When you are playing Counter-Strike 2, every decision matters. From split-second reactions to detailed strategies, the game demands precision, teamwork, and adaptability. Even the most seasoned players make mistakes, and the higher the level you are playing at the harder those mistakes will be punished. In this article, we will talk about some of the common mistakes that CS2 players make, offering insights and tips along the way to help you avoid errors and win games.

1. Bad Crosshair Placement

Everyone has heard the term “crosshair placement” but many players do not take the time to practice it properly. There are exceptions to every rule, but in general some good ones are:

Aim at head level. Something I think a lot of players overlook is using “Landmarks” to get your crosshair placement consistently correct. This is similar to how you might line up utility. Use features of the map to measure where the enemy’s head will be, and line up your crosshair accordingly, before you peek.

Your crosshair should not be glued as close to the angle as possible and should instead be placed in a way that gives you time to react to the enemy peeking.

Try to predict and prepare for how enemies will move once they are on your screen. Will they be expecting you on this angle? Will they wide swing you? Or peek close to the angle? Would they possibly jump (Mac 10’s, pistols)? Make sure you have answers to these questions.

Make sure you are always aiming at the most likely place for an enemy to be when you are moving around the map. A really common mistake is to look away from an angle you were watching as you leave a position. Keep watching the angle until you are fully out of view, even if that means walking backwards. It helps prevent enemies from getting a “timing” kill on you.

Here’s a video from “launders” YouTube channel going more in depth on crosshair placement:

2. Clearing Angles Using More than 1 Movement Key at a Time

When peeking and clearing angles around the map, you never want to be peeking using more than 1 movement key. This is because when strafing using, for example, both W and D at the same time you would need to counter-strafe using A and S. Strafing with W and D and then counter-strafing with A and S is difficult, and usually slower and less coordinated than strafing with just D and then counter-strafing with A. This means using good pathing to set up your peeks so that you only have to peek using a single movement key at a time.

3. Repeeking Off a Jiggle peek/ADAD While Holding an Angle

Jiggle peeking is good to do for information, or to bait an AWP shot. But outside of dueling an AWP, you generally do not want to repeek off a jiggle peek when attempting to defend territory on the map. If you jiggle peek, and you see enemies approaching, generally you should be throwing utility to slow them down and then repositioning.

After all, what you wanted was information. You got the information (“They’re pushing”) and then you responded using your informational advantage (You threw utility to slow the push). Now, think of it from their informational perspective. They were pushing, they didn’t know where anyone was yet. You jiggled and saw them. But they also saw you. They now have the information of your current position. You’ve given up your element of surprise on the peek in order to gain info, so use the info. Don’t give up the advantage on the peek… just to peek.

Here’s a video from “fl0m” showing other important aspects of peeking:

4. Shooting Before Being Fully Stopped

This one is pretty self-explanatory, and kind of goes with #2, but a lot of people are not counter-strafing properly. This is usually because they are using multiple movement keys at a time instead of just one, or simply because they aren’t counter-strafing for the proper amount of time. Either way, make sure you are fully stopped before shooting to ensure an accurate shot.

Here’s a video from “n0thing” going more in depth on winning your gunfights:

5. Not Calling Flashes

Obviously, if you want perfect team play, you shouldn’t play pugs. But, with that said, to greatly improve the quality of your pugging experience - call your flashes. There are few things more frustrating than feeling like it’s a 6v4 because your teammate is turning your screen white every 5 seconds and getting you killed. The simple action of saying “Flashing Short” or even “Flashing in front of you” can prevent your teammates from staring directly at the flashbang you just threw and then getting gunned down without even seeing anyone.

6. Not Smoking or Mollying Off Strong Positions While Taking Map Control

This is more of a tip for newer players, but be sure to use your smokes and molotovs/incendiaries! They are super useful for getting you control of important areas of the map. Keep dying from that pesky Window player on mirage? Smoke window from spawn!

Looking for good places to learn nades? Try either of these sites:

https://www.csgonades.com/

https://www.cs2.app/

7. Not Knowing When It Is Important to Be Silent and When You Can Run

Knowing when you can make sound is important for getting your timings correct, especially during the early round and during rotations. For example, early round you’ll want to know where the earliest spots that enemies can hear from are. That way you can run right up until that point and then cut sound, getting you the most forward position possible without giving up any information.

8. Not Jumping When You Have a Mac 10/Are the First Guy onto Site on Pistol

You might have heard other players say things like “This isn’t COD, don’t jump” or similar things. Well, with the Mac 10 (and of course other SMG’s) you can throw that philosophy right out the window. The Mac 10 is still pretty accurate when moving and jumping, and you are much harder to hit when your movement is erratic and unpredictable. Put those two things together, and you have a perfectly viable way to entry into a site. Jumping around corners and onto site with a Mac 10/pistol as the first player is a great way to disrupt your opponents’ crosshair placement and allow your teammates to trade for you.

9. Not Coordinating a Plan on T-Side

The plan can be as simple as rushing a site, but make sure that your team is all on the same page about what you are doing in the round. You don’t want to end up in a perfect position to plant A when you realize the bomb carrier is on B.

10. Rotating Too Early on CT-Side

A mistake that a lot of newer players make is calling out that T presence is higher than it is when they make contact. Sometimes your B player only sees one player and calls it as a rush, which causes you all to rotate in just to realize the bomb just got planted A. Make sure you are paying attention to your radar and holding positions until you are sure that a rotation is necessary.

Here’s a video from “AGONOR” on the basics of rotating:

From miscommunication to poor positioning, even small mistakes can turn the tide of a match. No one wants to make mistakes, however, the first step to becoming a better player is acknowledging the mistakes that you make. The second step is working to fix them. Hopefully, this guide can help players identify their own mistakes and implement strategies to mitigate them. There’s only one way to get good: practice.