All CS2 Player Roles Explained

Though the primary way of becoming a prominent Counter-Strike player is to develop individual skill, you will soon realize that teamwork plays an ever greater role than your own prowess. We must remember that CS2 is a “tactical” first-person shooter game, meaning players must work together to win games.

Though the CSGO roles within a team aren’t as explicit as other games, it is widely accepted that there are five primary roles in a team:

• Entry fragger
• AWPer
• Lurker
• Support
• In-game leader

Let’s begin discussing what the expectations and responsibilities are required to play in each of the five CSGO roles. 

Entry Fragger

The entry fragger is one of the hardest CSGO roles in the game and requires tons of individual skill to be successful at. On the offense, the entry fragger is always the person leading the charge when hitting a bomb site, or contesting key areas of the map such as Mid on most maps. 

The entry fragger’s job is to get the opening kill of the round, creating a 5-versus-4 advantage for their team. Though getting the entry frag is ideal, the secondary job of the entry fragger is to create space and allow the team to advance. By creating space, the entry fragger can get traded by a teammate if they fail to get the kill. 

To become an effective entry fragger, a player must have sharp aim to have a high success rate of winning opening duels. Additionally, the team should provide support to the entry fragger and increase the chances of successful entries. 

Role Responsibilities

Here are some of the most important responsibilities expected of an entry fragger:

• The entry fragger’s responsibility is to take initial contact by pushing in first into bomb sites or highly contested areas of the map. 
• Entry fraggers should have no hesitation, and should not bait their teammates to go in first. 
• An entry fragger is successful when they open up the bomb site by getting the initial kill, also known as the entry frag, which gives the team a man-advantage.
• If the entry fragger loses the duel, they should have at least created enough chaos to put enemies in uncomfortable positions, allowing teammates to trade them and advance.
• The entry fragger must make quick decisions and act accordingly, as the success of their rounds can be determined in a matter of seconds. 
• Entry fraggers must be prepared to sacrifice themselves and die for the sake of their team’s success.

Traits To Be An Effective Entry Fragger

Here are some traits you should consider when wanting to become an entry fragger:

• Very aggressive playstyle
• Confident in taking aim duels
• Sharp aim and fast reaction time
• A mindset of high-risk, high-reward

Entry Fraggers To Watch

If you’d like to learn a thing or two about being an entry fragger, check out these professional players:

• Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
• Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
• Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis

AWPer

The next role is a more apparent one, which is the AWPer. As the name already suggests, the AWPer is the designated sniper for the team. They are the people wielding the AWP sniper rifle in buy rounds. 

A team’s AWPer will look for long-ranged engagements, as playing with the one-shot, one-kill sniper rifle is very advantageous for these situations. AWPers often hold contested angles to get early picks, or catch any pesky opponents rotating around the map. 

Most of the best professional players in the world are AWPers, as killing enemy players with a body shot makes the sniper rifle the strongest weapon in the game. However, AWPers must have good reaction time and stable aim. 

Role Responsibilities

Here are some of the most important responsibilities expected of an AWPer:

• Hold angles from afar, watching highly-contested areas of the map. 
• Ideally, AWPers are expected to get early picks on the map, usually in the beginning of rounds when enemy players are trying to take early control of certain areas.
• Getting a quick kill as the round begins creates a favorable man-advantage situation for the team. 
• The AWPer is crucial on the Counter-Terrorist side, as they can deny entries from tight choke points such as A Long Doors on Dust II and Apartments on Mirage. 
• The AWPer is also important on the Terrorist side, especially during post-plant situations. They can easily pick off enemies trying to retake the bomb site as they are going against a timer. 

Traits To Be An Effective AWPer

Here are some traits you should consider when wanting to become an AWPer:

• Precise aim
• Fast reaction time to hold tight angles
• Ability to pull off flick shots on moving targets
• Great positioning and understanding of the map
• Able to stay calm under pressure

AWPers To Watch

If you’d like to learn a thing or two about being an AWPer, check out these professional players:

• Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev
• Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut 
• Nicolai “device” Reedtz

Lurker

The next role we’ll discuss is the lurker – a player that loves working alone. The lurker’s primary job is to play on the opposite side of the map from the team. This person’s job is to gather information, flank opponents, and catch enemy rotations off guard. 

Since lurkers are almost always playing alone, they do not have to be as team-oriented as the other players on the team. However, they must be confident with their moves, but most importantly, have a smart brain to slip into the cracks and catch enemy players off guard. 

The best lurkers in the game often don’t need to have incredible aim, as the best lurkers will always catch enemy players by surprise, usually when their backs are turned. 

Role Responsibilities

Here are some of the most important responsibilities expected of a lurker:

• The lurker will play on the opposite side of the map from everyone else.
• Their primary task is to gather information, which will be passed onto the main attacking unit. 
• When their teammates are advancing to the bomb site, lurkers will try to find timings to catch rotating Counter-Terrorists off guard.
• Otherwise, they will begin flanking their opponents, catching them by surprise as they are trying to retake bomb sites. 
• They are the surprise factor that can prevent Counter-Terrorists from defusing the bomb. 

Traits To Be An Effective Lurker

Here are some traits you should consider when wanting to become a lurker:

• Good patience
• Great game sense and map awareness
• Strong positioning skills to be at the right place and right time
• Stealthy movement allowing them to slip through the cracks

Lurkers To Watch

If you’d like to learn a thing or two about being a lurker, check out these professional players:

• Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund
• Lotan “Spinx” Giladi
• Robin “ropz” Kool

Support Player

As the name of the role suggests, the support player is the person in the team providing utility such as smokes, flashbangs, and molotovs, which enable the team to take favorable engagements and win duels. One of the support player’s main jobs is to help the entry fragger secure the opening duel by throwing flashbangs. 

It is safe to say that support players are often doing the dirty work, as they are usually at the back of the attacking unit throwing their grenades. When watching professional matches, the camera won’t be focused on these players, but they are still crucial for a team’s success.

Since support players often go into the bomb site last, they tend to be the last ones alive in a round. This creates the opportunity for them to enter clutch situations, so they must be able to work under pressure as well. 

Role Responsibilities

Here are some of the most important responsibilities expected of a support player:

• Throw utility (grenades) such as smokes, molotovs, and flashbangs to enable teammates such as the entry fragger.
• Support players must know how to perform grenade lineups on most maps and bomb sites for maximum effectiveness. 
• Since support players often enter the bomb site late, they might be expected to drop entry fraggers better weaponry and which can be picked up if they die. 

Traits To Be An Effective Support Player

Here are some traits you should consider when wanting to become a support player:

• Good knowledge of utility usage
• Memorize relevant grenade lineups
• Ability to execute “pop flashes”
• Excellent communication
• Team-oriented player and unselfish

Support Players To Watch

If you’d like to learn a thing or two about being a support player, check out these professional players:

• Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth
• Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy
• Timofey “interz” Yakushin

In-game Leader

Last but not least, we have arguably the most important role in a team, which is the in-game leader. The in-game leaders in professional matches often aren’t the players with the most prominent aim, but they have a crucial role within the team which is to call strategies for the team throughout a match. 

In-game leaders not only prepare set strategies for the team to execute, but they are responsible for making quick mid-round calls for specific round scenarios. They must come up with a tactic to perform within seconds off of getting new information. 

Usually, in-game leaders spend most of their time looking at the radar, understanding where their players are and looking at enemy players appearing on the map. With the information at hand, they must command their chess pieces to victory. 

Role Responsibilities

Here are some of the most important responsibilities expected of an in-game leader:

• The in-game leader plays a vital role in the Terrorist side, as they must call the team’s strategy, such as which bomb site to hit.
• In-game leaders need to analyze common enemy trends to begin reading the enemy team’s strategy and make counter-measures as the match is playing out.
• The leaders must coordinate the team by guiding them into making synchronized movements and utility usage. 
• In-game leaders must play off information and quickly make mid-round calls to catch an opportunity window. 

Traits To Be An Effective In-game Leader

Here are some traits you should consider when wanting to become an in-game leader:

• Commanding voice
• Strong leadership skills
• Deep understanding of the game and have amazing game sense
• Ability to adapt quickly to counter enemy strategies
• Must stay calm under pressure and make mid-round calls

In-game Leaders To Watch

• Finn “karrigan” Andersen 
• Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek 
• Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen

Additional Counter-Terrorist Role Concepts

The five CSGO roles we’ve discussed above are the easiest way to divide the roles on the Terrorist side. However, there are additional concepts we’d like to cover specifically on the Counter-Terrorist side. There are additional CSGO roles such as the Rotator and the Anchor. 

Rotator

On the Counter-Terrorist side, the Rotator is a player that should quickly move between bomb sites, depending on which one is likely to have intruders coming shortly. These players must have good timings and map knowledge to know when to switch between bomb sites. They usually play around the Mid areas for quicker rotations. 

Anchor

The Anchor is a Counter-Terrorist role where a sole person stays in a bomb site and defends it alone. Usually, the Anchor will be found on the B site on most maps, as most bomb sites are more difficult to hold. Anchors must work well under pressure, and must stall incoming attackers for as long as possible for the team to rotate.