." He also found the team talk favorable.[76]
Most reviewers agreed that the GoldSrc engine felt dated,[77][78] but regardless, still acclaimed the graphics. Hiles commented that the visuals were acceptable and "do an admirable job portraying outdoor locations,"[75] while Dodson noted the graphics were identical to Half-Life.[76] According to Osborne, the game's maps had "imaginative texturing and dramatic lighting effects," but pointed out that they were dark sometimes. Wolfe expressed that the environmental textures were realistic enough.[78]
In terms of sound, critics appreciated the realistic weapon sound effects, with Osborne writing that they made guns "viscerally fun to shoot."[77] Wolfe also agreed, but al added "we just wish the same amount of attention to detail was given to the rest of the sound in the game." He felt that the sound of thunder crashing was "wimpy" and pointed out that the sound of footsteps didn't vary based on the surface being walked on.[78] As for animations, Dodson felt that they were "dated."[76] Hiles commented that the "character animations need[ed] tweaking" following the game's release.[75]
Xbox reception
The Xbox edition received mixed reviews from critics in comparison with the original game. On the topic of graphics, Matthew Kato from GameInformer wrote that there were "graphical updates here and there" and mentioned the game's inclusion of weather.[88]Greg Kasavin of GameSpot felt that the visuals weren't extraordinary and not enough to make the game "good-looking".[89] Aaron Boulding, writing for IGN, mentioned that it was "the biggest disappointment." He commented that the environments were noteworthy in design, but "not in their overall look and level of detail."[90]
The AI technology was a surplus for the Xbox edition, because of critics praising for its human-like behavior. Kato mentioned that the bot AI contained some "human-esque traits" and that it would start to understand the map after some rounds.[88] Kasavin found it surprising that the bots weren't following real-life tactics of terrorists or counter-terrorists, but rather mimic the actions of a player.[89] He pointed out that they would camp at a certain place and follow the orders of a player, such as following them or holding a position.[89]
Many critics also highlighted Xbox Live as one of the main reasons to purchase the game. Kasavin noted that it runs properly, with hosted matches being able to hold 10 players maximum.[89] Boulding expressed that "online play over Xbox Live is going to be the greatest reason to buy this game" and that it's convenient.[90]
Awards
Counter-Strike has earned numerous accolades. In 2000, it was recognized as Action Game of the Year by both Gamepen.com and Actiontrip.com. It also garnered the title of Online Game of the Year from both GameSpot UK and US, and received a Special Award for Multiplayer Gaming from GameSpy. Its impact continued with the Action Game of the Year honor from Gamespot US, as voted by readers, and the Game of the Year award from VoodooExtreme's readers. Additionally, Electronic Playground awarded it Best Multiplayer Game, while Game Revolution lauded it as both a Revolutionary PC Game and Best Online Game. At the Game Developer 2001 Spotlight Awards, Counter-Strike was named Best Multiplayer Game and received a Special Achievement in Gaming. Finally, it was again honored as Online Game of the Year by Computer Games and Game of the Year by Gamers.com in 2000.[91] In 2003, Counter-Strike was inducted into GameSpot's list of the greatest games of all time.[12]
Sales
Counter-Strike became the first fan-made video game to be released commercially.[92] By July 2001, global retail sales of the game had surpassed 250,000 units.[93] By October 2002, sales had exceeded 1.3 million copies.[94] Sales continued to rise, reaching 1.5 million units and generating $40 million in revenue by February 2003.[95]
By August 2004, Counter-Strike had grossed $75 million in revenue and had an estimated two million players worldwide.[96] In the United States, its retail version sold 550,000 copies and earned $15.7 million by August 2006, making it the 22nd best-selling PC game in the country between January 2000 and August 2006.[97] The Xbox version of the game sold 1.5 million copies.[98]
As of December 2008, Counter-Strike had sold approximately 4.2 million copies, surpassing all other Valve games except Half-Life and Half-Life 2.[99] The success of Counter-Strike contributed to the overall franchise selling over 25 million copies.[100]
A portion of Half-Life sales is often attributed to Counter-Strike since the game was originally available as a modification of Half-Life.[101][102]Half-Life experienced an unusual increase in sales year-over-year following its release, which Gabe Newell attributed to the popularity of Counter-Strike. He described the release of the mod as one of the best things that could have happened to Half-Life.[103]
Brazilian sale ban
On January 17, 2008, a Brazilian federal court order prohibiting all sales of Counter-Strike and EverQuest began to be enforced. The federal Brazilian judge Carlos Alberto Simões de Tomaz ordered the ban in October 2007 as he argued that the games "bring imminent stimulus to the subversion of the social order, attempting against the democratic state and the law and against public security."[104][105][106] A regional federal court order lifting the prohibition on the sale of Counter-Strike was published on June 18, 2009.[107]
The original Counter-Strike has been played in competitive tournaments since 2000, with the first major event taking place at the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) Winter Championship in 2001.[108][109] The CPL announced a transition from Quake III Arena to Counter-Strike for the Winter Championship. Prior to this, the 2000 Babbage's event featured a Counter-Strike competition sponsored by Kärna, the parent company of Razer, offering a $15,000 prize pool. However, Kärna experienced financial difficulties, leading to delays in prize payouts. On March 14, 2001, the CPL issued a statement confirming that alternative arrangements would be made if the payments were not received by April 2, 2001.[110]
On April 12, 2001, the CPL Winter Championship commenced at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas. The event featured 48 competing teams, marking the first large-scale Counter-Strike tournament. The competition attracted over 800 attendees, including participants and Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) players. Many professional Quake players were notably absent, while the Counter-Strike community saw an influx of new competitors. This tournament was the largest Counter-Strike event at the time and contributed to the game's rise in professional esports.[111]
In 2003, the Esports World Convention (formerly known as the Electronic Sports World Cup) hosted a Counter-Strike tournament featuring 37 teams competing for a $100,000 prize pool.[112]
Following the success of the first Counter-Strike, Valve went on to make multiple sequels to the game. Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, a game using Counter-Strike's GoldSrc engine, was released in 2004. Counter-Strike: Source, a remake of the original Counter-Strike, was the first in the series to use Valve's Source engine and was also released in 2004, eight months after the release of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. The next game in the Counter-Strike series to be developed primarily by Valve was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, released for Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in 2012. Counter-Strike 2, an updated version of Global Offensive, was released in 2023.
↑ Counter-Strike.de - Interview mit dem Author von de_train. Archived from the original on 2000-10-31. "Chris Mair: Actually Cliffe sent me an email (that I am sure every mapper got who ever submitted a map to Radium) asking me to make maps for CS before Beta 1 came out but I was too busy. Our whole team is addicted to strategic first person shooters (be it Rainbow Six, Hidden & Dangerous or Counterstrike) so we were all pretty excited about getting to help out with it."
↑ LevelDesign.nu - Intervjuer - MEEEEDIC. Archived from the original on 2002-08-22. "Jo Bieg: The guys at cs.net introduced the new de (defusion) scenarios and Cliffe asked me to change it so they'd have one map featuring that scenario in the next cs-release."
↑ "Steam Update". CS-Nation. February 26, 2002. Archived from the original on June 5, 2002. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
↑ "CS 1.4 Nears". CS-Nation. January 5, 2002. Archived from the original on June 5, 2002. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
↑ Gheorghe, Silviu (October 9, 2002). "Valve Software Intervew". Computer Games Romania. Archived from the original on November 11, 2002. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
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