Every Weapon in Counter-Strike 2 and When to Use Them

With the number of weapon purchase options in Counter-Strike 2, one might question which weapon to buy in which situation. Here are our suggestions for you.

Counter-Strike 2 is the fan-demanding overhaul of the CS:GO. It comes packed with the Source 2 engine and all its features. The result is upgraded graphics, a better audio experience, and much more. However, the core fundamentals of tactical shooting are still the same. So, the weapons you loved in CS:GO are still here in the new CS2.

Similar to the previous iteration, there are 34 weapons in CS2, including 10 pistols, 6 heavies, 7 SMGs, and 11 rifles. The heavy category contains 4 shotguns and 2 machine guns. The rifle category contains 7 assault rifles, of which 4 can be scoped, including the 2 sniper rifles. Besides those, there are multiple gears and utility options as well.

Since CS2 is a dynamic game, the weapon you should buy will depend on many factors. There are no absolute rules about what gun you should buy in a specific situation, but some general rules will give you the best outcome.

But, of course, the best-case scenario is to buy the best equipment available to you to get the most out of them. But you can’t always be able to afford all that gear. So, some specific situations will arise depending on your team’s economy and your opponent’s economy. This guide aims to advise you on the best weapons to buy, depending on the situation.

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All the Weapons in CS2

First, let’s look at all the weapons available in Counter-Strike 2. We won’t go into detail about utilities like grenades and armor in this guide and will focus on the weapons only.

Now, we will go a bit into detail about each weapon and its comprehensive stats.

CS2 Weapon Price, Kill reward, Damage, and more

Pistols

The pistols in CS2 are the cheapest weapons you can get. They dominate in the short-medium range and have decent damage with high mobility. If used correctly, the cheapest pistols can easily net you a kill against an opponent with a rifle.

Shotguns

Although Shotguns were least used in CS:GO, they are somewhat becoming meta in CS2. Since they have a concise range, these are usually viable on the CT side and from unsuspecting angles. They also have the highest kill reward in the game, which makes them really good on Eco rounds.

SMGs

SMGs are the best option for run-and-gun tactics. They are useless against armored opponents but make quick work of opponents without armor. Except for the P90, the SMGs in the game have good kill rewards and will be your pick when opting for a rush or an anti-Eco round.

Automatic Rifles

These are the bread and butter of your arsenal. You will find yourself using these guns in the majority of your rounds. The reason is that they offer the highest damage, accuracy, and reliability in the game. If unable to afford these guns, consider saving up and having an Eco round to purchase these in the following round. Or just force buy and focus on killing a fully buying opponent and taking their rifle.

Machine Guns

These are pretty unpopular due to their inaccuracy and low movement speed. However, the Negev is a decent option on the CT side since it’s cheap and has a high rate of fire.

Sniper Rifles

Sniper Rifles in the game are powerful but come at the cost of reduced mobility. AWPer can dish out devastating amounts of damage but will usually be in an unfavorable condition when surrounded or at close distances.

CS2 Weapon Tier list

Since the game has been out, the weapons have gone through many buffs, nerfs, and changes. With that in mind, here’s our tier list for all the guns available in CS2. Remember that the tier list is made based on the ongoing CS2 meta. So, this is not just subjective. Also, the tier list is made based on the overall usability of the weapons and not the damage output. So, you may also see some pistols in the high tier and high-damage guns like SG553 in the lower tier.

As there are 34 weapons in CS2, we’ll only explain why the weapons in the S and A tiers belong there. You may not even use the other weapons as much anyway. So, here it goes.

The Ak-47, M4A1-S, and AWP will be unquestionably present in the S-tier, as these are the most commonly used weapons in full-buy rounds. Although many may disagree, Desert Eagle should also be classified as S-tier due to its ability to kill with a single headshot. With this gun, skilled players can turn around a match. Furthermore, players have agreed that using Deagle feels much better in CS2 than in CS:GO. As a result, it remains in the S-tier for the time being.

The first weapon in our A-tier category is the AUG, which has been in the meta for quite some time. Following that, we have Galil and Famas, the two best alternatives for AK and M4 in force buy rounds. If you need utility and don’t want to spend all of your money on rifles, you can opt for the MP9 SMG as CT side or the MAC-10 SMG as T side. This way, you can get your utilities while also farming money when you get kills.

The other option is the XM1014 auto shotgun. It is currently performing admirably in the CS2 meta. Pro players can be seen using it in both pro matches and high-ranked lobbies. The Five-SeveN is an excellent pistol for its high damage output as well as its ability to spam. However, it is not particularly effective in the pistol round. So, if you want to spam in pistol rounds, Dual Berettas are the way to go.

Which Weapon to Use in Which Situation

What you should buy depends mainly on what situation you’re in. The game starts with the Pistol round, and which team wins/loses will determine the subsequent type of round you’ll face. Since the rounds are largely dependent on the economic condition of your and your opponent’s team, subsequent rounds will be Eco rounds, Anti-Eco, Force buys, and Full buy rounds.

Pistol Round

In the pistol round, you can always get away with using the starting pistols. For the CT side, it’s the USP-S/P2000, and for the T side, it’s the Glock-18. The CT default pistols are superior to the T side because of higher accuracy and one-shot potential. But this comes at the cost of a smaller magazine size, where the Glock-18 reigns supreme. It is very hard to stop a full T rush with 20 bullet mag Glocks being spammed at your face in close range. That is where the Dual Berettas can shine. With its slightly bigger magazine size and damage potential compared to default pistols, the Dual Berettas has become one of the viable options in CS2 pistol rounds.

You can also opt to buy a better pistol, especially on the T side. The P250, CZ75, and Tec-9 are good options, as you can have just enough money left to buy a nade or a flash.

Eco Round

As the name suggests, “Eco” rounds or Economical rounds are played when you are very low on money and want to use the round-end bonus earnings to buy yourselves good weapons on the next round.

Playing Eco or Save rounds is crucial in CS2, as managing the economy can affect the flow of the game to a huge degree. It is generally wise to save money to afford full-buy rounds rather than play with mediocre guns when low on money.

In Eco Rounds, you can either full-save with the intention being to save as much money as possible or get the round over quickly. Another option is to buy a cheap yet effective pistol like the P250, Tec-9, CZ75, or Desert Eagle with the intention to take down one opponent at least and take their gun or to cause as much economic damage to the enemy team as possible. On the CT side, the shotguns such as the Nova might also be a valid option.

Anti-Eco Round

Anti-Eco Rounds refer to rounds where you know the enemy will be saving or Eco-ing. This can be right after they lose the pistol round or an important full-buy round.

Since the enemy is likely to have no armor on, the best weapons in this class are the SMGs. The Mac-10, MP7, MP5-SD, and MP9 dominate this category. The Negev on the CT side can also be highly effective. The high rate of fire and cheap cost of these weapons make them a solid option against Eco rounds. Another viable option can be the XM1014 shotgun. The gun is deadly at close range with a high kill reward.

Full Buy Round

This is what you will typically aim to get and use for most of the rounds in CS2. This will cost the most and will give you the highest chance of securing a round. Due to the higher cost of this buy, it is advisable to go for an Eco round when most of your team cannot afford a full buy.

A full buy round will consist of getting any one of the three signature weapons: the Ak-47, the M4A4/M4A1-S, and the AWP. Depending on the side you are on, these weapons will be the most potent, and you will find yourself using any of these to secure the majority of your kills.

They are reliable, offer high damage, and are very accurate. Of the two rifles, the AK-47 is arguably better due to its ability to one-shot headshot with a helmet at any distance. The M4 requires two bullets to the head, but it also shines due to its slightly lower recoil. The AWP is a huge investment but can pay off immensely, securing your team entry frags on the T side and effectively holding off an entryway on the CT side.

In any case, if 1 or 2 people on your team are unable to purchase any of the main rifles, you can also do away with purchasing the FAMAS and the Galil-AR, which are basically worse versions of the M4 and the AK but can offer pretty decent performance if used correctly.

You can also buy the SG-553, AUG, and SCAR-20, as they are really strong on full buy rounds. On the T side, you can buy the GSG31, but it comes with great risk, as losing will guarantee that your team will struggle in the following rounds.

Force Buy Round

These are the rounds when the enemy will expect an Eco round from you, or you desperately need to secure the round but do not have enough money to buy the main rifles.

In such a situation, you use all the money you have to get the best loadout you can while going against opponents who have fully bought. The cheaper rifles, as discussed above, like the FAMAS and the Galil-AR can effectively take down their superior counterparts if wielded correctly.

Another option for force buy rounds is the UMP-45, which is cheap since it is an SMG. But what sets this SMG apart from the rest is that the gun has very good armor penetration, meaning it will be extremely effective against armored opponents.

The SSG-08, MAG-7, P90, and XM1014 can also get you kills against fully buying opponents on these rounds.

So this wraps it up for the best guns in CS2 and which gun to use in what situation. Remember that CS2 is a dynamic game; the books do not play every round. So take this advice as a general guideline, and don’t be afraid to mix it up when things aren’t going according to plan.

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