Games like Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike is Valve's tactical shooter series. It began as a 1999 mod for Half-Life, and Counter-Strike 2 replaced CS:GO in September 2023. Terrorists plant a bomb and Counter-Terrorists defuse it. These games keep that round-based tension.

The rules every CS-like copies

Each round you have one life. Money from the last round buys your guns and grenades, so losing a round also hurts the next one. Attackers plant the bomb on one of two sites, defenders stop them or defuse it. Teams swap sides at half time.

That is why a single round can feel like a whole match: a 1v3 clutch with a pistol is the moment people remember.

Games like Counter-Strike

Valorant. Riot's free 5v5 shooter with the same plant-and-defuse rounds, plus agents with abilities. On PC and consoles.
Standoff 2. Axlebolt's phone shooter. Its defuse mode and maps are the closest thing to CS on a phone.
Critical Ops. Critical Force's phone FPS with defuse rounds and ranked matchmaking.
Krunker. Yendis Entertainment's fast blocky web shooter. No economy, but quick aim duels and many modes.
Insurgency: Sandstorm. New World Interactive's 2018 shooter. Realistic weapons, no HUD crosshair, and objective modes with a tactical pace.
Rainbow Six Siege. Ubisoft's round-based 5v5 with gadgets and destructible walls. Same one-life tension, more planning.

Where to play Counter-Strike today

Counter-Strike 2 is free on Steam for Windows and Linux. There is no official Counter-Strike for phones or consoles. If you want CS on mobile, Standoff 2 and Critical Ops are the games players usually move to.

New to the genre? Start with Valorant or CS2 in casual or deathmatch modes to learn the maps and the guns before ranked. Learn one rifle and one pistol well, and always listen for footsteps, since sound wins more rounds than aim.