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Best CS2 weapons and guns

Whether you’re a beginner or a returning veteran looking to get back in the game, here are the best CS2 guns to pick depending on your budget.

What are the best CS2 guns? There are over 20 different weapons to pick from in Counter-Strike 2, but there are a few guns in there that you can certainly avoid. From pistols to assault rifles, there are certain factors you need to think about before you spend your hard-earned cash. It’s not always about picking the best gun you can afford at that moment, you also need to think about how much cash your team has.

Counter-Strike 2 is different from a lot of popular FPS games whereby your weapons must be purchased each round. The only two CS2 guns you always have access to are the starting pistol and knife; everything else must be purchased from the in-game store or looted from a dead player. Once you’ve picked out your CS2 crosshair codes and sorted out your CS2 binds, it’s time to think about the best CS2 guns and when you should consider buying them.

What are the best CS2 guns?

Here are the best CS2 guns to use:

  • P250
  • Desert Eagle
  • AK47
  • M4A4
  • M4A1-S
  • AWP

P250

The Glock and UPS-S are decent pistols, especially for the incredibly low price of free, but the P250 can be truly destructive on pistol rounds. For just $300, the P250 has the ability to land one-shot headshots against unarmored opponents from a further distance. This can be deadly on certain maps, like Banana at Inferno or Bombsite B on Cache where you’re fighting from close to mid-range. On eco rounds, don’t be too surprised if someone with a P250 manages to pick you off while you’re holding an angle with an assault rifle. Most of the time you should win the battle, but the P250 has the potential to cause upsets.

Desert Eagle

Stocked with just seven bullets and coming in at $700, the Desert Eagle is one of the most popular guns in CS2 but not everyone has the skill to use it. This pistol has the highest damage output compared to any other in its category, though it’s heavy recoil and limited bullets stop players from dominating with it. If you have the accuracy and the ability to control your shots, there’s nothing stopping you from killing an entire team with a single clip, but you’re going to have to put in plenty of time to learn how to tame this beast.

AK47

Arguably the best weapon in the entire game, the classic AK47 is the Terrorist’s main assault rifle that seemingly ticks every box. The two most important advantages the AK has over most weapons are its impressive first-shot accuracy and instant kill potential with headshots against armored opponents. This gives players the ability to instantly take down enemies, and if you’ve practiced enough to learn where most enemies stand on each bombsite, at lower skill levels you can kill enemies based on muscle memory alone.

M4A4

The Counter Terrorist assault rifles are very different compared to the AK47, but they’re the best option CTs have. The M4A4 is the closest option to the AK, sporting 30 bullets and slightly improved recoil. Unlike the AK, the M4 is incapable of instantly killing armored opponents which makes it a lot less appealing if you have the option of picking either weapon. That being said, if you’re happy to fire in bursts, the M4 is certainly worth using, but you may want to drop it for an AK if you can.

M4A1-S

The M4A1-S is a very different option, featuring a silencer and ten fewer bullets in each magazine. This assault rifle can’t be detected by enemies – that’s not to say you can’t be heard, but your presence won’t appear on enemy radars. It’s also worth noting that the M4A1-S doesn’t have any tracers, meaning you can’t identify which directions where shots are coming from. If you enjoy playing in the lurker role, the M4A1-S gives you the ability to play in a somewhat stealthy way.

AWP

The most iconic weapon in the Counter-Strike series, the AWP or a-vi-pee as you’ll hear some players call it, is the deadliest weapon in CS2. You’ll have to pay a hefty fee for the privilege just for the chance to use it, but that $4,750 can be the difference between winning and losing. The AWP has the power to swing matches thanks to its ability to kill from practically any distance with its one-shot kill potential. There are so many reasons why the AWP shouldn’t be anywhere near as used as it is: it’s extremely heavy, it takes ages to reload, and incredibly inaccurate while moving. That said, the pros certainly outweigh the cons as the sniper rifle can wipe out teams in a matter of seconds in the hands of an expert.

The best CS2 loadout

Here are the best CS2 guns to use in your CT and T loadout:

  • USP-S / Glock
  • CZ75-Auto
  • P250
  • Five-Seven / Tec-9 (T)
  • Desert Eagle
  • MAG-7 / XM1014 (T)
  • MP7
  • MP5-5D
  • Nova / MAC-10 (T)
  • PP-Bizon
  • FAMAS / Galil AR (T)
  • M4A1 / AK-47 (T)
  • SSG 08
  • AUG / SG 553 (T)
  • AWP

That’s everything you need to know about the best CS2 guns. If you want to know more about some of the CS2 skins you may have spotted in this article, definitely give our guide a read. We also have a guide on the best Counter-Strike 2 settings if you’re trying to set your PC up to achieve the highest frame rate possible. Finally, check out our CS2 server status guide to see if the game is up and running.