Like the previous games in the series, Global Offensive is an objective-based

multiplayer first-person shooter. Each player joins either the Terrorist or CounterTerrorist team and attempts to complete objectives or eliminate the enemy team.
The game operates in short rounds that end when all players on one side are dead or
a team's objective is completed. For most game modes, once a player dies, they
must wait until the round ends to respawn.
Players purchase weapons and equipment at the beginning of every round with
money awarded based on their performance. Completing objectives or killing
enemies earns the player money while negative actions, like killing a teammate or
hostage, takes money away from the player. In addition, when a round ends all
players receive some amount of money, with players on the winning team receiving
substantially more.[5]
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive added new weapons and equipment not seen in
previous installments, most notably the firebomb for each side (referred to as a
Molotov on the terrorist side and as an Incendiary Grenade on the Counter-Terrorist
side). These temporarily cover a small area in fire, dealing damage to anyone
passing through.[6][7] Cosmetic items, such as weapon finishes, were added postrelease.[8]

Game modes
Currently, Global Offensive features five game modes for online play:

Classic Casual and Competitive: Counter-Strike's most played game mode,

both involving Bomb Scenario and Hostage Scenario missions.[9] At the start
of each round, players can purchase weapons and gear with money earned from
various actions, from assisting on kills to completing objectives. Regardless of
mission type, a round ends when one team completes an objective, eliminates
the other team, or lets the timer run out. If the timer runs out before one of these
objectives are completed, the team which did not need to complete an objective
wins.

Bomb Scenario: the Terrorists must plant a C4 explosive at one of two

designated bombsites and protect it until its countdown finishes and
detonates; the Counter-Terrorists must prevent the bomb from exploding,
either ensuring that the terrorist team does not plant it or defusing it once it
is planted. If the CT team does defuse it, the CT team will still win regardless
how many enemy team members are still alive.[10]

Hostage Scenario: the Counter-Terrorists must rescue hostages from

the Terrorists, and bring them to an extraction point; the Terrorists must
prevent the hostages from escaping. If a Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist

attempts to kill hostage, they will suffer a heavy cash penalty. An update later
changed how Counter-Terrorists rescue hostages: instead of leading them
around,[11] players must carry one hostage at a time to the extraction point. [12]
[13]

Arms Race: a deathmatch-based mode where each player is rewarded for

every 2 kills with a new weapon, or every 1 kill if they kill the enemy leader. The
first player to get a kill with the golden knife, the final weapon on the list, wins
the game.[14][15]

Demolition: a round-based mode that removes weapon and equipment

purchasing, instead rewarding players who manage at least one kill by giving the
next weapon in a predetermined set of weapons. After a second kill with that
weapon the players are also rewarded a grenade along with their new weapon for
the next round. This is something similar to the bomb scenario mission, which
also requires one of the team to detonate the bomb site. But unlike the casual
ones, these have only one bomb site.[16][17]

Deathmatch (added on November 12, 2012): a mode consisting of 10-minute

matches.[18] Players must gain the highest possible score by earning kills with
different weapons or desired weapons. The number of points from a kill depends
on the weapon. Players may also take advantage of bonus timers for different
weapons, or using knife to score extra points. Like in Arms Race, players
automatically respawn after being killed, but also when they choose to respawn
with bonus weapons.[18][19]

Global Offensive also offers two offline modes: Offline with Bots, which offers the
same game modes with AI-controlled bots; and a Weapons Course, a single
player map serving as a tutorial and a training mode.[20]

Online play
Global Offensive supports matchmaking and leaderboards for all online game modes,
provided by Steam.[21] The provided online service offers the ability to filter by game
modes, maps and a built-in Steam friend system. Valve also employs Valve AntiCheat, which can automatically remove and ban players from the Valve online
network. To match players of similar skill levels for an enjoyable experience, the
game uses a heavily modified version of Elo rating system.[3] The PC version of Global
Offensive also supports private dedicated servers that the player may connect to
through the community server menu in-game. These servers may be heavily
modified and can be completely different from the base game.[22] There have been
popular community mods created for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, one named

KZ Climb (Kreedz Climbing), where players complete obstacle courses that require
advanced strafing and jumping techniques.[23]