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Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter that began in 1999 as a mod for Valve's Half-Life, created by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe, before Valve released it as a standalone game in 2000. Two teams, terrorists and counter-terrorists, face off in short, tense rounds built around objectives such as planting or defusing a bomb or rescuing hostages, with an in-round economy that lets players buy weapons and equipment based on how they performed.
Its emphasis on teamwork, precise gunplay and one-life-per-round stakes made it wildly popular in internet cafés and at LAN parties, and it grew into one of the defining competitive esports, with successive versions keeping the community together for more than two decades.
Today its current incarnation, the free-to-play Counter-Strike 2, is consistently one of the most-played games on Steam, while titles such as Valorant offer a similar tactical experience.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Counter-Strike, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
Standoff 2
Free + in-app purchasesA remarkably faithful Counter-Strike clone for phones and tablets, bomb defusal and skin economy included.
Standoff 2 runs on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. Not available on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, Steam Deck.
Counter-Strike 2
Free + in-app purchasesThe free, current version of the world's biggest tactical shooter.
Counter-Strike 2 runs on PC, Linux. Not available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Valorant
Free + in-app purchasesA hugely popular free tactical shooter with agent abilities.
Valorant runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch, Steam Deck.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Free + in-app purchasesThe other great round-based tactical shooter, trading Counter-Strike's recoil duels for destructible walls and gadgets.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch. It is Steam Deck Unsupported.
Zero Hour Indie
€ 14,99An indie tactical shooter focused on realistic room-clearing.
Zero Hour runs on PC. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Unsupported.
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