When Did CSGO Come Out? The History of CSGO

Toby Marshall
27 June 2022
How to Get Better at CSGO

If you are interested in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, whether playing it, betting on it (or both) no doubt at one time or another you would have asked yourself ‘when did CSGO come out? What is the history behind the game?’ Well, we are here to answer that question as we take a look at the entire history of CSGO, from the start to where we are right now.

If you consider yourself a proper gamer, then we are sure that this is a game you would have played with your friends at some point or another. This is, arguably, the most exciting and intriguing multiplayer first-person shooter out there to date – so let’s delve into how the whole Counter-Strike franchise began.

Counter-Strike – The Original

The Counter-Strike original game was developed back in 1999 after Jess Cliffe and Minh Le released the beta version of the game. However, it really started to gain more traction in 200, when Valve bought the Counter-Strike intellectual property. In September that year, Valve released the non-beta version, designed for PCs.

As it started to grow in popularity, some of the players started to create and form their own gaming teams – and this was effectively what led to the dawn of eSports as we know it now. The Cyberathlete Championship in 2001 was the first major eSports competition

 for Counter-Strike teams, which was won by the famous Ninjas in Pyjamas.

It wasn’t long before there were some huge technological advancements in the game, which meant that ever more powerful hardware could run ever more complex games. As such, the developers of Counter-Strike saw the opportunity to make the game even better and introduce even more features. However, not all sequels went down well. Titles such as Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Counter-Strike: Source didn’t go down so well. However, CSGO came along and completely changed the game. 

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How CSGO Was Developed

In terms of pre-release, the development of the game started back in March 2010, eleven years after the original incarnation of the game. Valve identified a need to expand the gameplay of Counter-Strike after Hidden Path Entertainment attempted to port the game into computer consoles. 

The first version of the game had become outdated because now gamers had improved tools to run even more complex games with much better features. They came up with the idea to reinvent the FTP so that it would meet the needs of its ever-growing fan base. 

So, in August of 2011. One of the original game developers, Jess Cliffe, made the announcement that they were creating Global Offensive… the brand new and improved version of the Counter-Strike game. 

Meanwhile, Valve had decided that they wanted to transform the game into something a little different by adding more features. Unlike its earlier versions, this would be able to support tools such as Ranked Matchmaking and run on dedicated servers. With a new gaming engine, it would be better for both experienced players and more casual players, improving everyone’s gaming experience. 

CSGO – Beta

After many months in development, Valve finally announced the CSGO beta version in October 2011. They then invited pro gamers to try out the new mechanics of the game and offer some advice about what could be improved. After having gone through the detailed feedback, they chose to delay the release date and fix the main issues and bugs.

In November of the same year, Valve released the beta version of the game but chose to restrict it to around 10,000 players. These chosen players would have the chance to explore the new game as the developers identified issues and fixed the problems.  Finally, in August 2012, they allowed other players to play the game, giving priority to those who had preordered the FTP

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After the Release 

As soon as the beta phase came to an end, Hidden Path Entertainment stopped their contribution to the source code. The release of the more stable version s means that there were now minimal bugs and as such, it started to meet the expectations of most players. 

Now, Valve is the only company that has responsibility for maintaining the game. Since this time, they have made massive improvements in both the functionality and appearance of the game. 

Although Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has a pretty solid source code, the company continues to update the game. For example, there have been several changes in the gameplay. The in-game store and even the weaponry. Moreover, developers also introduced the Steam Workshop which allows the users to use customised content – like practising on aim maps

The Success of CS:GO And Esports

Right at the beginning of the CSGO journey, there was no way Valve would have ever predicted how popular this game would become in the world of eSports. Since it first came out, it has earned a fan base that just keeps on growing organically, with the developers adding new features and consistently analysing player feedback. As such, the viewership rate of the game has also increased significantly as more and more people have become interested in the eSports industry.

Now, in fact, CSGO is so popular that there is a whole economy built around it, and specialised CSGO gambling sites, where people gamble their skins for better ones – as well as sites such as Dmarket and Skinport, where players can go to try and trade or upgrade their skins.

Despite being over a decade old, this has never been more relevant in modern eSports because it has been designed especially for competitive play. This is now one of the main titles that is played in major engaging tournaments all over the world. Non-players and fans even buy tickets to see the best players in the world fight it out in events such as IEM Katowice or Dreamhack.

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This is the type of game that will undoubtedly be in the eSports world for many generations to come as it constantly evolves to meet its players’ needs. So, if you are into the game or fancy trying it out, there has never been a better time to do so… and it’s never too late!

Author Toby Marshall