Similar to previous Counter-Strike games, Global Offensive is an objective-based multiplayer first-person shooter. Players play as Terrorists or Counter Terrorists, and must complete objectives while attempting to eliminate the enemy team.
Players purchase weapons and equipment at the beginning of every round with money awarded based on their performance. Completing objectives such as planting the bomb or killing an enemy earns players money, but negative actions, such as friendly fire towards a teammate or hostage will result in monetary penalty. In addition, when a round ends all players receive some amount of money, with players on the winning team receiving substantially more.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive added new weapons and equipment not seen in previous installments, most notably the firebomb for each side (referred to as a Molotov on the terrorist side and as an Incendiary Grenade on the Counter-Terrorist side). These temporarily cover a small area in fire, dealing damage to anyone passing through.Cosmetic items, such as weapon finishes, were added post-release.
