History VideoGame / CounterStrike

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection (which favors NATO, law enforcement or "advanced" weapons for Counter-Terrorists) applies regardless of what real-world organizations is used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s, French [=FAMASes=] and Austrian [=AUGs=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1s=], Galils or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons can make them look more like real-life robbers than actual terrorists, given how Glock are also some of the most-used handguns for {{Bank Robber|y}}ies and mass shootings. The Beretta handguns, typically a law enforcement weapon, are also used ubiquitously as a mobster weapon in Italy.

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection (which favors NATO or law enforcement weapons for Counter-Terrorists) applies regardless of what real-world organizations is used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s, French [=FAMASes=] and Austrian [=AUGs=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1s=], Galils or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons can make them look more like real-life robbers than actual terrorists, given how Glock are also some of the most-used handguns for {{Bank Robber|y}}ies and mass shootings. The Beretta handguns, typically a law enforcement weapon, are also used ubiquitously as a mobster weapon in Italy.

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection (which favors NATO weapons for Counter-Terrorists) applies regardless of what real-world organizations is used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s and French [=FAMASes=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1s=], Galils or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons can make them look more like real-life robbers than actual terrorists, given how Glock are also some of the most-used handguns for {{Bank Robber|y}}ies and mass shootings. The Beretta handguns, typically a law enforcement weapon, are also used ubiquitously as a mobster weapon in Italy.

* SightedGunsAreLowTech: No, they don't, especially the AWP, which packs more punch. However, for the automatic rifles, CompetitiveBalance prevails and the drawbacks (such as lower damage per shot or rate of fire) made a lot of pro players avoid the automatic scoped assault rifles and the automatic scoped sniper rifles. Then there is the other bolt action sniper rifle, which is generally useless.

* HiddenMechanic: The original game (1.X) never bothers with explaining the ammunition sharing mechanic. Certain guns use the same ammunition and it's made quite realistically - i.e. only guns using the same caliber share ammo. The problem is, certain SMGs[[note]]primary weapon[[/note]] share ammo with handguns[[note]]secondary weapon[[/note]] so if you happen to have such combination and deplete your ammo pool with one gun, you have no ammo left for the other. On the other hand ammo is only dropped if you're killed and not if you manually drop your gun. Which means, you can stockpile on ammo just by picking up several guns from dead enemies or teammates and then dropping them. On top of that, acquiring ammo of different caliber does not discard your previous. Basically you may only carry two guns at a time but can be a walking ammunition storage without having a slightest hint.

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection (which favors NATO weapons for Counter-Terrorists) applies regardless of what real-world organizations is used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s and French [=FAMASes=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1s=], Galils or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons can make them look more like real-life robbers than actual terrorists, shaping the inversion a play of CopsAndRobbers (with Cops having AUG and Robbers having Glock).

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection (which favors NATO weapons for Counter-Terrorists) applies regardless of what real-world organizations is used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s and French [=FAMASes=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1s=], Galils or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists. Conversely, Terrorists having Glock as one of their starting weapons can make them look more like real-life robbers than actual terrorists, shaping the inversion a play of CopsAndRobbers (with Cops having Steyr AUG and Robbers having Glock).

** Where this gets rather odd is that the weapon selection (which favors NATO weapons for Counter-Terrorists) applies regardless of what real-world organizations is used for the counter-terrorist team on each map. The GSG-9, Israel Defense Force, and the Spetsnaz can all get American M4s and French [=FAMASes=], but can't get their own [=G3SG/1s=], Galils or [=AKs=] except by stealing them from dead terrorists.

* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Although both teams share many items (pistols, submachine guns, grenades and armor) and could end the game by duking it out in a deathmatch, the significant equipment and tactics revolve around objectives that serves as one team's antithesis to the opposing team's war doctrine.

** Nobody is quite sure why the Terrorists always field fixed amounts of men to openly plant bombs on what appears to be an empty, evacuated area, or take hostages and yet not execute them when the CT goes openly loud. Even stranger is why special forces organizations only deploy the same fixed amount of operatives to stop them, rather than severely outnumbering the Terrorists or calling in any drones or helicopters to assist. The answer is two-fold, and eloquently simple - A: it wouldn't be the ''Counter-Strike'' that everyone knows and loves if it was realistic, and B: It [[RuleOfFun wouldn't be as fun otherwise]].

* {{Kayfabe}}: Meta-example. Set two equal teams choreographed as Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, put them on the maps, and let the players control them. And rest is history. Even the Japan-only arcade ''NEO'' plays this straight with a supplemental side story , but ''Condition Zero'' and ''Deleted Scenes'' make exceptions to this rule.

* {{Kayfabe}}: Meta-example. Set two equal teams choreographed as Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, put them on the maps, and let the players control them. And rest is history.

* '''''Counter-Strike 2''''' (2023): A pseudo-UpdatedRerelease of ''Global Offensive'', primarily focused on bringing major graphical and physics improvements to the game, as well as acting as a showcase of the Source 2 engine. Owners of ''Global Offensive'' will be able to upgrade to ''2'' for free, and transfer all of their progress over.

* AscendedFanfic: The early versions of ''Counter-Strike'' shipped with no bot functionality until the infamous third-party POD Bots were created, and since then, both ''Condition Zero'' and ''Source'' have shipped with bots of their own. ''Counter-Strike 1.6'' on Steam still lacks bots, however.

* '''''Counter-Strike: Condition Zero''''' (2004): A stand-alone expansion pack with remade models, textures, visuals, and maps (in vein of ''VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift'') while running on the same engine and also adds few new weapons and tools, along with a simple single-player mode and bot support. Later added was ''Deleted Scenes'' which is an actual single-player campaign that was cut from the original release. All of the gameplay additions such as bots, Galil, Famas, and the riot shield were backported to the vanilla ''Counter-Strike'' in 2004 as of the 1.6 release. As of 2009 onwards, both ''CS 1.6'' and ''Condition Zero'', including ''Deleted Scenes'', are only available as a bundle purchase in Steam.

*** Even more of an ascended glitch in CS:GO's Flying Scoutsman mode, where the new map "Dizzy" features slopes made specifically for surfing.

* AscendedGlitch: Surf maps. In 1.6, players messing around on level editors noticed that if a server's gravity is set at a certain level, the angled rooftops acted like slick hillsides when your player was walking "up" them. Looking along the plane and strafing "up", then looking slightly "downslope" and then back along it, the character would ski/surf along the plane. This lead to specialized maps, and didn't change in ''Counter-Strike: Source''. A small but devoted set of servers still operate these maps.

* AscendedFanfic:
** The early versions of ''Counter-Strike'' shipped with no bot functionality until the infamous third-party POD Bots were created, and since then, both ''Condition Zero'' and ''Source'' have shipped with bots of their own. ''Counter-Strike 1.6'' on Steam still lacks bots, however.

* '''''Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies''''' (2014): The Steam version of ''Counter-Strike Online''.

* AmbiguousTimePeriod: Despite being released in 2012, this game has Basque separatists still being a major threat (the Basque insurgency ended in 2011 and hadn't been notable since the early 2000s). All of the terrorist group descriptions also ''only'' mention attacks in the 1980s and 1990s, which would be odd if the missions you're undertaking against them in-game are happening in the 2010s and they've been active in the intervening decades. Maps frequently have devices that would have been outdated by the time of the game's release, such as CRT-based computer monitors and televisions (Most of which are recycled from previous Valve Source Engine games). Further muddling things is a number of [[http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Counter-Strike:_Global_Offensive weapons and gadgets]] that did not exist until the mid-to-late 2000's, and the "Danger Zone" mode features drones and portable computer tablets - staple technology of TheNewTens.

* OneBulletLeft: Invoked. Killing an enemy with the last bullet (excluding sniper rifles and Zeus x27) in your mag nets you a Steam achievement.

* SequelNumberSnarl: ''Counter-Strike 2'' is an update to ''Global Offensive'' instead of a separate game, let alone the second ''Counter-Strike''.

** Some maps in ''Global Offensive'' recycle assets and layouts from past Valve games, especially ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', which leads to the theory that ''Global Offensive'' is actually a prequel to that. Though this was debunked in ''Left 4 Dead 2'', where Louis acknowledges ''Counter-Strike'' as an in-universe video game.

The most popular online FirstPersonShooter in the world, with some claiming it generates more Internet traffic than the whole of Italy.

* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: The short-lived attempt by Valve to dynamically price the guns - basically, trying to balance the game by having popular weapons get more and more expensive while making bad guns cheaper than dirt. It didn't work because there was an infinite supply of every gun. At one point, a gun somehow cost ''negative'' money.

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Only found in Danger Zone, but can be used to tank enemy fire for a while before it eventually breaks.

** The achievement in ''Global Offensive'' for winning a round by planting the bomb is named "[[VideoGame/ZeroWing Someone Set Up Us The Bomb]]".

* BadassBaritone: The [=IDF=] faction is given a noticeably lower voice than that of the other groups.

* '''''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive''''' (2012): The only "sequel" released so far, bringing with it new maps, new balance, new visuals, a heavily-revamped graphical style, new weapons, and several new features such as matchmaking, and as said above, It's also specifically designed for E-Sports in mind. As of 2018 it is available for free, on time with a new [[BattleRoyaleGame Danger Zone]] game mode, but free players are limited to matchmaking between other free players, and won't have access to "prime" status drops. Those who have bought the game got assigned to a "Prime" account, and the price for Prime Access is now twice the price than when ''CS:GO'' was a paid-only game.

* MotorMouth: Most terrorists factions speak their lines very quickly. To a degree, the [=CT's=] can be chatty as well.

* RevolversAreJustBetter: The R8 Revolver, which is usable as an alternative to the Desert Eagle (ie. an alternative to the otherwise strongest and most powerful handgun in the game). It has a small ammo pool (a total of 16 bullets, including the 8 already loaded) and shooting it makes the player choose between delayed, accurate shots and fast, inaccurate shots. In exchange, it has the single highest damage per-shot of all the pistols and is slightly less expensive than the Deagle. Before being {{Nerf}}ed, it was even better: it had over double the damage of the Deagle, making it a clean OneHitKill even if the opponent was armored.

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y9MpNcAitQ Responsive Smokes" demonstrates how smoke grenades are now volumetric entities that are influenced by the environment and circumstance.

[[folder:Specific To Global Offensive]]

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Special Agent Ava is, as of 2020, the only female agent that players can use as a custom player model.