Valorant vs CS:GO: A comparison of two FPS titles

Valorant's similarity in gameplay to CS: GO and the unprecedented success and popularity it achieved in the beta version alone made many players define the game as "CS: GO Killer".

But that's really not the case now, is it? Valorant may be an incredibly popular game at the moment, but we think it has a different audience than CS: GO.

So both games will remain, and Valorant will be able to create its own niche when the eSports season finally begins. It will be able to coexist with the other popular FPS titles and create a completely different fan base.

Both CS: GO and Valorant appear to be very similar on paper, but in practice they have many key differences that help them address different groups of players. A separate style of play is required for both games. If you are wondering which of these two games to choose, we have a guide that will help you.

CS: GO vs Valorant: Similarities

First, let's examine the similarities between the two games.

1. The gameplay is about planting and exploding a site

There are actually remarkable similarities in gameplay between Counter-Strike and Valorant.

Valorant matches are played in a 5v5 format, with attackers placing the bomb (called the spike) on one of the three locations on the map or eliminating the defenders. There is a purchase phase for each side to buy skills and weapons for the upcoming round. Scores are something that is likely to be as popular in Valorant as it is in CSGO.

The shooting mechanism is identical to that of CSGO. Every weapon has a spray pattern that can be mastered with enough practice. A player's accuracy decreases as he shoots in motion, forcing players to peek, stop, and then fire their shot to achieve full accuracy. In addition, players run faster with an outstretched knife or lighter weapons. The movement of the players is pretty slow, which makes the gameplay rather slow and tactical.

All in all, the gameplay of Valorant and CSGO is very similar. CSGO veterans may even have an advantage in getting started with Riot Games' new FPS.

2. Gathering information is the key to winning

In Valorant, a team, similar to CS: GO, gains the upper hand by knowing the position of the enemy.

In the case of the attackers, the team must be careful where the defenders are within the bombing site and try to aggressively enter and secure the site. Knowing exactly where the defenders are and staying in the camp is key, as this makes pushing much easier for the attacking team.

It is important for defenders to identify which plant location is being aggressively pushed and pass it on to the rest of the team so that they can turn the map faster.

3. Accuracy is sensitive to movement

Most would argue that one of the biggest similarities Valorant has to CS: GO is that gunplay is motion sensitive in both games. So if you shoot while moving or jumping, the bullets will go anywhere.

Unlike in games like Call of Duty and Overwatch, where you can literally run and shoot, in Valorant and CS: GO you have to stop running, then aim and take your shots.

Hit boxes are also a thing, and different areas in the body suffer different levels of damage from bullets, with the head being the most vulnerable.

Valorant also has a buying phase at the beginning of each round, and players can either buy weapons, save money, or seek an economy. Round, depending on how much credits you have. As with CS: GO, money management is an integral part of Valorant. If you always go into each round with zero credits and then lose the round, you will only get hurt in the long run.

CS: GO vs Valorant: differences

Here are the factors that characterize the two games:

1. Different spray patterns and alternating fire

Although the two games are fairly similar in motion shooting and in constant shooting, the spray patterns that the weapons deliver in the two games are very different.

At first it may look like a very common spray pattern, but that in Valorant will deviate after the sixth or seventh shot. It gets a lot more random, which makes continuous spraying much more difficult to control than that in CS: GO.

The time to reset the weapon is also slightly longer than in CS: GO. So you cannot start shooting immediately after removing your finger from the left mouse click.

In addition, Valorant has another thing that CS: GO doesn't do, and that's an alternative fire option. The snipers are the only weapons in CS: GO that have a right-click function. In Valorant, almost every weapon has a right-click function, which sometimes affects the rate of fire for certain weapons and even makes them a few turns semi-automatically from their usual automatic state.

2. Each card has special functions

Every Valorant card has something special. Although they might look structurally very similar to CS: GO cards, the special features add another unique gameplay element to the rounds.

For example, the Bind in Valorant card has so-called unidirectional teleporters, with which both teams can turn around the card more quickly. The map rise against it. has collapsible doors that a player can activate, blocking an additional access point for teams trying to get to a website.

Based on how these special map elements work, teams need to develop strategies rather than the usual "search and destroy" game.

3. Movement

When weapons are drawn, the movement in Valorant is exactly the same as that of CS: GO. However, when knives are drawn, the character models in Valorant seem to slide across the map.

Moving with a knife in Valorant is much faster than moving with a knife in CS: GO. This allows players to spin faster and cover plant locations in just a few seconds.

However, to compensate for the faster knife movement, hopping in Valorant is not an effective strategy at all. In CS: GO, pulling off a successful bunny hop would give the character model a lot of momentum to cover a large part of the map in just a few seconds.

In Valorant, however, the dynamics are not so great, and failure slows the model down even more than usual, so the player wastes valuable time turning

4. Can see enemy credits during the purchase phase

As already mentioned, the purchase phases in CS: GO and Valorant are very identical. However, there are two main differences between the two.

A being; They not only buy weapons in Valorant, but also agent skills. The second being; You can see how many credits your opponent has at the beginning of each round. This makes it much easier for both teams to determine which weapons the opponent will use.

By simply pressing the tab key you get a complete overview of your opponent's financial situation.

In CS: GO, however, it is much more difficult to strategize against buying an opponent's weapons. You have to try to accurately predict the weapons you will face each round. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the enemy's kill points and lap strips than is the case with Valorant.

5. Agents instead of terrorists and terrorists

The biggest element in Valorant that distinguishes it from CS: GO is the presence of playable agents. This is the Overwatch-like element in the game.

Valorant currently has 11 playable agents, each with a unique personality and skills that affect the game in very different ways.

So even if you were a CS: GO veteran in the past, learning spray pattern and card layout is not enough to win games. You also need to learn about the agents' abilities, their cooldowns, and how each agent affects gameplay.

What are utilities like Flash and Smoke in CS: GO are also skills in Valorant. With these skills, however, you can do much more than you could with the base smoke and frag grenades in Counter-Strike.

The shroud also weighs on the debate

The debate between CS: GO and Valorant is very heated, and professional players were also part of this argument. But of all the professionals, Shroud was one of the few who hadn't given an opinion until he recently uploaded a YouTube video to share some of his thoughts on the subject.

According to him, Valorant is a much easier game because it has a much lower skill limit. He says that "this game, skill limit, and potential are much lower than a game like Counter-Strike."

He believes, "This game tries to reach people who don't play FPS." In his opinion, Valorant should not necessarily be seen as a "CS: GO killer", as the player base initially assumed.

The player base on which the Valorant goals are based are not necessarily CS: GO veterans, but those players who don't have to play FPS games yet and are looking for an IP that is much more accessible because they have to work for hours on end, to train well at CS: GO. Shroud believes Valorant is "not that punitive" and players can enjoy learning the game.

Who should play valorant?

Players who are new to FPS or are not looking for something to grind for days to get good should choose Valorant. The game is not that punitive and it is a team game that revolves around agent skills. Players with a 5-man squad will have a great time.

So who should play CS: GO?

FPS veterans who are ready to try match by match are the best candidate to try CS: GO. The game has an incredibly high skill limit and can give you an incredibly rewarding gaming experience every time you get a tough question.