Counter-Strike
366 documents in the library are about Counter-Strike, from writers such as The Esports Advocate, Esports Charts and Stream Hatchet, the newest from 2026. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
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.
- Released
- Nov 9, 2000
- Developer
- Valve
- Publisher
- Sierra Entertainment
- Genres
- Shooter
- Platforms
- Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
- Links
- Wikipedia
Game data from IGDB.com
Key figures
Free-to-play titles including 'Counter-Strike 2', 'Apex Legends', 'PUBG', and 'Dota 2' collectively generated nearly $168 million, accounting for approximately 10% of Steam's total monthly revenue.
Alinea Analytics, 2026 · Steam's Top September 2026 Games
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang remained the most-watched title with 42.9 million hours, though it experienced a 7% year-over-year decline, while Counter-Strike viewership nearly doubled (+98%).
Stream Hatchet, 2026 · Full Esports World Cup Recap on Live Streaming
The tournament's investment in platform-native broadcasts, specifically on TikTok, resulted in a 77% improvement over the previous Counter-Strike viewership record on that platform.
Esports Charts, 2026 · When Everything Aligned: Three Reasons Behind IEM Cologne Major’s Record Audience
Counter-Strike led the April 2026 revenue growth leaderboard with a $37.1 million increase, driven by a specific reactivation moment rather than audience scale alone.
Aldora, 2026 · ALDORA Leaderboard: Value Drives the Spike, April 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026 became the most popular Counter-Strike tournament in history, generating over 100 million hours watched and peaking at more than 2.75 million concurrent viewers.
Esports Charts, 2026 · Top Streamers of IEM Cologne Major 2026
Documents about Counter-Strike
Brazil’s Betting Ban: Impact on Counter-Strike
The implementation of Provisional Measure 1,394 in Brazil, which took effect on October 6, 2026, has created significant instability for the nation’s Counter-Strike ecosystem.
- Brazil’s Provisional Measure 1,394, effective as of October 6, 2026, bans all fixed-odds betting operations and related sponsorships, forcing licensed betting sites to go dark and requiring the removal of all betting-related branding.
- The ban poses a significant threat to Brazilian Counter-Strike 2, as BetBoom holds the broadcast rights or sponsorship deals for the majority of top-tier regional competitions, including partnerships with BLAST, PGL, and ESL FACEIT Group.
- The regulatory environment has already triggered market exits, with Vivo Keyd Stars indefinitely pausing its Counter-Strike 2 project and releasing its players due to the new business landscape.
September 2026’s Top New PC & Console Games
This analysis examines the performance of new PC and console game releases during September 2026, providing a comprehensive overview of market trends and top-performing titles.
- The tactical FPS Wardogs emerged as the top-performing new Steam game in September 2026, reaching approximately 3.5 million units sold and generating $100–$110 million in revenue.
- Multiplatform AAA and AA+ titles dominated the top charts, with Onimusha: Way of the Sword selling 730,000 units on Steam (nearly 2 million total) and The Blood of Dawnwalker selling 650,000 units on Steam (over 1 million total).
- Indie titles saw significant traction, led by the co-op game Bombanana! with over 1 million Steam units, followed by Graveyard Keeper 2 with over 400,000 units and Dressmaker with over 300,000 units.
Steam's Top September 2026 Games
Steam experienced its most successful September and third quarter on record in 2026, generating $1.7 billion and $5.5 billion in revenue, respectively.
- Steam generated $1.7 billion in September 2026, marking its best September on record and a 13% increase over the previous year.
- Steam's Q3 2026 revenue reached $5.5 billion, a 12% year-over-year increase, putting the platform on track to exceed $20 billion in total annual revenue for the first time.
- The PvP shooter 'Wardogs' led September premium releases with $86.9 million in revenue, contributing to a total of over $100 million since its early access launch on September 10.
August 2026’s Top New PC & Console Games
This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the PC and console gaming market for August 2026, focusing on top-performing titles, industry trends, and platform-specific developments.
- In August 2026, the top-selling new PC games by units on Steam included 'How To Fish' (over 6.3 million units at $5-$7) and 'Big Walk' (over 1.6 million units at $15-$20).
- Steam's overall revenue for August 2026 was dominated by free-to-play titles, with Counter-Strike 2 at $131 million, Apex Legends at $89 million, and DOTA 2 at $61 million.
- Notable indie standouts in August 2026 on Steam were 'Iron Nest' (650k units at $15-$20) and 'ReStory' (almost 500k units at $18-$20).
Full Esports World Cup Recap on Live Streaming
The 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC) demonstrated significant growth in audience engagement despite a last-minute relocation from Riyadh to Paris.
- The 2026 Esports World Cup achieved 206 million hours watched, a 22% increase over the previous year, despite a last-minute relocation from Riyadh to Paris.
- Co-streaming accounted for 53.7% of total viewership, with titles like Fortnite and Teamfight Tactics relying on community broadcasts for 90% of their audience reach.
- Shooter games became the dominant genre, capturing 50% of all hours watched (103 million) and displacing MOBAs, which saw their viewership share drop to 43%.
M80 Acquires Boston Breach CDL Franchise: League Ends Guaranteed Team Revenue
The organization M80 has acquired the Boston Breach franchise, rebranding the team as M80 Boston and marking a significant expansion of its competitive portfolio.
- M80 has acquired the Boston Breach Call of Duty League (CDL) franchise from Oxygen CDL, LLC, rebranding the team as M80 Boston.
- The acquisition occurs as the CDL has eliminated its $25 million entry fee per slot and shifted to a model where team profitability is driven primarily by merchandise sales and fan engagement rather than guaranteed league revenue.
- Adam Morrison, co-founder of Oxygen Esports, has joined M80 as Chief Commercial Officer and taken an ownership stake as part of the transaction.
Esports Foundation Postpones Nations Cup: 2027
The Esports Foundation has officially postponed the inaugural Esports Nations Cup from November 2026 to November 2027. Despite the delay, the event remains slated to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The Esports Foundation has postponed the inaugural Esports Nations Cup from November 2026 to November 2027, despite having already completed most qualifying rounds and secured a $45 million funding commitment.
- The postponement follows the Foundation's decision to move its 2026 Esports World Cup from Riyadh to Paris, citing regional instability as a primary concern for players and fans.
- The Foundation has not yet clarified whether previously completed qualifier results and confirmed team rosters will remain valid for the 2027 event or if the qualification process will be restarted.
IESF Picks Astana to Host 2027 World Esports Championship
The International Esports Federation (IESF) has officially selected Astana, Kazakhstan, as the host city for its 2027 World Esports Championship.
- The International Esports Federation (IESF) has chosen Astana, Kazakhstan, to host the 2027 World Esports Championship (WEC27), marking a significant move for the federation's flagship national-team event into Central Asia.
- The host agreement for WEC27 was signed by IESF, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and the Qazaq Cybersport Federation, indicating strong governmental and national esports body support.
- Kazakhstan is actively expanding its role in the global esports economy, having officially recognized esports as a sport in 2018 and recently hosting PGL Astana 2026 (Counter-Strike 2) and the upcoming Games of the Future 2026.
When Everything Aligned: Three Reasons Behind IEM Cologne Major’s Record Audience
The IEM Cologne Major of 2026 set a new benchmark for esports viewership, reaching a peak of 1.2 million concurrent viewers and surpassing all previous major tournaments.
- IEM Cologne Major 2026 achieved record viewership due to a convergence of factors, including its tournament format, diverse distribution channels, and compelling storylines.
- The tournament's investment in platform-native broadcasts, specifically on TikTok, resulted in a 77% improvement over the previous Counter-Strike viewership record on that platform.
- Community casters significantly contributed to the Major's success, accounting for nearly half of both the total watch time and peak audience, and expanding the tournament's reach beyond ESL's official channels.
Top Streamers of IEM Cologne Major 2026
The IEM Cologne Major 2026 set unprecedented viewership records, drawing over 100 million hours of cumulative watch time and peaking at more than 2.75 million concurrent viewers, the highest ever for a Counter-Strike tournament.
- IEM Cologne Major 2026 became the most popular Counter-Strike tournament in history, generating over 100 million hours watched and peaking at more than 2.75 million concurrent viewers.
- Community casters significantly contributed to the IEM Cologne Major 2026's record viewership.
- Gaules was the most popular streamer for IEM Cologne Major 2026, accumulating 10.3 million Hours Watched.
IEM Cologne 2026: Most-Watched Counter-Strike Tournament
IEM Cologne Major 2026 established a new benchmark for Counter-Strike viewership, eclipsing two million live viewers and becoming the most-watched CS2 event to date.
- IEM Cologne 2026 became the most-watched CS2 event in history, reaching over 2 million cumulative viewers and a peak concurrent audience of 1.5 million.
- The tournament set a new record of 76.2 million total hours watched, surpassing the previous benchmark held by the 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major by over 100,000 hours.
- The introduction of a best-of-three format in Stage 3 significantly increased broadcast duration, acting as a primary driver for the record-breaking viewership totals.
IEM Cologne Major Breaks past 2M Live Viewers: A CS2 History
The IEM Cologne Major held from 2 to 21 June 2026 established a new benchmark for Counter-Strike 2 viewership, surpassing two million concurrent live viewers and eclipsing all prior CS 2 tournaments.
- The IEM Cologne Major (June 2–21, 2026) set a new CS2 viewership record with a peak of 2,044,764 concurrent live viewers.
- The peak viewership occurred during the G2 Esports versus Team Spirit quarter-final, surpassing the previous record of 1.85 million set at the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
- In terms of total watch time, the event ranks third in Counter-Strike history, behind PGL Major Antwerp 2022 and Stockholm 2021.