Valorant Vs CS:GO Comparison

If you’re just starting out in the first-person shooter space, the first step is to select which of the two games you’d like to focus on. We plan on making that decision easier for you. In this article, we’ll go over a comprehensive comparison between two high-grossing games.

Valorant is a five-versus-five tactical shooter game released by 2020. The game was developed and released by Riot Games, who is also responsible for the hit game League of Legends.

Meanwhile, Counter-Strike is one of the longest-standing gaming franchises in history, dating back to November 2000. Throughout two decades, Valve Corporation has released numerous sequels to the classical shooter, with the most recent release being Counter-Strike 2 in 2023. 

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that Valorant essentially copied Counter-Strike’s concept, as it was released years later. However, Riot Games added interesting touches that distinguished its game from Valve’s shooter.

Both games follow the same game mode, which is a bomb defusal scenario. Two teams consisting of five players will play the role of Attackers (Terrorists) or Defenders (Counter-Terrorists). The objective of the offense is to plant the bomb, while the defense must prevent this from happening and defuse the bomb before time runs out. 

Valorant features cartoonish visuals, making the game friendly for younger audiences. It is not surprising that most gamers from the younger generation are picking up Valorant over Counter-Strike. The coolest part about Valorant is the game emphasizes unique agent abilities that create an extra layer of tactical gameplay. Most of Valorant’s playerbase appreciates these agent abilities.

Meanwhile, Counter-Strike is as simple as it gets. The game’s visuals focus on realistic shooting and dynamic details, with blood splatters painting walls and bodies flying around. Counter-Strike uses real guns and grenades, such as smokes, flashbangs, and incendiaries. Valve’s shooter game appeals to the older generation, who enjoys the realism of Counter-Strike compared to the more cartoony vibe on the other side. 

Though the two titles have a very similar concept and gameplay style, there are distinct differences between the core mechanics of both games. 

Valorant mechanics lean toward slower gameplay, as players tend to wait for the enemy team to waste their abilities, in other words, utility. Valorant agents have various spells that can create standing turrets to hold down bombsites and help players summon creatures and drones to collect information for them. 

Overall, it is easier to hit enemy players in the head because movement in Valorant is much slower compared to Counter-Strike. The game doesn’t require as much mechanical aiming skills as gameplay is more utility-oriented. 

Meanwhile, Counter-Strike allows for fast-paced gameplay. Players are moving significantly faster than in Valorant, and players must throw their bodies to gather information themselves. There are no robots or obstacles slowing down incoming rushes, and it’s an all-out brawl most of the time. 

Counter-Strike forces players to develop proper aiming skills, as the gameplay is more weapon-oriented. Many players consistently train their aim because you won’t get far in Counter-Strike without any mechanics. 

As briefly mentioned earlier, Valorant follows a more family-friendly approach to its design, while Counter-Strike is much more realistic.

Valorant features colorful and very bright gameplay. The game’s agents come from different countries and wear various attires. Additionally, the game uses various colors to distinguish agent abilities which can be nauseating at times.

Counter-Strike uses a more dynamic approach, using authentic color schemes and game design. It is much easier on the eye as it reflects genuine colors in real life. Since Counter-Strike agents do not have specific abilities, all members of a team wear similar costumes that are easy to look at. 

Here is the biggest difference between the two games: Valorant has unique agents, while Counter-Strike doesn’t.

Valorant features 24 agents with varying abilities. The game’s agents are divided into four roles: Duelist (entry fragger), Controller (smoker), Initiator (flashes/utility), and Sentinel (anchor/lurker). Agents that fall under a particular role have their ability kits that serve its purpose. These distinct roles allow players to follow a simple formula in ranked modes, allowing for straightforward team-oriented play.

There are also agents in Valorant with the ability to heal players and even resurrect them after dying in a round. However, there is no such thing as healing in Counter-Strike. 

Meanwhile, Counter-Strike agents do not have innate abilities. Still, professional players have dedicated roles such as the entry fragger, lurker, anchor, and support player. However, these roles are not set in stone, nor written on paper. Ranked gameplay in Counter-Strike is more weapon-oriented as every agent does the exact same thing. 

The two games have relatively different systems when it comes to buying weaponry and armor.

In Valorant, weapons are not based on real-life guns, and instead, follow inspired designs. The interesting part is that every weapon in the game is available for purchase on both sides. This gives players more flexibility to buy weapons they enjoy using, such as the Vandal or Phantom.

Valorant’s armor system uses “shields” that absorb damage. Players start with 100 health every round, and can purchase a Light Shield or a Full Shield that will give an additional 25 or 50 health points, respectively. 

Counter-Strike weapons are based on real-world weapons such as the AK-47 , M4A1-S, and M4A4 – the list goes on. The weapon shit is limited for both Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, as each side will have a different selection of guns to select from. There are only a few weapons such as the AWP, Desert Eagle, and a few other guns available for both sides. 

Continuing with its realistic gameplay, Counter-Strike uses actual armor, just like in real life. Players can purchase a Kevlar Vest and a Helmet that reduces bullet damage. The vest will reduce incoming damage to the body, while the helmet protects players from getting killed with a single headshot by most weapons.

These games are nothing without their skins! Weapon skins allow players to express themselves by customizing their loadout. However, skins work differently between the two games.

Valorant skins can only be purchased for a limited time. Players often purchase skins during bundle releases. Otherwise, they must wait for the specific skin to appear in their shop, which can take weeks to months.

Prices of Valorant skins are fixed, unless Riot is giving players discounts from events such as the Night Market. It is important to note that players purchase skins directly from Riot Games, and these skins cannot be resold or refunded. Purchasing a skin means you’re stuck with it forever!

Valorant skins can be upgraded using Radianite points, which gives weapon skins cooler animations and color variants. Additionally, there are also attachable gun buddies that work similarly as keychain props.

Meanwhile, the Counter-Strike skin market is more complicated than Valorant’s. CS:GO skins can be purchased on the Steam Market, third-party websites, or obtained from unboxing weapon cases.

Unlike Valorant, Counter-Strike skins are always tradable and marketable, meaning they can be sold or bartered any time. Since supply and demand exists for CS:GO skins, skin prices often fluctuate depending on trend changes. Millions of dollars worth of skins are being traded around the Counter-Strike economy daily. 

Counter-Strike also has stickers, which can be pasted onto weapon skins to enhance its looks. Additionally, the game also features glove skins, which is something Valorant does not have. 

Overall, Valorant skins range from the $20 to $70 mark, and cannot be traded or resold. Meanwhile, Counter-Strike skins can range up to tens of thousands of dollars, but at least they are always tradable. 

Counter-Strike has always been one of the most prominent esports titles, but Valorant is quickly closing in despite being an infant game. The two scenes have very different methods of operations.

Valorant focused on regional leagues, where the best teams from each region will qualify for an international tournament. There are limited slots for these international leagues, so teams must perform well within their region. 

The Valorant professional circuit has a clear system, and all the prestigious tournaments are sponsored and hosted by Riot Games themselves. Unfortunately, there is barely any room for external tournament organizers to hold events, which is why there aren’t too many Valorant tournaments happening a year.

Meanwhile, Counter-Strike’s professional scene is heavily supported by third-party organizers such as BLAST.tv, ESL, and PGL. There is no clear league and tournament structure like Valorant has, but there are way more Counter-Strike tournaments in a calendar year. 

Valve holds their own Counter-Strike tournaments twice a year, which are called Valve Majors. Valve Majors are the most prestigious Counter-Strike tournaments, and winning a Major will solidify a team and player’s position in the game’s history. Fans can crowdfund Major events by buying team and player stickers, and the revenue Valve receives from them is shared among the participants.

Overall, one reason why CS:GO is better than Valorant is it is a more watchable game. Since all agents do the same thing, and the game’s grenades are based on real life, watching Counter-Strike matches is infinitely easier than Valorant. Even non-gamers can potentially enjoy spectating a Counter-Strike match. 

To understand what’s happening in a Valorant match, players must have a good understanding of agent abilities and how the game works. Otherwise, a person who has never touched Valorant before will be greeted with walls, flying objects, and animals running around the bomb site.