Transitioning from CS:GO to VALORANT: What You Should Know

2 Jun 20

Guides

MichaelKelly

Transitioning from CS:GO to VALORANT: What You Should Know

CS:GO and VALORANT are incredibly similar. Here's how to make your transition to Riot's new tactical FPS go as smoothly as possible. 

The similarities between CS:GO and VALORANT are obvious. The overlap in the tactical shooter genre is most definitely present as Riot Games’ new title takes a ton of influence from the Counter-Strike franchise. With this in mind, it’s quite easy to see why plenty of CS:GO players are making the jump from CS to VALORANT.

If you’re a CS:GO loyalist looking to try out VALORANT when it launches on June 2, this guide is for you. We’ll break down everything from major things like the way you approach core gameplay mechanics likelike spray patterns and gunplay all the way down to minute details like changing your sensitivity.

Basic Similarities

The similarities between CS:GO and VALORANT are extremely present once you get to know both games. Tactical shooters are nothing new, but it’s quite obvious how much inspiration VALORANT takes from its predecessor in the genre.

The most basic and clear-cut similarity you’ll find when transitioning from CS:GO to VALORANT is that the maps in VALORANT are very reminiscent of those in CS. If anything, the transition process will feel more like a transplant into a relatively familiar environment.

Additionally, the overall structure of a game is going to feel a lot similar considering the goals and objectives that you have on a round to round basis in VALORANT are going to be essentially identical to those you have in CS:GO. On attack, you’re going to want to plant the spike - VALORANT’s equivalent of the bomb. On defense, you’re going to want to stop the attackers from succeeding at their objective. The strategies you bring to the table on offense and defense in VALORANT are going to strongly mimic those you have on the ‘T’ and ‘CT’ sides in CS:GO.

Gunplay and Spray Patterns

Perhaps the biggest differences between CS:GO and VALORANT are going to be found in the way the weapons play on a mechanical level. There are going to be some changes and adjustments you’ll have to make when it comes to practicing spray patterns, but that should be expected when transitioning into a new environment.

And if there’s one thing that Counter-Strike is incredibly famous for, it’s its weapon selection. In VALORANT, the weapons available to you as a player are entirely original instead of CS:GO’s mockups of real-life firearms. However, despite the name change and slight mechanical differences, there are some glaring similarities between the basics of the game’s weapons.

While on the topic of spray patterns, you’ll find a chart below courtesy of Reddit user "nova42" that details some of the main spray patterns of VALORANT.

Rifles in VALORANT work almost identically to rifles in CS:GO. While the sprays might be a little tighter in VALORANT, the similarities between the way they work across both games are quite obvious and the transition from one game to another is simpler than it looks. For example, if you had mastered the AK-47 in CS:GO, your best bet in VALORANT would be the Vandal. If your weapon of choice was the M4A4, you would be better suited with the Phantom.

When it comes to other types of firearms, a weapon like the PP-Bizon would be equivalent to the Spectre in VALORANT, while the Nova and XM1014 would be equivalent to the Bucky and Judge, respectively. If you’re an aficionado of the AWP over in CS:GO, then you’re going to want to pick up the Operator in VALORANT.

Changing your Sensitivity

Taking your sensitivity that you’ve used in CS:GO for so long and bringing it over to VALORANT is incredibly simple once you understand the basic math that goes into the transition. The most important number that you have to remember when bringing your sensitivity over is 3.18.

If you take your CS:GO sensitivity and divide it by 3.18, you’ll get the exact equivalent number needed for your sensitivity in VALORANT. For example, if your CS:GO sensitivity is 1.3, your VALORANT sensitivity would be .40.

Once you have those numbers all lined up, go into your VALORANT settings, and under the 'General' tab, you can easily change your sensitivity.

Is VALORANT right for you?

While CS:GO is definitely a great place to start when it comes to determining if VALORANT is going to be up your alley, it wouldn’t hurt to get a grasp on other character-based shooters before jumping into Riot’s new tactical FPS. Your best options in the current market beyond CS:GO would be games like Overwatch or Apex Legends.

While there is most definitely a heavy CS:GO influence to be found within VALORANT, you should definitely try and get a look at some other games that inspired VALORANT before heading into it. Titles like Overwatch and Apex Legends revolve around the concept of a character-based FPS. While Overwatch is objective-based, Apex is a battle royale. Pick which one of those genres suits you better - or try both if you want a serious look at all of the influences that led straight into VALORANT.

If you find that the FPS genre is for you, then VALORANT is most likely going to be your kind of game. It takes elements from many modern shooters and combines them into a complete package that could dominate the genre for years to come. The transition from CS:GO to VALORANT shouldn’t be something to fear. In fact, since the similarities between the two games are so striking, it should be an extremely seamless experience.

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