Pre-Aim
The original tactical first-person shooter that defined team-based counter-terrorism gameplay, born from a Half-Life mod.
Counter-Strike (also known as Half-Life: Counter-Strike) is a 2000 tactical first-person shooter game originally developed by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe as a mod for Half-Life, later published by Sierra Studios. It is the first installment in the Counter-Strike series.
- Category
- Mechanical / Tactical Skill
- First appears
- Counter-Strike (1999, as a Half-Life mod)
- Applies to
- All titles: CS 1.6, CS:GO, Counter-Strike 2
- Most critical on
- Rifles (AK-47, M4A4, M4A1-S) due to one-tap headshot potential
- Difficulty tier
- Foundational (beginner through professional)
- Related concepts
- Crosshair placement, flick shots, tracking, angle holding
Lore & Background
Minh Le and Jess Cliffe began development in early 1999 on a counter-terrorism-themed modification for Half-Life. Their initial version gained significant popularity, attracting Valve, which acquired the game's intellectual property and partnered with Le and Cliffe. The standalone retail version was released for Microsoft Windows in November 2000.
In Their Own Story
The server hums. Round 23, Mirage, CT side. The crosshair sits motionless at the top-right corner of the A-site window frame, exactly where a head will be if the terrorist peeks from the long. Fingers rest on the mouse, not gripping—waiting. The heartbeat is audible in the headset. A footstep, faint, two tiles away in the mid tunnel. The crosshair does not move. It does not need to. The muzzle flash is a small, white sentence. The kill feed reads a single, clean line. The player exhales, repositions two pixels to the left for the next angle, and holds. The round is won not by the shot, but by the stillness before it.
Reader's Guide
Counter-Strike is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter in which players play as Terrorists or Counter-Terrorists. Each round, players begin with $800, a knife, and a handgun (USP for Counter-Terrorists, Glock 18c for Terrorists). They can purchase more advanced weapons and equipment in buy zones. Eliminated players become spectators until the round ends. Objectives include bomb defusal (maps with 'de_' prefix), hostage rescue ('cs_' prefix), and assassination ('as_' prefix). A former objective called Escape also existed. The HUD displays health, armor, ammunition, money, a round timer, and a radar showing teammate positions.
Did You Know?
- The game pits two teams—Counter-Terrorists and Terrorists—against each other in objective-based modes such as bomb defusal and hostage rescue.
- Players begin each round with a knife and pistol, and can purchase more advanced weapons with money earned through eliminating enemies or accomplishing goals.
- Once eliminated, players do not respawn until the end of the round.
- The game was originally a modification for Half-Life before Valve acquired the intellectual property.
- Counter-Strike received positive reviews and has been called one of the most influential first-person shooters.
More in Mechanics & Tactics
Elsewhere in the Counter-Strike universe
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