As with any multiplayer game, the community is almost as important as the game itself. CS: GO's community is mixed at best. While you can certainly land in games with supportive (or preferably silent) teammates, I more often had to deal with disruptive members. Negative behavior includes trolls in the team chats, people who scream into their mics, and people (including children) who simply can't keep quiet. To deal with this preemptively, I recommend just muting all communications and ignoring the chat. People who advertise their Twitch channels via their usernames and those who take it upon themselves to commentate the match as it unfolds are also highly irritating.

That doesn't even address the cheating situation. Cheats typically involve slight performance perks, but the Valve Anti-Cheat System (VAC) is getting better all the time at detecting cheats installed on player's computers. Quite a few high-profile CS: GO players have been banned in the past for cheating scandals. There is an option to propose a vote to kick players out of the match, but that requires a (wholly unrealistic) consensus of players.

There are legitimate reasons for kicking players out of a match, such as if they are AFK (away from keyboard) or unnecessarily aggressive towards other players. Still, I've witnessed this system abused on occasion for players who simply make too many mistakes. Be aware that kicking off too many players can also have repercussions; you (the kicker) might be temporarily or permanently banned.

Ranked CS:GO matches are even worse. I was quite literally shouted at by teammates over the voice chat in one of the first matches I played. I am by no means great at CS: GO, but this does not make for an enjoyable experience.

If you don't want to deal with the online community, you can always play offline with bots. Of course, if you choose the free version, this is your only option. Bots are a great way to practice combat and get into the rhythm of a match, but note that playing at even the highest difficulty levels here will artificially inflate your confidence. AI-controlled bots are no substitute for the reactive, sometimes random, decisions of human-controlled players. Bots also aren't particularly good representatives of teammates either, since they tend to follow set paths and strategies, regardless of the situation at hand.

If you have never played CS:GO before, it's worth giving it a shot despite its age. If you have played it and decided to leave for whatever reason, know that not much has changed. CS: GO is still a solid multiplayer FPS with a good variety of weapons, maps, and modes. However, despite the Panorama UI update, some maps are starting to look dull compared with those in more modern titles such as PUBG and Overwatch. And although CS: GO's esports following contributes to its prolonged success, the player community is not as welcoming as others.

As with any multiplayer game, the community is almost as important as the game itself. CS: GO's community is mixed at best. While you can certainly land in games with supportive (or preferably silent) teammates, I more often had to deal with disruptive members. Negative behavior includes trolls in the team chats, people who scream into their mics, and people (including children) who simply can't keep quiet. To deal with this preemptively, I recommend just muting all communications and ignoring the chat. People who advertise their Twitch channels via their usernames and those who take it upon themselves to commentate the match as it unfolds are also highly irritating. That doesn't even address the cheating situation. Cheats typically involve slight performance perks, but the Valve Anti-Cheat System (VAC) is getting better all the time at detecting cheats installed on player's computers. Quite a few high-profile CS: GO players have been banned in the past for cheating scandals. There is an option to propose a vote to kick players out of the match, but that requires a (wholly unrealistic) consensus of players. There are legitimate reasons for kicking players out of a match, such as if they are AFK (away from keyboard) or unnecessarily aggressive towards other players. Still, I've witnessed this system abused on occasion for players who simply make too many mistakes. Be aware that kicking off too many players can also have repercussions; you (the kicker) might be temporarily or permanently banned. Ranked CS:GO matches are even worse. I was quite literally shouted at by teammates over the voice chat in one of the first matches I played. I am by no means great at CS: GO, but this does not make for an enjoyable experience. If you don't want to deal with the online community, you can always play offline with bots. Of course, if you choose the free version, this is your only option. Bots are a great way to practice combat and get into the rhythm of a match, but note that playing at even the highest difficulty levels here will artificially inflate your confidence. AI-controlled bots are no substitute for the reactive, sometimes random, decisions of human-controlled players. Bots also aren't particularly good representatives of teammates either, since they tend to follow set paths and strategies, regardless of the situation at hand. If you have never played CS:GO before, it's worth giving it a shot despite its age. If you have played it and decided to leave for whatever reason, know that not much has changed. CS: GO is still a solid multiplayer FPS with a good variety of weapons, maps, and modes. However, despite the Panorama UI update, some maps are starting to look dull compared with those in more modern titles such as PUBG and Overwatch. And although CS: GO's esports following contributes to its prolonged success, the player community is not as welcoming as others.