How to Enjoy CS:GO Outside of Comp Matches and Casual Games

We all love the chaos and skill involved in a CS:GO match. Climbing the ladder to Global Elite (if you’re skilled enough) or joining a casual match of 10v10 never gets old—until it’s not. Eventually, we hit a slump where the grind and enjoyment we used to get from CS:GO is no longer there, or at least not as strong. That usually means it’s time to take a break and experience CS:GO in other ways. Luckily, there are quite a few ways that you can continue to enjoy CS:GO without queueing up for another match of disappointment.

CS:GO Themed Plinko Games

Hear me out before you immediately disregard this—CSGO themed Plinko games are all the rage these days. Plinko is a fun game of chance, and CS:GO adds an element we’re all familiar with. There are a multitude of sites out there that offer CS:GO themed Plinko games, but be sure to use one that’s been well-reviewed and is trusted by the community. Review aggregate sites like the one linked above, do the hard work for you, and present you with a list of sites that can be trusted. Still, do your own due diligence.

If you don’t know what Plinko is, you’ve probably seen it on social media or The Price is Right. It’s that game where balls are dropped at the top of a pyramid of pegs, and each tier it falls, it either goes to the left or to the right. At the bottom, there are slots, with the slots in the middle paying out the least and the slots on the far ends paying out the most—sometimes hundreds of times your initial bet. It’s fun to watch the balls fall down as you cheer for them to go one way or the other.

Trading Skins

Skin trading can be a great way to engage with the community and improve your cosmetic game. Knives, gloves, AK-47 skins, etc., are all tradeable in CS:GO. There are even stickers you can add to your guns to make them look cooler and possibly increase their value.

Since you get crates and drops as you play, you probably have a small growing collection of skins. You can also buy some from the marketplace. There are entire communities dedicated to the CS:GO trading economy, so there are plenty of resources out there that you can use to get a better understanding before jumping in.

Skins can change in value depending on the pattern, and I’m not just talking about being battle-scarred or factory new. Case hardened skins with large swaths of blue hues are worth more than other ones with little to no blue. The community dictates the demand for what patterns are worth more than others.

Just be sure that you’re not getting scammed. Where there is value and money to be made, there are scammers. Use trusted middlemen if necessary and always verify that the items you’re trading for are as expected. Avoid phishing links and log-ins, as they may be stealing your information to later empty your inventory. Make sure, if you are using a middleman, that it is the actual, trusted middleman and not someone impersonating them. Always verify their profile yourself. Steam does not refund items lost in scams, so you’re on your own if you fall victim to one.

Betting on eSports Matches and Tournaments

CS:GO is perhaps the largest pro-scene FPS out there today. The tournaments get millions of viewers, with prize pools of almost just as much. Watching the pros play is a great way to learn strats for your own games and can be extremely entertaining. Nothing like a 14-14 tie to get your blood flowing.

Betting on these matches can also be entertaining. Some sites out there let you wager CS:GO skins on matches, while others only let you wager actual money, whether it’s dollars or some sort of cryptocurrency. There are more bets to make than just a simple “Who will win?” bet. You can bet on who will get the first frag, who will win the first half, the player who will score the most points, etc. These bets keep it interesting but require a good amount of skill to be successful.

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes when betting. Make sure you do research, as you want to know how players have been performing recently, which team won in previous matches, how teams perform on that specific map, and more.

Staying Safe Online

Whether you’re trading skins or playing Plinko, it’s important to stay safe. We already mentioned how to look out for trade scams, but if you’re betting on CS:GO online it’s imperative that you protect yourself and your account. Make sure you’re betting at reputable online sites. Look for sites with a license from a regulatory authority. They should also have decent reviews from players, which you can find on social media sites focused on betting. Reddit can be a great place to get first-hand accounts, but make sure they’re from real people and not bots.