If you are into PC gaming, chances are you have at least heard of Counter Strike: Global Offensive. CS:GO is a competitive first person shooter game that was released in 2012 by Valve Corp. and got over ten million unique players last month. There are a few different game modes offered by CS:GO, but there is only one that truly matters: The competitive 5 V 5 is the heart and soul of Counter Strike and is the game mode that requires the most skill. Playing these competitive matches will eventually give you a rank after winning a set amount of games. Being placed in the lower ranks can be frustrating and it can be darn near impossible to get out if you aren't taking conscious steps to improve your skills. I have over 600 hours logged in the game, and have made mistakes and learned things all along the way. Here are five easy tips to get better at Counter Strike: Global Offensive.
1. Buy a headset
This is critical to enhancing your skills for two reasons. The first of which is the fact that you need to hear. In CS you can hear enemy footsteps, enemies reloading and just about anything else they might do. Being able to hear your enemy will give you an enormous tactical advantage.
The second reason is that CS is a team based game. Yeah if you are a very skilled player you might be able to pull off the lone wolf approach and Rambo your way to victory, but chances are you will not be able to pull it off. Having the ability to talk to your teammates to form a plan, keep tabs on enemy where abouts and to boost each others morale will quickly boost your chances of winning.
2. Learn your call outs
Sometimes "HE'S RIGHT THERE!!!" won't cut it. On every CS:GO map each area has a specific "call out" or name. Knowing all your call outs for each map you play makes you a useful teammate, using your headset's mic to tell your team where an enemy is using a call out makes you a very useful teammate.
3. Learn a couple smokes for each map
So you have your headset and you know all the call outs for every map, what's next? Smokes. No I'm not talking about cigarettes I'm talking about being able to prevent an enemy from being able to outright shoot you as you are trying to take a site by using a smoke grenade. In almost every map there are strategic places to throw a smoke grenade and block an enemy's line of sight without ever being in danger. The best way to learn these smoke spots is to go onto the steam workshop and download a couple training maps. You can find maps with smoke guides in them by searching the map's name and training in the workshop. There are also countless YouTube videos with smoke tutorials.
4. Make your crosshair perfect for you
In a first person shooter you generally want to know where you are aiming, Counter Strike: Global Offensive is no different in this regard. This is where your crosshair comes into play. The crosshair is the little plus sign looking thing in the middle of your screen that lets you know if you are going to hit someone or not. In CS there are countless ways to customize your crosshair and almost everyone's is a little different from the next guy's. There is a happy medium between very visible and invisible though and that's where you need to be. You want to be able to see where you are shooting and be able to see what you are shooting without a big bulky plus sign in your way. The easiest way to adjust your crosshair is to download Crashz' Crosshair Generator. In this map you can test out multiple settings with ease until you find out what works for you.
5. Learn to aim well and quickly 
Two of the last things that you can work to improve are your aim and reaction time. All the communication in the world won't help you if you can't aim to save your life (literally) or if you take longer than a second or two to shoot the guy shooting at you! The best way to improve these skills is to practice everyday. Whether that be on an aim training map or by simply playing matches, practice makes perfect and you will see your ability increase very quickly.
The only way to get good at something is to apply yourself. There are many aspects of this game that make it one of the most played games online today, and almost all of those aspects are things that you can learn or practice to gain a competitive edge.
