Game modes in CS GO CS GO Guide and Tips

Competetive mode, Casual mode, Demolition, Arms Race and Deathmatch. Our guide for Counter Strike will help you choose your best place - not only ranked games are worth fun.

Last update: 30 January 2018

Counter-Strike Global Offensive offers several game modes. Each one of those will provide the player with different experiences and will test his/her skills. Some of the modes can be used as a warm-up before the ranked matches, whereas the others will be great fun and can be treated with a grain of salt.

• Competitive mode
• Casual mode
• Demolition
• Arms Race
• Deathmatch

Competitive mode

The most important game mode in CS: GO. As the name suggests, the progress in ranked mode translates to the rank of the player. Each team consists of 5 players and the game is divided into 30 rounds, each lasting 2 minutes. The team that wins 16 rounds wins the entire match and in the event of a 15:15 draw, victors will be decided during overtime. In the ranked game mode, you can take part in one of the two following modes:

1. Maps where the Terrorists are trying to plant the bomb and the Counter-Terrorists are trying to prevent it from happening.
2. Terrorists are holding hostages and Counter-Terrorists are trying to rescue them.

In addition to the objectives mentioned above, the round can also be finished by eliminating the entire enemy team.

Tips that might help you achieve a better rank:

1. Leaving the game during the match is punished with the inability to start another ranked match for a specified time: 30 minutes, 2 hours, 24 hours or even 7 days!
2. Friendly fire is always on when playing a ranked match - try not to hurt your own teammates, as it will decrease your chances of success.
3. Team collision is also enabled here, preventing you from passing through allies. Keep that in mind and be careful not to block their mobility.
4. Before you enter a ranked match, go to one of the training maps and shoot for several minutes to warm up.
5. Before the ranked match starts, try to focus on the game and keep your emotions in check. Getting angry with your teammates or enemies won't get you anywhere and will only hinder your performance.
6. If you have the option, always try to play with people you know and you can cooperate well with. This will give you a better chance of gaining a better rank in the game. If, however, you need to use the random search engine, try not to force your opinion on others and tell them how to play, as it will only make them angry. Focus on your own playstyle and try as much as possible to have a positive impact on the course of the match.
7. When playing with random players, don't expect others to cover you or help you when you find yourself on the bombsite. You also shouldn't expect well-though-out strategies. When entering a game with random players, you usually have to rely on your own skills.
8. Proper usage of grenades will definitely affect your team's chances of success. Try to purchase grenades in almost every round in the following order: smoke grenade, flash grenade, other grenades. Smoke grenades allow you to control the battlefield, which is very important in CS: GO.
9. Try to master each tournament map before you start a ranked match. Knowledge is the key to success here. When you have a good knowledge of each map, you can easily anticipate enemy movement and threats and react instinctively.
10. Try to spend your money rationally and keep track of enemy cash as well. Knowledge about the amount of money your opponents have can be invaluable, as it will give you a signal when the enemies are able to purchase better weapons and when they cannot afford it.
11. Before planting the bomb, try to check and clean the area properly. Check the corners and places where enemies can hide.
12. If you are the only one alive from your team, stay with the bomb during the first seconds before you decide to evacuate. Leaving the area too quickly can result in easy bomb disbarment and losing a round.
13. When planting the bomb make sure that you will have good vision on it in case someone tries to defuse it. Alternatively, try to have someone from your team keeping an eye on it.
14. Before you place a bomb, you can try deceiving your opponent. As soon as the arming of the bomb starts, cancel the operation immediately and see if someone was waiting for it to take you down.
15. Once the bomb was planted, spread out to secure the bombsite from every possible side. This will also make it difficult for the enemy team to take you all out at the same time, increasing the chances for the bomb to explode.
16. Remember that when disarming a bomb, you don't have to look directly at it. After starting the defusing process, you can crouch, look around the area and even move around your own axis. This will allow you to scan the area and watch if someone is trying to prevent you from disarming the bomb.
17. Always try to communicate with your team, even if you are playing with random players. This might allow you to save them from death or let them know where the opponents are located so that you can easily eliminate them.
18. If any of your allies is blocking you, let him/her know by voice chat, but do so in a polite way to not give the teammate a reason to do it again.
19. If you are certain that you've hit the opponent and caused serious damage, tell your teammates about it so that they will know that a single bullet should be enough to finish off the enemy.
20. Remember that everyone makes mistakes. Stay positive and try to raise the team's morale.

Casual mode

A less rigorous version of the competitive mode. In this mode players can duel without fear of losing ranking points. Each team consists of 10 players and the match was divided into 15 rounds, each lasting 2 minutes. The team that wins 8 rounds will emerge victorious and, similarly to the competitive mode, a tie will lead to overtime. In the casual mode each player receives body armor and helmet for free.

1. Despite the fact that there's no friendly fire in casual mode, try to develop a habit of not shooting at your allies. This will certainly benefit you when switching to the competitive mode.
2. Try to remain positive and refrain from offending other players, as it won't make anyone player better.
3. Always try to communicate with your team, even if the communication is to be limited to simple voice commands. This will allow you to deliver crucial information that can affect the course of the match.
4. Don't tell other players how they should be playing - in most cases they will ignore that and might even try to make you angry.
5. Always commit to the match and try to improve your own skills and results.
6. If possible, try to purchase grenades in each round. Smoke and flashbang grenades are the most important.
7. Pick up useful weapons, such as AWP or AK-47, at the end of the round. Even if you won't use them yourself, you can pass them on to your teammates, allowing your team to save some precious money.

Demolition

A combination of casual mode and Arms Race. Players are divided into two teams and the match lasts 20 rounds. In the demolition mode the players can't purchase additional weapons. Instead, each player receives a weapon automatically - if they managed to kill an opponent.

1. Demolition mode, just like the Arms Race, forces the player to make use of different types of weapons.
2. Try to cooperate with the team to achieve the specified goal.
3. In this mode the matches are played on smaller versions of maps, with only a single bombsite, making the matches much more dynamic.
4. You can gain additional grenades for completing the specified task with the currently equipped weapon.

Arms Race

Arms Race is characterized by instant respawn. Each player starts the match with a neutral weapon and each kill is rewarded with a change of the current firearm. After acquiring the specific number of kills with different weapons, the player is left with a golden knife. Killing an enemy with this knife ends the match.

1. Arms Race forces the player to use many different weapons, allowing him/her to learn their firing mechanics - this, in turn, can profit when deciding to play in the competitive mode.
2. In most cases 2 kills with a single weapon are required to switch to the next firearm.
3. Try to keep track of the match and don't overlook the information that one of the players advanced to the golden knife level.
4. Remember to use the acquired weapons to their fullest potential. Shotguns, for instance, are not suitable for long range - when using them you should sneak up on the enemy or wait for the target by hiding around the corner.
5. If you see an enemy with the golden knife running towards you or any of your teammates, try to eliminate him/her as quickly as possible to prevent the foe from ending the match.

Deathmatch

Players are scattered around the map. In the Deathmatch mode, the players have access to all of the weapons in the game and weapons can be freely changed at the respawn sites. Kills acquired with particular weapons are rewarded with specific amount of points. The player that has the highest amount of points at the end of the match wins the game.

1. From time to time, you will have an opportunity to change the weapon to one that will give you additional points per kill. You should always use such opportunities and change weapons (by pressing the "G" button) to gain additional points.
2. You need to keep your eyes peeled in this game mode and monitor the area all the time as the enemy can respawn behind your back.
3. Always try to aim at the opponent's head. Performing a single, accurate shot is in most cases easier than controlling the bullet spread from a longer distance. Remember that there are more targets on the map - performing an accurate shot at the enemy will allow you to divert the attention to another target.
4. Staying still and waiting for an opponent is not the best method of acquiring kills in this game mode. Move around the map and search for enemies, try to fire at your opponent's head and control the recoil of the weapon.