Research-backed game lineage

Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike is included in the Series Atlas after independent recognition and an authoritative game-by-game roster audit. Editions, simple ports, DLC, bundles, canceled projects, and cameo-only appearances are excluded.

9 curated games 2000–2023 release span 0 connected branches

Counter-Strike NEO: White Memories cover

Release chronology

The complete path.

Ordered by researched series position, then original release date. Ports, DLC, and duplicate editions are intentionally excluded.

9 games in this lineage

Mainline2000

Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike is a team-based multiplayer tactical first-person shooter in which players join either the Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist side and compete in objective-based rounds. The primary game modes involve bomb defusal and hostage rescue, played across designated maps. Players purchase weapons and equipment between rounds using money earned from eliminations and completed objectives, and eliminated players must wait until the next round to respawn. Originally a fan-made modification for Half-Life created by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe in 1999, it was acquired by Valve and released as a standalone retail product in 2000, becoming one of the most influential first-person shooters and spawning multiple sequels including Counter-Strike: Source, Global Offensive, and Counter-Strike 2.

Nov 9, 200077/100

↗

Mainline2003

Counter-Strike Neo

Counter-Strike Neo is a Japanese arcade adaptation of Counter-Strike, the original Half-Life multiplayer modification. It was published by Namco and runs on a Linux system. The game features unique maps, factions, and settings, though the gameplay and the weapon lineups remain the same as other Counter-Strike games, only with a huge difference in visuals.

Dec 31, 2003

↗

Mainline2004

Counter-Strike: Condition Zero

With its extensive Tour of Duty campaign, a near-limitless number of skirmish modes, updates and new content for Counter-Strike's award-winning multiplayer game play, plus over 12 bonus single player missions, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero is a tremendous offering of single and multiplayer content.

Mar 23, 200470/100

↗

Remake2004

Counter-Strike: Source

Counter-Strike: Source blends Counter-Strike's award-winning teamplay action with the advanced technology of Source technology. Featuring state of the art graphics, all new sounds, and introducing physics, Counter-Strike: Source is a must-have for every action gamer.

Oct 7, 200484/100

↗

Mainline2005

Counter-Strike NEO: White Memories

Counter-Strike NEO: White Memories is a kinetic novel released through chapters around May 2005 over the Counter-Strike NEO website.

May 9, 2005

↗

Mainline2008

Counter-Strike Online

Counter-Strike Online is a first-person shooter video game, targeted towards Asia's gaming market released in 2008. It is based on Counter-Strike and was developed by Nexon with oversight from license-holder Valve. It uses a micropayment model that is managed by a custom version of Steam.

Jul 24, 2008

↗

Mainline2012

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. Two teams, Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, compete in objective-based rounds across various game modes including bomb defusal, hostage rescue, and deathmatch. The game features an economy system where players purchase weapons and equipment at the start of each round based on performance in previous rounds. Competitive matchmaking, community servers, and a robust skin trading ecosystem support a large active player base.

Aug 21, 201281/100

↗

Mainline2014

Counter-Strike Nexon

Counter-Strike Nexon is a Free to Play MMOFPS offering competitive PvP and PvE action including content from the original Counter-Strike and all new game modes, map creation function, weapons, and hordes of Zombies!

Oct 7, 201431/100

↗

Mainline2023

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical first-person shooter developed and published by Valve. Released in September 2023, it is the fifth main entry in the Counter-Strike series and serves as a direct replacement for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Steam. Two teams, Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, compete in objective-based rounds across modes such as bomb defusal and hostage rescue. Built on the Source 2 engine, the game introduced volumetric smoke physics, revised weapon handling, and a new sub-tick server architecture. It inherited all cosmetic items from its predecessor and features both a map-specific Competitive mode and a numerically ranked Premier mode.

Sep 27, 202369/100

↗

Sources and method

Built from the public record.

Membership is researched from external official and independent sources. Mainline games, direct spin-offs, remakes, remasters, and standalone expansions are included; DLC, simple ports, duplicate editions, compilation-only duplicates, rumors, cancellations, and cameo-only crossovers are excluded.

database Counter-Strike collection — IGDB
IGDB maintains a distinct collection record for Counter-Strike and supplies the authoritative roster used for membership verification.
reference List of best-selling video game franchises
The independent catalog recognizes Counter-Strike as a multi-game franchise and supports its inclusion in this major-series research sweep.