How To Get Better At CS2/CS:GO [15 Effective Tips]

However, getting better at the game doesn’t come naturally. Like everything else in this world, you’re going to have to work for it. In this article, we’ll go over fifteen tips on how to get good at CS:GO.

First and foremost, it is important for you to have a clear grasp of the game’s basics. These “basics” we’re talking about falls under two categories:

• Map Knowledge: It is essential to have a good feel of the maps on Counter-Strike, as they serve as the battleground for your ranked matches. The map layouts will never change, and you will be stuck playing on them for years, so you must know the ins-and-outs of the maps. Familiarize yourself with the most common angles so you can prepare gunfights accordingly and learn all the callouts.
• Weaponry: It is also crucial to understand the weapons available in the game. As a beginner, you don’t have to know how to use every gun, but you must at least have a good grip of the game’s primary weapons, such as the AK-47, M4A1-S, AWP, and the starting pistols. Figure out the best ways to use the different types of weapons, and also take some time to practice the spray patterns.

Since Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter game, it is evident that aiming is one of the most important aspects in the game. You cannot kill enemy players without having the ability to aim. 

Sharp aim doesn’t fall from the sky; you’ll have to work for it. Training your aim is essential, and there are numerous routines you can follow to develop it. Numerous aim training maps on the Steam Community Workshop are free to download. The creators of these maps have specifically added features that will help you practice your aiming and headshot abilities, its also important that you learn the movement of the game to help you around maps.

Additionally, you must also exercise proper crosshair placement, which means your crosshair should be kept near head level. Good crosshair placement will reduce the time and movement you need to flick your crosshair to an enemy’s head. This concept also means you should pre-aim your crosshair at common angles. Do not look at the floor, as it is a big tell that you’re a noob!

Many popular games feature characters that have unique abilities and spells to help them in combat. In Counter-Strike, grenades are the equivalent to these abilities and spells. Proper grenade usage is required to become a decent player in this game. 

Here is a quick rundown of the four primary grenades in the game:

• Smoke Grenade: The smoke grenade creates a cloud of smoke to block enemy vision. It is mainly used to gather map control and defend crucial chokepoints. Make sure to study useful smoke lineups on different maps!
• Flashbang: The flashbang blinds enemy players for a few seconds, giving a massive advantage in gunfights. It is a great piece of utility to set up teammates for kills. Learn how to pop flash for maximum effectiveness.
• Molotov/Incendiary Grenade: The molotov and incendiary grenade spreads fire on the ground. It is used to control tight areas of the map, denying enemy movement. Additionally, you can force a player out of a hiding spot and force them into an unfavorable fight.
• HE Grenade: The HE grenade is the real “grenade,” as it deals area of effect damage when it lands. This grenade is best used in choke points to soften enemy players. Coordinate with your teammates to stack grenades on the same spot. 

Managing finances is important in a game like Counter-Strike, where weapons must be purchased every round. Poor financial decisions can be game-losing, so it is crucial to understand how the economy works.

You must know when the team should execute a full-buy round, or when it is time to save and perform an eco round. Money doesn’t go from trees, so forcing yourselves to buy full equipment every round can be detrimental to the team’s finances. A lack of planned investments can lead to low buys every round.

Sometimes, it is best to do a save round, where all members of the team only buy pistols and a few pieces of utility. Sacrificing a round can ensure the entire team will come into the next one with full equipment, giving the highest odds of winning a round. 

Ensure that your team is buying matching equipment to avoid uncoordinated buys. You don’t want two players with an AWP and an AK-47 while the rest of the team is on Tec-9s. 

You’ve probably heard of the term “game sense” being thrown around everywhere, but you might not know what it means. Game sense can be developed by playing the game more. It is not a lie that experienced players who have spent thousands of hours will have good game sense. 

To train your game sense, you must predict the movement of your enemies. Put yourself in the shoes of your enemies and think of what play you would make with the current state of the round. Keep track of common trends or actions specific players have been doing in the previous rounds and think of ways to counter them. 

Game sense also emphasizes map control. You must understand the importance of various key areas of the map, and what you can do with this space. Think of the best ways to approach the situation with the control you currently have. 

It is always a good idea to have several friends playing the game with you. Preferably, you want to find yourself in a friend group with like-minded individuals who are also looking to improve. Not only is Counter-Strike best played with friends, but you guys can also help each other out. 

Playing with a team can help you develop your communication skills, which is one of the most important aspects of Counter-Strike. Let your team know about the whereabouts of enemy positions and what your next move is. However, don’t go overboard and clog the comms. Relay important information only. 

Additionally, playing with friends can also develop your teamwork skills and team chemistry. Strategize cool new strategies with each other, where each player has a distinct role. Coordinate smokes and rushes on bomb sites. 

After a game ends, talk to each other about what could be improved. Feel free to point out the mistakes of others and don’t be angry if someone calls you out for a misplay. Team talks are a great opportunity to improve as a group. 

We’ve already discussed how vital aiming is in Counter-Strike. One way to counter a player’s aim is to dodge the bullets – simple concept, right?

One of the most important movement techniques in Counter-Strike is strafing. Strafing is when players move left and right while shooting to make themselves a harder target to hit. Moving while shooting will make you inaccurate, which is why bursting is required for strafe shooting. Fire three to five bullets, then take a step or two to the left. After firing three to five more, move to the right and follow the same procedure. 

There are other movement mechanics such as bunny hopping, which essentially means you are jumping with smooth movements to get to places faster. Additionally, bunny hopping can help you dodge enemy fire, especially if they are using sniper rifles such as the AWP. 

Peeking is another important aspect of Counter-Strike. In every aim duel, one person must be the peeker, so there’s a 50% chance that it will be you. 

There are three types of peeks that you should know about:

• Shoulder peeking: Shoulder peeking is a method of batting out enemy shots and gathering information. The idea is to hug a wall and expose your shoulder to prompt enemies to shoot. You are not exposing your whole body, making it hard for enemies to punish you. 
• Jump spotting: Jump spotting serves a similar purpose to shoulder peeking. Instead of exposing your shoulder, you are also jumping to gather information on an enemy player. Bonus points if they try firing so you know what weapon they are using. This technique is most effective against players using sniper rifles. 
• Wide peeking: Also known as wide swinging, a wide peek is when you swing past an angle horizontally, making it difficult for enemy players to track you. While you are making the wide movement, you can adjust your crosshair and place it at the enemy’s head and stop moving whenever you want. 

Every professional sports player will warm up before playing a match. The same concept should apply for Counter-Strike players, too. This game requires players to have incredible precision, and every micro adjustment adds up. After going to bed and waking up to play again, you are bound to lose your touch and will need some time to get back into shape. 

You don’t have to spend too much time or effort to warm up, but doing so will help you have a much better start to your sessions. Spend anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes everyday doing a warm up routine. 

Some players like to get their aim fired up by playing a Deathmatch game or two. This free-for-all game mode is perfect for helping you get in the groove with constant action and almost no downtime. 

Alternatively, you can also make use of aim training maps from the Steam Community Workshop. Shooting bots is also a great way to get your hands warm. Set a goal, such as 100 or 200 bots before you hop into a real match. 

Audio is an incredible source of information in Counter-Strike games. Don’t you dare play the game without headphones on! It is highly recommended to play the game on high volume, as the slightest audio cues can give you a gold mine of information. 

Footsteps are one of the most common methods of identifying an enemy player’s position. However, the further you are from the enemy, the lower the sound of the footsteps are. Turning up your audio can help you hear these footsteps clearly, giving you an information advantage over others.

Different weapons generate different sounds when shot. Memorizing these sounds can help you understand what sort of weaponry you’re up against. All of this information cannot be gathered if you don’t play with audio on. 

You should also consider investing some money in a good pair of headphones so you can hear the correct directions of where these sounds are coming from. 

Everyone wants to win, and it’s understandable to be frustrated when things don’t go your way. Whether you made a game-losing mistake or your teammates aren’t playing up to expectations, it is never a good idea to let tilting affect your gameplay. 

You must maintain a positive mindset and maintain your composure when a situation gets rough. Stay calm and focus on the game. Do not let your negative emotions bring down the rest of the team, as everyone will collectively play worse. At least continue trying your best until the game ends. 

If you’re clearly tilted, take some time off your computer screen before queuing into the next game. Just take a quick five-minute breather. Scroll through your phone or smoke a cigarette; whatever calms you down. Playing a game when you haven’t moved on from the last will negatively affect your performance. 

In order to become a good Counter-Strike player, you must first find comfort in your setup. Professional players are extremely picky with their in-game customizations, as it plays an important part in playing at maximum capability. 

Take some time off your day to adjust your settings, most notably your sensitivity, crosshair, viewmodel, and video settings to suit your personal preference. 

You can download crashz’s Community Workshop maps to create your custom crosshair and viewmodel settings. Or, you can take a peek at what settings professional players are using. Feel free to copy their settings and take it for a spin. 

Remember that in-game settings come down to personal preference. There is no best setting, and copying s1mple’s settings won’t make you play like him. Simply use professional players’ settings as a reference in case you don’t know where to start. 

Though Counter-Strike is a free-to-play game, spending money on the best gaming gear could give players an advantage over others who have low-end setups. 

First, you must ensure you are playing on low latency, as Counter-Strike is a game of milliseconds, and playing on a network disadvantage is never fun. Make sure you have a low-latency internet connection and try using LAN cables instead of wireless connection. 

A high-end monitor is also crucial as it can offer you a smoother gameplay, allowing you to react faster to things on your screen. It could also be a good idea to invest some money on a wireless mouse, as many professional players find wires extremely annoying. 

We hate to bring up this argument, but your computer’s performance and FPS is also a determining factor to your skill. If you’re playing at less than 60 frames per second, we can imagine how hard it is to get kills. As much as possible, try upgrading your setup anywhere you can. 

If you’re not lifting trophies, there is a high chance you are making many mistakes in your Counter-Strike games. It never hurts to perform some self introspection and analyze your own gameplay.

Counter-Strike has a replay system, which is also known as “demos.” You can select a match you’ve played and download the replay to watch at a later time. While watching these replays, look at your own point of view. 

Carefully pay attention to how your crosshair placement looks and the way you are moving. Ask yourself if you are pre-aiming any angles, and why your shots are missing. Are you aiming too high, or too low?

Try to be as objective as possible, and figure out mistakes you are making and how to improve them. Do not blame your teammates for any of these mistakes. Simply focus on “how can I improve in CS:GO,” and not how your teammates have been messing everything up for you. 

If you’re not up to watch your own replays, you can always spectate professional matches. These are the best players in the world, and they have spent years and countless hours honing their skills. You can always learn a thing or two by watching them play.

Don’t simply watch matches for the sole purpose of entertainment. Notice how these players are placing their crosshairs, how they are clearing angles, and how they are positioning themselves. Additionally, take notes of their utility usage, such as smoke lineups or how they are setting their teammates up with pop flashes or molotovs. 

If your attention span isn’t strong enough to watch a live game, you can always follow these players on social media platforms, namely YouTube. You can watch a video of their highlights, or find guides and tutorials made by experienced players. There are a lot of free resources you can use to study how professional players play, so make the best use out of them!