Playing Counter-Strike for the first time is like diving into a modern warfare meat grinder. You will face players who have been prowling versions of these maps for more than a decade. You will die to snipers with tens of thousands of kills notched into their Scout. You will be punished, sitting out the rest of the round while you rue your mistake.

Why, then, would you choose to play CS:GO? Because working your way up to the top of the leaderboards is an achievement; a reward earned through patience, skill and muscle memory. And it has some of the best level design in games. There’s a reason why, even today, you will servers running ancient maps like Dust2 day in, day out.

But Global Offensive is a modern game and brings modern ways of playing. It is now partly funded through the sale of cosmetics and weapon skins, like Team Fortress 2. It includes automatic matchmaking, guiding you away from the dedicated servers that made the series what it is today. And there are ranks, giving the elitists a visible badge for their dedication, alongside medals for veterans.

Playing Counter-Strike for the first time is like diving into a modern warfare meat grinder. You will face players who have been prowling versions of these maps for more than a decade. You will die to snipers with tens of thousands of kills notched into their Scout. You will be punished, sitting out the rest of the round while you rue your mistake. Why, then, would you choose to play CS:GO? Because working your way up to the top of the leaderboards is an achievement; a reward earned through patience, skill and muscle memory. And it has some of the best level design in games. There’s a reason why, even today, you will servers running ancient maps like Dust2 day in, day out. But Global Offensive is a modern game and brings modern ways of playing. It is now partly funded through the sale of cosmetics and weapon skins, like Team Fortress 2. It includes automatic matchmaking, guiding you away from the dedicated servers that made the series what it is today. And there are ranks, giving the elitists a visible badge for their dedication, alongside medals for veterans.