Counter-Strike 2: Every Sniper Rifle, Ranked

Summary

• Remember to manage your money, learn smokes, and choose the right weapon in CS2 to succeed as a beginner.
• G3SG1 is effective but not worth the price - better options exist for terrorists in competitive matches.
• Scout is a budget option for skilled players, aim for the head and practice consistently for success in CS2.

It may be a bit tough to learn Counter-Strike 2 from scratch if you're new. As a beginner, you'll need to manage your money at the end of every round, learn smokes and flashes for each active-duty map, and know which weapon to buy in each category.

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This is especially true if you're a sniper player. Sniper Rifles are an FPS shooter archetype that Counter Strike has dipped its toes in since the very first CS 1.6. Like any other gun in the game, each Sniper Rifle is good or viable in specific situations, and right now, there are only four in the game.

4 G3SG1

Expensive And Effective But Never Worth The Money

Price/Kill Award

$5,000 / $300

Damage/Armor Penetration

80 / 82.50%

Fire Rate

240.00

Ammo/Reserve

20/90

The G3SG1 is a semi-automatic long range sniper rifle that is used only when you have a decisive advantage and a huge economic lead against the CT’s, but is still almost never seen in a competitive match. Though it’s a scoped weapon that’s easy to use and can kill an opponent with two shots to the body and one shot to the head, the $5,000 price point is just not worth the risk of dying and losing it to the CT’s.

The truth is, having this in your loadout takes up a spot that could be used by better, cheaper options that the terrorists have. The reason it’s ranked lower than the SCAR-20, even though they are practically identical, is that using this gun on the offensive is harder than using the SCAR defensively when playing as a CT.

Tactics

This gun is relatively simple to use; you just aim and shoot blindly, and if someone jumps through the smoke or rushes you, you don’t even have to scope to hit accurately. Press left click as fast as you can because landing two shots isn’t too hard. Using this gun offensively is a bit difficult, though, since its main opponent is the AWP, which needs only one shot to kill. This means that if you’re about to enter a sniper showdown, you better be sure the opponent will miss his first shot, otherwise you just wasted $5,000 and potentially lost the round for your team.

3 SCAR-20

A Fully Automatic Scout

Price/Kill Award

$5,000 / $300

Damage/Armor Penetration

80 / 82.50%

Fire Rate

240.00

Ammo/Reserve

20/90

The SCAR-20 is essentially the CT version of the G3SG1, doing similar damage at the same price and, just like the former, is practically never used in most competitive situations. The only reason it edges out over the G3SG1 is the fact that it’s easier to use the semi-automatic sniper rifles on the CT side because you can easily defend corners or sites, playing defensively.

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The SCAR-20, just like its counterpart, is easy to use and should only be bought in situations where you have a decisive lead over your opponents or if you want to really rub your victory in their faces. In the lower rating ranges, this gun is used a lot and people hate it over there, but the truth is, it can never beat or even compare to the AWP.

Tactics

The main tactic to use with this gun is to never buy it, but if you do find it lying around or decide to run it, employ a similar strategy to the G3SG1 and spam through smokes as much as possible to create a wall of bullets that the terrorists will never be able to get through. Spamming through walls and smokes is its saving grace and can easily win you rounds if you hit your blind shots, making the $5,000 price point somewhat worth it if you survive the round.

2 SSG 08 Scout

Aim For The Head

Price/Kill Award

$1,700 / $300

Damage/Armor Penetration

88 / 85.00%

Fire Rate

48.00

Ammo/Reserve

10/90

The Scout is the budget sniper rifle that has been a classic since the Counter Strike series came out and has always been used by higher skill-level players because it’s not just a worse AWP, it’s a test of aim. Hitting a headshot with the Scout has the same satisfaction level as hitting a headshot with a Desert Eagle and using them both in conjunction is a popular option.

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The Scout two shots body hits on an enemy and can one-shot anyone even if they’re wearing a helmet. It’s a $1,700 bolt action sniper rifle, and you will probaby love playing with it. It’s a good option for Eco rounds or Force Buys to quickly get a kill at Mid and pull back while the rest of your team commits to a site.

Tactics

The general tactic for this cheap and effective sniper rifle is to aim for the head. Easier said than done, obviously, but consistent practice will make you better over time. It’s equally effective for both T Side and CT Side and is usually used in force buys or half buys to counter the opponent’s full buy round. It’s easy to tag someone and have another teammate finish them off or kill them yourself with one well-aimed shot to the head. Although at short range, there probably isn’t a worse-performing weapon.

1 AWP

One Shot Is All It Takes

Price/Kill Award

$4,750 / $300

Damage/Armor Penetration

115 / 97.50%

Fire Rate

41.24

Ammo/Reserve

5/30

The AWP is a bolt action sniper rifle that is used by at least one player in your five-man team to maintain a good balance of strategy. Despite it having only five bullets, it’s still a killer in the right hands because of how one bullet can kill anyone, even if they’re wearing Kevlar armor.

But it’s expensive when compared to the likes of the AK or the M4, coming in at $4,750. The price point has made it so AWPers must wait a couple rounds before they can afford it. An AWP is essential for most maps, turning the tide of battle after getting an Entry kill on either team, but the high-risk high reward has limited people to using the M4 or the AK during buy rounds.

Tactics

Use the AWP in the third or fourth round after pistol round and hold a site or mid as a counterterrorist. Try to outplay the other team's AWPers by reacting faster and practicing your aim. Good AWP players can predict when a person will peak and pre-fire accordingly, guaranteeing a kill. Just like the Scout, it’s useless at close range unless the stars align and you land the no scope point-blank. Being the best sniper in the game means that it has a high skill ceiling, so you have to constantly improve your game to have a chance.

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