The growth of CS:GO in 2022

CS:GO is one of the most-played games on Steam. It has an estimated player base of 15-20 million and grew significantly in 2022.

The game went from having around 546.000 average concurrent players at the end of 2021, to 650.000 average concurrent players at the start of 2023. This is spectacular growth but what generated it?

The causes of CS:GO’s growth in 2022

CS:GO grows because of two simple reasons: it’s fun to play and it is an amazing esport. Its community is one of the best in all of gaming. There are numerous fascinating people to follow and their personalities are at the center of every great storyline.

After the FIFA World Cup ended, the big news wasn’t that Argentina won the trophy. It was that Lionel Messi won the trophy right near the end of his football career. This was a truly spectacular achievement and the world wanted to celebrate with him.

In CS:GO, the same principle applies. People want to see Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, Mathiew “ZywOo” Herbaut, and other great players in action. They generate countless highlights and they make the big tournaments feel like an action movie.

Because of the sheer number of people who tune in to watch CS:GO events, it’s unavoidable that some of their friends will want to join them. And that’s part of the reason why the game grows.

Last year, tournaments like IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, BLAST Premier: World Final, and the two Majors were very popular. And not just locally, in the cities and countries where they were held, but globally as well.

Thanks to its personalities and wide network of news sites, CS:GO receives a lot of free advertising. And when a tournament offers $1 million in prize money, it’s hard to ignore this first-person shooter as a gamer.

Another reason why CS:GO grows has to do with its characteristics. This old-school FPS looks nothing like Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, and other new-school shooters that are either Battle Royale or Hero-based. But it still captivates large audiences because it has tremendous qualities.

The action is fast-paced and diverse, the maps offer unique challenges, and the guns are difficult to master. It takes years to become a skilled CS:GO player and a lot of people enjoy that kind of journey to mastery because it gives them a lot of meaning. It’s always a great feeling to wake up in the morning and be eager to play a game you love.

Header: Valve Corporation