As someone with lots of experience across both CS:GO and VALORANT, I’ve always had trouble making the case that either game is considerably harder than the other. But to one of the biggest FPS streamers, and someone with way more hours played in both, there’s no debate.
During a recent stream of CS2, former pro player and popular streamer shroud said with no uncertainty that Counter-Strike “is way easier than VALORANT…100 percent,” and added fuel to that fire by saying that one of the greatest CS players ever couldn’t hack it in in VALORANT. “I’m telling you…s1mple goes to VALORANT [and] he can’t compete.”
When I first saw this clip, I assumed he was just trolling, or just saying stuff that people would react to (which if he did it, it worked). But this isn’t a new take for shroud; he’s said in the past that the added depth in VALORANT via the agents and roles makes VALORANT harder.
Well, we know what most Counter-Strike players would say in response to his claim, and we know what most VALORANT players would likely say. So as someone who has lots of time in both like shroud (this is the only way we are alike, by the way), allow me to sit on the fence and present both sides of the argument.
Why VALORANT is harder than Counter-Strike
There is a simplicity to Counter-Strike that doesn’t exist in VALORANT. When it comes to using utility, there are not dozens of abilities spread across various agents; everyone has access to a grenade, a smoke, a flashbang (or two), a Molotov, and a decoy grenade.
Because agent abilities have such a higher potential for affecting the outcome of rounds, it can be harder for players to overcome them. At higher ranks, ability usage is at its smartest, and well-crafted executes and retakes using certain abilities can be nearly impossible to stop. For lower-ranked and newer players, it’s a challenge as well.
If shroud is speaking truthfully, then the complexity and focus on strategy in VALORANT is what makes it “harder” than Counter-Strike. There’s more to learn and there’s more to master.
Why Counter-Strike is harder than VALORANT
That same simplicity of Counter-Strike that makes the game easier to understand also makes it harder to master. So many things that abilities can take care of in VALORANT like smoking off angles, blocking chokepoints, clearing out hiding spots, and spotting enemy players can’t be done in Counter-Strike so easily. For smokes, in particular, it requires pinpoint accuracy, memorization, and repetition to pull off specific lineups; you can’t just point and click on a spot on the map.
Counter-Strike also requires players to be better mechanically, no question. Movement is faster and hitboxes are smaller, meaning you will have to be better at reacting and aiming.
