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Counter-Strike is a popular multiplayer first-person shooter video game series was first introduced in 1999 as a modification for Valve’s Half-Life. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive first hit the shelves in August 2012 and can be played across various platforms including PC and console. The game revolves around two teams attempting to reach their objectives, mainly involving terrorists trying to execute acts of terror, and counter-terrorist aiming to prevent those attacks. Competitors are then rewarded for their individual performance with in-game currency, further used to purchase advanced weapons and increase effectiveness in subsequent rounds. Players may also buy virtual goods such as skins - unique visual designs modifying the looks of the weapons. Gamers from the United States spent an average of 70 U.S. dollars on downloadable content (DLC) within Counter Strike in 2019.
Users and usage
Despite being over eight years old, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive remains as popular as ever with gamers. The monthly active users (MAU) of the game peaked at 24 million in February 2020 and CS:GO still attracts millions of devoted fans every month. The game was one of the most played titles on Steam in 2019 and has peaked at over one million concurrent players on the gaming platform. CS:GO is also a popular game among viewers of online games on the streaming platform Twitch. It regularly ranks as one of the most streamed games on Twitch and has viewership peaks well into the hundreds of thousands.
eSports
As it is the case with other multiplayer games, Counter-Strike also found its spot in the eSports universe. Unlike League of Legends or DOTA 2, which have their own dedicated championships, CS:GO professional players compete in numerous single and multiple game tournaments, for example DreamHack, ESL One, and Intel Extreme Masters, just to name a few. In fact, the Intel Extreme Masters was watched by an average of over 273 thousand viewers worldwide in 2020. The pinnacle of the CS:GO tournament, the final between G2 and NaVi, was watched by a peak audience of over one million viewers.
Long gone are the days where video gaming was just a hobby, as some of the highest earning CS:GO professional eSports players earn well into the millions of U.S. dollars for their exploits within the game. It is no wonder that the best players in the world are able to earn the big bucks when the cumulative Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament prize pool worldwide stood at 21.77 million U.S. dollars in 2019. Indeed, the success of the game as an eSport shows no signs of slowing down as the game's tournament prize pool is estimated to reach 45.6 million U.S. dollars by 2023.
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J. Clement Research lead covering internet and gaming 
Key insights
- Number of weekly hours of Counter-Strike content viewed on Twitch
- 5.84m
Detailed statistics
Leading games on Twitch 2024, by weekly hours viewed
- Number of peak concurrent players of CS:GO on Steam in 2023
- 1.8m
Detailed statistics
Most played games on Steam 2023, by peak player count
- CS:GO revenue on Steam in 2017
- 120mn USD
Detailed statistics
Steam: highest-grossing new video games 2023
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic
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Overview
5
- Premium Statistic CS:GO revenue worldwide 2015-2018
- Premium Statistic Leading video game types in the U.S. 2020
- Basic Statistic U.S. shooter gaming audiences 2023, by age group
- Premium Statistic U.S. shooter gaming audiences 2023, by gender
- Premium Statistic Average spend on DLCs in selected video games in the U.S. 2019
Overview
- Premium Statistic CS:GO revenue worldwide 2015-2018
CS:GO revenue worldwide 2015-2018
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) revenue worldwide from 2015 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Leading video game types in the U.S. 2020
Leading video game types in the U.S. 2020
See AlsoCS:GO - Read about age limit, why it's so popular, how to play & rank.Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Age Rating | Game Parental GuidelineParent reviews for Counter-Strike: Global OffensiveCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveMost played types of games among gaming audiences in the United States as of January 2020
- Basic Statistic U.S. shooter gaming audiences 2023, by age group
U.S. shooter gaming audiences 2023, by age group
Distribution of first-person shooter (FPS) gamers in the United States in 2023, by age group
- Premium Statistic U.S. shooter gaming audiences 2023, by gender
U.S. shooter gaming audiences 2023, by gender
Distribution of first-person shooter (FPS) gamers in the United States in 2023, by gender
- Premium Statistic Average spend on DLCs in selected video games in the U.S. 2019
Average spend on DLCs in selected video games in the U.S. 2019
Average annual spend on downloadable content (DLC) in selected video games in the United States in 2019 (in U.S. dollars)
Users & usage
5
- Basic Statistic Counter-Strike 2 peak concurrent player number on Steam 2024
- Basic Statistic CS:GO MAU worldwide 2020
- Basic Statistic Counter-Strike 2 average viewer count on Twitch 2024
- Basic Statistic Counter-Strike 2 hours watched on Twitch 2018-2024
- Basic Statistic CS:GO fanbase by type worldwide 2019
Users & usage
- Basic Statistic Counter-Strike 2 peak concurrent player number on Steam 2024
Counter-Strike 2 peak concurrent player number on Steam 2024
Monthly number of peak concurrent players of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Counter-Strike 2 on Steam worldwide as of March 2024 (in 1,000s)
- Basic Statistic CS:GO MAU worldwide 2020
CS:GO MAU worldwide 2020
Number of monthly active users (MAU) of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) worldwide as of February 2020 (in millions)
- Basic Statistic Counter-Strike 2 average viewer count on Twitch 2024
Counter-Strike 2 average viewer count on Twitch 2024
Average viewers of Counter-Strike 2 on Twitch worldwide from January 2018 to April 2024 (in 1,000s)
- Basic Statistic Counter-Strike 2 hours watched on Twitch 2018-2024
Counter-Strike 2 hours watched on Twitch 2018-2024
Number of hours watched of Counter-Strike 2 on Twitch worldwide from January 2018 to April 2024 (in millions)
- Basic Statistic CS:GO fanbase by type worldwide 2019
CS:GO fanbase by type worldwide 2019
Share of Counter Strike: Global Offensive fanbase worldwide as of April 2019, by type
Rankings
6
- Basic Statistic Most played games on Steam monthly 2024, by concurrent players
- Basic Statistic Most played games on Steam 2023, by peak player count
- Basic Statistic Most played games on Steam 2023, by average players per hour
- Basic Statistic Leading eSports games worldwide 2023 by tournament prize pool
- Basic Statistic Twitch most popular games by all time viewers 2023
- Premium Statistic Top monthly games on Twitch 2024, by hours streamed
Rankings
- Basic Statistic Most played games on Steam monthly 2024, by concurrent players
Most played games on Steam monthly 2024, by concurrent players
Most played games on Steam as of January 2024, by average number of concurrent players
- Basic Statistic Most played games on Steam 2023, by peak player count
Most played games on Steam 2023, by peak player count
Most played games on Steam in 2023, by peak number of concurrent players
- Basic Statistic Most played games on Steam 2023, by average players per hour
Most played games on Steam 2023, by average players per hour
Most played games on Steam in 2023, by hourly average number of players (in 1,000s)
- Basic Statistic Leading eSports games worldwide 2023 by tournament prize pool
Leading eSports games worldwide 2023 by tournament prize pool
Leading eSports games worldwide in 2023, by cumulative tournament prize pool (in million U.S. dollars)
- Basic Statistic Twitch most popular games by all time viewers 2023
Twitch most popular games by all time viewers 2023
Most popular games on Twitch worldwide as of December 2023, by all time views (in billions)
- Premium Statistic Top monthly games on Twitch 2024, by hours streamed
Top monthly games on Twitch 2024, by hours streamed
Most popular games on Twitch in January 2024, by hours streamed (in 1,000s)
eSports
5
- Premium Statistic Annual CS:GO and CS-2 global tournaments prize pool 2015-2024
- Premium Statistic Counter Strike-Global Offensive: cumulative prize pool worldwide 2017-2023
- Basic Statistic Leading CS:GO eSports players worldwide 2023, by overall earnings
- Premium Statistic CS:GO ESL Pro League Finals viewership 2022
- Basic Statistic CS:GO IEM viewers 2020-2023
eSports
- Premium Statistic Annual CS:GO and CS-2 global tournaments prize pool 2015-2024
Annual CS:GO and CS-2 global tournaments prize pool 2015-2024
Annual cumulative Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Counter-Strike 2 (CS-2) tournament prize pool worldwide from 2015 to 2024 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic Counter Strike-Global Offensive: cumulative prize pool worldwide 2017-2023
Counter Strike-Global Offensive: cumulative prize pool worldwide 2017-2023
Cumulative Counter Strike: Global Offensive tournament prize pool worldwide from 2017 to 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Basic Statistic Leading CS:GO eSports players worldwide 2023, by overall earnings
Leading CS:GO eSports players worldwide 2023, by overall earnings
Leading Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) eSports players worldwide as of June 2023, by overall earnings (in million U.S. dollars)
- Premium Statistic CS:GO ESL Pro League Finals viewership 2022
CS:GO ESL Pro League Finals viewership 2022
Peak viewers of the CS:GO ESL Pro League Finals worldwide from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s)
- Basic Statistic CS:GO IEM viewers 2020-2023
CS:GO IEM viewers 2020-2023
Number of viewers Counter Strike: Global Offensive Intel Extreme Masters worldwide from 2020 to 2023 (in 1,000s)
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