My group keeps coming back to 1.6 specifically because it is the one game we can guarantee will run on whoever shows up with whatever laptop they brought. I have seen it running on machines with 1GB of RAM and integrated graphics that were not even primarily gaming devices, holding steady without complaint. The tactical format suits LAN better than most shooters because the round structure gives everyone a moment to breathe, argue about what went wrong, and reset. Yes, it looks like it was made in 1999. It was. That has never once stopped anyone from playing one more round.

Overview
About Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a team-based multiplayer tactical first-person shooter in which players join either the Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist side and compete in objective-based rounds. The primary game modes involve bomb defusal and hostage rescue, played across designated maps. Players purchase weapons and equipment between rounds using money earned from eliminations and completed objectives, and eliminated players must wait until the next round to respawn. Originally a fan-made modification for Half-Life created by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe in 1999, it was acquired by Valve and released as a standalone retail product in 2000, becoming one of the most influential first-person shooters and spawning multiple sequels including Counter-Strike: Source, Global Offensive, and Counter-Strike 2.
Reference
At a glance
- Released
- November 9, 2000
- Platforms
- Linux, PC, macOS
- Genres
- Shooter, Action
- Play modes
- Multiplayer
- Age rating
- ESRB M
- Multiplayer
- By platform
Media
Screenshots
Click any screenshot to view it full size.
Playing together
Multiplayer by platform
How Counter-Strike supports playing with other people, broken down per platform.
| Platform | Local | Online | LAN | Split-screen | Co-op campaign | Drop-in/out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC | No | No | No | No | No | No |
- Supported (a number is the player cap)
- Not supported
- Not documented for this platform
Content
Age ratings
How rating boards around the world have classified Counter-Strike. Open a board for its content descriptors.
ACBMA 15+
Strong Violence
CLASS_IND16
- Violência (Violence)
ESRBM
- Intense Violence
- Blood
GRAC19+
PEGI16
- Violence
USK16
Also in our guides
Often listed alongside Counter-Strike
Titles that appear in the same guides on this site. Grouped by where they show up, not by recommendation.
Coverage
Featured in our articles
This game appears in 1 article on this site.
#2
Game data and imagery provided by IGDB.com
