Can You Play Counter-Strike on Console?

CS:GO initially appeared on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2012, which was Valve’s attempt to expand Counter-Strike beyond the PC. However, these console versions didn’t take off, and the game became closely associated with the PC.

The game’s control mechanics, which were optimized for the mouse and keyboard, made it impossible to sell well on consoles. So, without the continued support and updates to the console versions, there was little or no reason to buy them. 

Sadly, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are no longer supported or updated, and accessing them today is difficult. However, for Xbox users, CS is available as an arcade game on the Xbox 360 store. 

It is also possible in Xbox One via backward compatibility. However, that version needs to be updated to match the PC version.

So the big question “will CS:GO ever come to console or not?”

Whether or not CS:GO or CS2 will come to modern consoles such as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, or the Xbox Series is still being determined. 

So far, Valve hasn’t said a word about bringing CS to any of these new platforms. The PC gaming world that birthed Counter-Strike is still kicking, with regular patches, new content additions, and an active esports scene. 

Given how the game was conceived and the evolution of console gaming since then, switching to modern consoles seems unlikely. 

What’s more, CS is a natural extension of the PC gaming tradition it grew up with, and it is well suited to precise keyboard and mouse control. 

However, there are fundamental differences between the play interfaces of a console version of CS and the widely used one, so a CS for a console would need substantial modifications to play mechanics and interface.

CS2, like its predecessor CS:GO, is playable on the PC, continuing Counter-Strike’s PC-only history. The high pace and twitchiness of counter-strike play seemed to favor the pinpoint accuracy of the PC mouse and keyboard.

Through its long history on PC, Valve has been able to iterate over the PC versions of the game, balancing the competitive play and ensuring that the game runs.

In the next section, let’s consider future CS possibilities on other platforms. 

Although CS2 is exclusive to the PC, its popularity and cross-platform gaming have led to speculation that it will be released on multiple other platforms. Below are some possible developments for CS2 after the PC release.

1. Official Console Ports

One of the most frequently speculated options is the release of official console ports of CS2 on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. 

While Valve isn’t the first company to try to bring Counter-Strike to console, previous efforts have been made to bring Counter-Strike: Condition Zero to the original Xbox. Attempts have also been made to host CS:GO on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

However, despite being released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3—the two dominant gaming consoles on the market—CS2 didn’t take off. 

Still, it’s possible that better console hardware and the general rise of FPSs on those systems could lead Valve to reconsider. With enough demand from the gaming public, perhaps Valve will attempt to adapt CS2’s mechanics to a controller-based experience. 

2. Cross-Platform Play

A further innovation would be cross-platform play, which has become quite common among modern titles. However, this would require that players on different platforms could play together in the same game.

Enabling cross-platform play for CS2 could increase the size of the player base and bring console gamers into the competitive scene of a game predominantly played on PCs. This would require balancing the gameplay between PC and console players to an extent. 

Part of this work would be creating a fair matchmaking system for different players, which would need to compensate for the fundamental differences in control precision between PCs and consoles.

3. Mobile Gaming

Another possibility for CS2 is to develop a mobile version. Mobile gaming is booming, and many games that started as PC or console games have been successfully converted to mobile. 

A mobile CS2 would allow the game to reach even more people, especially in areas where mobile gaming is more prevalent than PC or console gaming.

Simply adapting CS2 to mobile devices would require a complete overhaul of its controls and interface to accommodate touch-screen gameplay, a process that Valve might feel needs to be simplified. 

However, mobile versions of other FPS titles, such as Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile, suggest that a full-scale shooter can be successfully ported to a mobile platform. 

In the next section, let’s look at other ways we can play CS:GO on console.

While Counter-Strike 2 isn’t available for a console (not for the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S), that doesn’t mean you can’t play it on your console. 

With some technological leaps, you can get next-gen console hardware beneath a copy of Counter-Strike 2. Remote play or cloud gaming—streaming, for short—may be involved.

How to Set Up Remote Play for CS2

The easiest way to do this is through remote play. Remote play allows you to beam gameplay from a gaming PC to another device (in this case, the console). 

This turns the PS5 into a monitor and controller for your PC. Now, your PS5 is a monitor for CS2, even if you don’t need to beam the game directly to it.

Here’s how to go about it: 

Step 1: Configure Your Network: 

Your PC and PS5 need to be on the same local network, and you’ll need a wired Ethernet connection to both of them, if possible, to get the lowest latency and jitter. 

A fast Wi-Fi connection should be fine if you can’t get wired connections.

Step 2: Software Installation

Once the ancillary hardware is in place, install the software on your PS5. Then, install whatever software acts as the bridge between your PC and the console for streaming the game from your PC to your console. Sony offers a remote play app for this purpose.

Step 3: Launch Your CS2

After the software installation, open CS2 on your gaming PC and make sure the game runs smoothly. This step is crucial because it will significantly affect the quality of the live stream.

Leave the game running, and open the remote play app on your PS5. Connect to your computer using your PS5 controller. 

Voila! You can now play CS2 from your PS5. 

Benefits and Drawbacks of Remote Play

Remote play is a neat way of expanding the bounds of PC gaming on the console without compromising your set-up, but you’re making some compromises, too. 

You can play CS2 on your PS5 without anyone ever needing to make a native port. Still, the experience might be compromised by network stability, latency, and the performance of your gaming PC. 

It might not even be very natural to control with a console controller, which is necessary for playing CS2 with a mouse and keyboard.

How to Stream CS2 Using Cloud Gaming Services

Another way to play CS2 on a console is through a cloud gaming service, such as Google Stadia. 

They run the games on powerful remote servers, streaming their output to your local device – you can play PC games on a console or other low-spec hardware.

Step 1: Select your Cloud Gaming Service

Create an account on a cloud gaming service that supports PC games, such as NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly Project xCloud). 

These services generally don’t license every game, so be sure your chosen service has CS2 in its catalog. 

Step 2: Install the Service on Your Console 

After you subscribe, download and install the service’s app. Such apps are often available from the console’s digital storefront and are likely optimized for console interfaces and controllers.

Step 3: Streaming Your CS2 

Once installed, log in with your cloud gaming account and select CS2 from the list of games. The game runs on cloud servers and is streamed to your console, where you can play it like any other regular game.

The heavy lifting is handled by the cloud servers, which means that you have seamless support for something as basic as a rig for something a little

Advantages and Considerations of Cloud Gaming:

One advantage is that you don’t need to buy an expensive PC and can still play CS2 on your console. 

Moreover, as with remote play, the experience hinges on your internet connection: a full-fat gaming experience demands high-speed, consistent internet.

Gamers who want the same Counter-Strike feel on the console can choose from multiple tactical shooters. 

These games incorporate team objectives, strategy, and, most importantly, team-based Counter-Strike play. 

In other words, every game is just a variation on another tactical shooter made with the same basic recipe—Counter-Strike.

1. Rainbow Six Siege

It’s one of the best tactical shooters on console, right up there with Counter-Strike for its ‘hard’ or ‘tactical’ FPS emphasis on leading, figuring out your movement, and mastering weapons.

Players duke it out in 5v5 maps, with one team defending the objective and the other racing to complete it. Destroying the environment and environmental gizmos adds another strategic layer; no round is ever the same or orderly. 

Since its console release in March 2016, Rainbow Six Siege (also released on PlayStation) has been an incredible community builder. It is a tactical shooter to play on a console.

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Call of Duty was and still is the console’s default shooter. The shooting mayhem in Modern Warfare’s (2019) gunfight mode is, in many ways, a reimagining of Counter-Strike. COD has a 2v2 mode that players can play.

While its boomstick action is all CoD, its minute-long bout-styled moments of muscle-straining sparring in a newish, standalone mode called Gunfight add up to a console approximation of the knife-edge focus that defines Counter-Strike. It’s a good console approximation, too.

3. Warface

If you’re more into free-to-play, Warface is an FPS with the standard fare: PvE and PvP modes and tactical team-based play.

It’s not as rich nor features highly polished gameplay systems like Counter-Strike. Still, Warface is a functional tactical shooter on modern consoles that is free: entry costs nothing, and the game is updated regularly. A well-designed, strategic shooter can be free. No money is required to play it.

4. Valorant

Valorant is currently limited to PC, but rumors of a console release would also introduce console gamers to the fold. Riot Games developed the game’s tactical play between rounds and the use of heroes’ abilities to design a unique strategy cross-pollinated from Counter-Strike.

 It’s also a familiar genre that rewards precision and collaboration, both prized in Counter-Strike. So, if Counter-Strike is brought to consoles, it will broaden the player base for anyone who likes to play those games.

5. Insurgency: Sandstorm

This is another shooter game that Counter-Strike fans might enjoy. It has a more gritty look than the first installment. It is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, and Xbox. 

It’s full of toe-to-toe brawls—and just as realistic as Counter-Strike: a single bullet will likely kill you. The need to work together, talk to each other and shoot accurately makes it a good option for console gamers who have gotten used to the tension and tactical play of Counter-Strike.

6. Rogue Company

Rogue Company is a more arcade-style tactical shooter with the same strategic team-play that Counter-Strike fans crave, though you’ll pick from a roster of characters like Valorant, each with a gimmick and a play style.

Most matches have some objective (e.g., planting bombs, securing an area, etc.), so some coordination is required to complete them. 

Rogue Company can launch on PlayStation and Xbox—it’s cross-gen/cross-platform, so it works on all leading consoles—and the bonus there is that it has a massive active player base.

7. CrossfireX

CrossfireX, available on consoles, is a tactical shooter made for fans of Counter-Strike and offers high-speed and team-based objectives with tactical shooting.

Some modes work like classic Counter-Strike objectives: players must defuse a bomb or bomb a site. Yet CrossfireX is a solid tactical shooting game for Xbox, making it the best console Counter-Strike-alike you can get.

8. Battlefield V

Battlefield V is more cinematic and expansive but still retains many elements that Counter-Strike fans will enjoy. 

Battlefield V is available for both PlayStation and Xbox. The larger game modes offer the same scale of action as Call of Duty, but it has a couple of smaller game modes—Squad Conquest or Domination—where you play for shorter periods with very objective-based, Counter-Strike-style gameplay.

The game also emphasizes teamwork, strategy, and accurate gunplay, making it a good fit for fans of tactical shooters.

The fantasy of playing CS:GO on console runs deep, but, in the end, both CS:GO and CS2 are thoroughly PC games. 

Their design, mechanics, and core community dynamics are better suited to the PC. 

If you’re a console player looking for something similar, you must look elsewhere. Or perhaps wait for Valve to change its mind.