Counter-Strike: Source Guide

Counter-Strike: Source Guide

Counter-Strike: Source remains one of the most respected tactical shooters ever made. Built on Valve's Source engine, CSS brought the original Counter-Strike formula into a new era with improved physics, better graphics, and tighter gunplay. Whether you are jumping in for the first time or returning after years away, understanding the core systems will make every round more rewarding.

Table of Contents

• Game Modes
• The Economy System
• Map Pool and Objectives
• Movement Mechanics
• Shooting Mechanics
• Putting It All Together

Game Modes

CSS offers several game modes, each with a different pace and purpose.

Classic Competitive is the heart of the game. Two teams of five play a best-of-30 format, swapping sides at halftime. Terrorists plant the bomb or eliminate CTs, while Counter-Terrorists defuse or hold sites. Rounds last less than two minutes, and every death matters because there is no respawning until the next round.

Classic Casual uses the same rules but with larger teams, no friendly fire, and free armor and defuse kits. It is a low-pressure way to learn maps and weapons without worrying about your economy.

Deathmatch strips away objectives entirely. You spawn, you fight, you respawn. It is the best mode for warming up your aim and testing weapon spray patterns before heading into competitive play. Check our tips and tricks page for specific aim training routines.

The Economy System

Money management separates good players from great ones. You start each half with $800 and earn money through kills, round wins, round losses, and objective completions.

The loss bonus stacks progressively, meaning consecutive losses give your team more money. A single round win resets the loss counter. This creates important strategic decisions. Sometimes losing a round on purpose (a save round) preserves weapons and builds your loss bonus for a stronger buy later.

Full buy rounds typically cost $4,000-$6,000 per player, covering a rifle, armor with helmet, a defuse kit (CT side), and grenades. For detailed buy strategies and weapon loadouts, see our builds guide.

Map Pool and Objectives

CSS maps fall into two categories based on their prefix.

Defusal maps (de_) are the competitive standard. Terrorists carry the bomb (C4) and attempt to plant it at one of two bombsites. CTs defend those sites. Even if the entire T side dies, a planted bomb can still win the round if CTs cannot defuse in time. The bomb timer is 45 seconds in competitive play, and defusing takes 10 seconds without a kit or 5 seconds with one.

Hostage maps (cs_) flip the dynamic. CTs push into T territory to rescue hostages and bring them to an extraction zone. These maps tend to favor defenders heavily and appear less in competitive play, though cs_office remains a community favorite.

Popular competitive maps include de_dust2, de_inferno, de_nuke, de_train, and de_cbble. Each has distinct layouts and strategies. Our map walkthrough breaks down callouts and positioning for every major map.

Movement Mechanics

How you move directly affects your accuracy. Standing still gives the tightest spread, while running makes your shots wildly inaccurate. This is the fundamental tension in CSS: you must stop moving to shoot accurately, but standing still makes you an easy target.

Counter-strafing is the most important movement technique to learn. When moving left, tap the right movement key briefly before firing. This kills your momentum instantly, giving you first-shot accuracy without waiting for your character to decelerate naturally. Practice this in deathmatch until it becomes muscle memory.

Bunny hopping involves jumping the instant you land while air-strafing with A/D keys. CSS has velocity caps that limit bunny hopping compared to CS 1.6, but chaining a few hops can still move you through open areas faster than running. The timing is tight and inconsistent on most servers.

Crouch peeking lowers your profile while rounding corners, making you harder to headshot. Combine this with a quick counter-strafe and you can gather information while presenting a small target. Just avoid crouch-walking everywhere, because the speed penalty leaves you vulnerable.

Shooting Mechanics

Every weapon in CSS has three accuracy states: first-shot accuracy, recoil pattern, and spread recovery time.

First-shot accuracy determines how precise your initial bullet is when standing still. The AK-47 and M4A1 both have excellent first-shot accuracy, which is why they dominate competitive play. Pistols like the Desert Eagle also have strong first-shot accuracy but lose it quickly in rapid fire.

Recoil patterns are fixed for each weapon. The AK-47 pulls up and to the right, then left, in a predictable T-shape. The M4A1 has a similar but tighter pattern. Learning to pull your crosshair in the opposite direction of the recoil (spray control) lets you land multiple shots on target during sustained fire.

Spread recovery is how quickly your crosshair resets after firing. Tapping (single shots with pauses) is accurate at long range, while bursting (2-4 rounds) works at medium range. Full spraying is only reliable at close range unless you have mastered the recoil pattern. Our tier list ranks every weapon and explains where each one performs best.

Putting It All Together

CSS rewards patience, communication, and mechanical skill in equal measure. Strong aim wins duels, but understanding the economy, map control, and team coordination wins matches. New players should start with our beginner's guide to build solid fundamentals before worrying about advanced techniques.

Every round is a puzzle. You read the economy, choose your loadout, take map positions, gather information, and execute a plan with your team. That loop never gets old, and it is what keeps CSS thriving decades after release.