

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of those legendary games that might leave you stressed and unmotivated if you keep finishing last round after round. The game has been around for so long that thousands of players are considered top-tier, whether they be in competitive gaming or your closest circle of friends.
However, the truth is that you don’t need that many hours of practice before you’re ready to challenge that one friend you can’t get a single frag against. The secret is to practice the game the right way–don’t just run around in competitive play with strangers without learning a thing or two about the game.
That’s why we collected some of the most valuable CS:GO tips and tricks in this article. So let’s dive right in!
CS:GO Tip #1: Stop Moving When Encountering Enemies
The popular belief among players of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is that you’ll be a more challenging target if you move in an unpredictable manner. However, standing still when facing an enemy will do magic if you’re precise and fast enough.
Players that move when facing opponents won’t be harder to shoot as they can’t move much if they want to aim properly. If you are one of those players that likes to hop left and right, keep in mind that you are not making your opponents move their aim that much to make things more difficult.
On the other hand, any movement takes away from your aim, especially if you shoot with rifles with poor accuracy by default.
So, instead of running all around the place, it’s better to find a proper hiding spot and peek carefully. That way, you can make every bullet count.
CS:GO Tip #2: Commit to a Few Popular Maps
Instead of testing out dozens of CS:GO maps, try to learn the most played maps such as Dust 2, Nuke, Mirage, Inferno, and Overpass. We suggest you start with the most popular CS:GO at the moment – Mirage. To make things easier for you, here are the best Mirage tips to help you get things going on this map.
Make sure you study the map layout and remember the callouts for those maps. The callout areas influence how each team should act, potential tactics, and the general gameplay.
Start learning and playing with bots or friends to improve your abilities. Keep at it until you feel like you know the place like the back of your hand. Learning map layouts and callouts will help you communicate with your teammates and make you understand what’s going on during a round.
However, don’t let a map bore you to death. Feel free to switch to another important map to make your practice sessions more enjoyable. Try out other ones, such as Inferno or Dust2 (favorites for pros like Team Vitality)
Finally, when you are satisfied with your map knowledge, take the next step. Try competing in a few rounds and compare your progress with others’ tactics.
CS:GO Tip #3: Talk and Listen to Your Teammates
Don’t be afraid to communicate with your teammates, even if you don’t know the map or a strat they want to execute.
We know this might be even harder to do if you play with strangers, especially if they tend to be toxic at first. However, team communication is one of the key elements for winning a match. So, it’s better to report and call out than watch in silence because some player offended you.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you should be prepared to talk through a headset, as this will make the experience more convenient. Headsets are accessible and not that expensive nowadays, so don’t worry about that.
Also, don’t be afraid to talk with other players in a foreign language because you think your accent is funny or if you don’t speak it well. Most players play the game so that they can win, and making fun of an accent of a player or their bad grammar won’t be of their concern.
Finally, if someone abuses you verbally, report them and not let them get to you. You’re playing because of the thrill of the game, not the thrill of the stress. In the same way, be mindful of all players and don’t use language that might offend anyone.
CS:GO Tip #4: Switch to Burst Fire
Although possible, getting a headshot with a single bullet is always challenging. You need to be extremely calm, accurate, and precise with your aim. In the same way, you won’t be able to land a headshot if you spray bullets the moment you see your opponent.
To make your aim more accurate, you should feel spray patterns better if you adjust your rifles to burst fire. Burst fire is a shooting mode that is significantly more practical for inexperienced players. As burst mode won’t allow you to spray more than five bullets by holding the right-click, you’ll be able to control your aim better. Any gun is accurate after a few shots are fired, and you won’t waste many bullets, saving them for longer rounds.
To be sure, playing with burst mode will take time to adapt. However, after you get a feel for it, you’ll develop a fine spray pattern that will almost always keep your bullets close to your targets.
CS:GO Tip #5: Mouse Movement and Aim Alignment
The key to moving effectively on a map is linked to your map knowledge and mouse movement. As such, we advise you to amp up your mouse sensitivity or find a sweet spot that won’t require you to move your mouse five inches just to move a few pixels to the side.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your crosshair must always be at the height of the opponent’s head. Headshots are the fastest and the most efficient way to deal damage, so get used to holding the crosshair in opponents’ head levels all the time, even if it might seem they aren’t nearby.
CS:GO Tip #6: Make Use of Your Grenades… Smartly
Although you might just be starting out, don’t forget to carry utilities that can help you out of risky situations. Grenades are a great way to push back your opponents, block their vision, or make a distraction to buy time.
However, don’t use all your utilities as soon as you see opponents at the beginning of a round. Instead, try using grenades effectively.
Opt for flashes if you’re playing on a map with open space. If you or your opponent need to go through a narrow choke, try using smoke grenades or molotovs.
Lastly, if you know that multiple enemies are in a confined space, treat them with a well-placed HE grenade to weaken them or scare them.
CS:GO Tip #7: Utilize Bots and Play Deathmatch Before Going Competitive
Try playing your rounds with bots, and feel free to experiment with them. You can easily tweak them the way you’d like and make them carry one specific weapon, be harder to kill, etc.
Deathmatches are also a great way to adjust your game if you are coming from battle royale games.
Remember to play on a particular map you want to learn or choose a map that will give you the opportunity to practice your aim. For instance, try downloading the training_aim_csgo2 map, which is basically a shooting range. This map features a few targets in front of you, a special setting to change target distance, and all the weapons sitting around to test your aim.
CS:GO Tip #8: Use Your Economy the Best Way
This tip is what most players forget about in the heat of starting a round. Remember that you will be playing dozens of rounds during a match. That’s why you should carefully plan how you should spend your money (especially when playing a role like support). Whether you die or your team wins a round greatly influences your budget.
For instance, you should consider playing eco-rounds if you want to gain a later match advantage or if you hope you can pick opponents’ weapons. Or maybe you’ll focus on buying a kevlar and helmet rather than an HE grenade if your opponents are fast shooters.
The worst thing that can happen to you is to buy an expensive rifle and not have money for bullets or grenades.
CS:GO Tip #9: Stayin’ Alive
We know this sounds obvious, but you should always stay focused until the last second of the round to stay alive.
Even if your team ends up winning, that doesn’t mean all opponents are dead. Or, if you think there’s no time to defuse the bomb, don’t try defusing it for the looks. Any time you die in a round, you lose money and have fewer opportunities in future rounds.
Finally, if you’re the weakest link in your team and die often, try asking your teammates to buy you a better weapon so you can hold on longer.
CS:GO Tip #10: Remember Your Game Goal
This tip is what players from battle royale games don’t seem to understand. CS:GO is a game with two different team objectives. The Counter-Terrorist team aims to defend bomb sites from the Terrorist team that tries to plant the bomb on those sites.
Even if the bomb gets planted, Counter-Terrorists have time to defuse it and still win the game, even though not all Terrorists are defeated. That means if you and your teammates concentrate on executing your team’s goals, you might have better chances of winning a match even though you aren’t the best shooters on the map.
That’s why CS:GO gives an advantage to players who can execute well-thought tactics and plays that can trick even the fastest shooters out there.
CS:GO Tips: Final Thoughts
Those are our ten tips that will elevate your game in a way that you’ll be able to manage your way at any type of CS:GO match.
The last obvious tip is that, as always, practice makes perfect. However, you should practice the right way so you won’t end up learning the wrong way. Do your research to learn how to practice and play better and get ready for competitive CS:GO rounds ASAP.