The honest reason Source sits below 1.6 on this list is the hardware floor, not quality. Source is a better-looking and in some ways more approachable game, and for groups where everyone has a laptop from roughly 2010 onwards it is the easier recommendation. I prefer it personally for groups who find 1.6's visual age a barrier, because the gameplay is close enough that the transition takes about five minutes. The Source engine also opens the door to community maps and game modes that keep LAN sessions fresh across multiple nights. Just know that on genuinely weak machines, 1.6 is the safer call.

Overview
About Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Source is a team-based tactical first-person shooter and a remake of the original Counter-Strike built on Valve's Source engine. A team of Counter-Terrorists faces a team of Terrorists across a series of rounds, each won by completing an objective such as defusing a bomb or rescuing hostages, or by eliminating the opposing team. Eliminated players do not respawn until the next round, and moving while firing reduces accuracy, encouraging careful positioning. The Source engine added interactive physics objects, ragdoll effects, and higher-detail environments, and the game was later succeeded by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Reference
At a glance
- Released
- October 7, 2004
- Platforms
- macOS, PC, Linux
- 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: Source supports playing with other people, broken down per platform.
| Platform | Local | Online | LAN | Split-screen | Co-op campaign | Drop-in/out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC | No | Yes, up to 255 players | No | No | No | Yes |
- 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: Source. Open a board for its content descriptors.
ACBMA 15+
Strong Violence
CLASS_IND16
- Violência (Violence)
ESRBM
- Intense Violence
- Blood
GRAC19+
- Violence
Due to the nature of the FPS game, battle scenes with enemy forces are the main focus of the game, with a variety of weapons appearing. In the presence of slight expression of adenopathy. Determination of youth unavailability rating and violent display of content information.
PEGI16
- Violence
USK16
Also in our guides
Often listed alongside Counter-Strike: Source
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.
#6
Game data and imagery provided by IGDB.com
