<img src='http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/9250/ninjaand.jpg?t=1352063220' align=center>
<a href='http://www.hltv.org/news/9464-nip-defeat-verygames-to-win-eswc/'>Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated Verygames</a> to become the Counter-Strike Global Offensive world champions at ESWC. Ninjas in Pyjamas with their all-star line-up has become the dominate CS:GO team. We will have to see if someone can unseat them on their home turf in Sweden later this month at Dreamhack.

In the Women's division <a href='http://www.hltv.org/news/9465-comeback-ubinited-win-eswc-female'>Ubinited made a stunning comeback against ALTERNATE</a> to retain their ESWC title.

The Free Weekend is drawing to close. While the game will turn off for free players at 1pm, it doesn’t have to end there. The game will continue on sale until Monday at a full 33% off. We say 33% off because the Counter-Strike community is global and people all over the world will be paying in different currency. In the USA this means $9.99. But in your country? You will paying 33% fewer Rubles, Euros, Pounds, Krona, Yen, or whatever your favorite currency is.

What is the future for CS:GO? We are continuing to tweak our Competitive Game Mode and Skill Groups along with the rest of the core game. We continue to work with mod developers for cool mods like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTJ1c8Bgbp0">Zombie Escape</a>, <a href="http://youtu.be/miu4_FJu8xg">Jail Break</a>, <a href="http://youtu.be/BOlgQn1zePQ">Pirate Wars</a> and more. With ESWC over, the competitive world will look to Dreamhack next and a 2014 filled with major tournaments.

Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated Verygames to become the Counter-Strike Global Offensive world champions at ESWC. Ninjas in Pyjamas with their all-star line-up has become the dominate CS:GO team. We will have to see if someone can unseat them on their home turf in Sweden later this month at Dreamhack.

In the Women's division Ubinited made a stunning comeback against ALTERNATE to retain their ESWC title.

The Free Weekend is drawing to close. While the game will turn off for free players at 1pm, it doesn’t have to end there. The game will continue on sale until Monday at a full 33% off. We say 33% off because the Counter-Strike community is global and people all over the world will be paying in different currency. In the USA this means $9.99. But in your country? You will paying 33% fewer Rubles, Euros, Pounds, Krona, Yen, or whatever your favorite currency is.

What is the future for CS:GO? We are continuing to tweak our Competitive Game Mode and Skill Groups along with the rest of the core game. We continue to work with mod developers for cool mods like Zombie Escape, Jail Break, Pirate Wars and more. With ESWC over, the competitive world will look to Dreamhack next and a 2014 filled with major tournaments.

<img src='http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/9250/csgohead.jpg?t=1351972376' align=center>
As the ESWC finals continue and the Free Weekend kicks into full gear, there is more to see than just the game itself. Counter-strike has always been about a large vibrant community and CS:GO is no different.

If you are not up to the level of competing as a pro, you can always join one of leagues. Two of the most popular are <a href='http://play.esea.net/'>ESEA</a> and <A href='http://www.esl.eu/eu/csgo/'>ESL</a>. Don’t worry, you can compete at all skill levels in these leagues.

While we have been posting a Pro Tip series, the community has also been making their own videos. WarOwl from the forums even made a video to help you if you are <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPXcGC__uKg'>new to the game</a>. You can also checkout <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONKYeVhEoEA&amp;feature=rellist&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PLE474667004EC6067'>these weapon guides</a>, um.. uh.. <a href='http://youtu.be/Ida4D2J_riM'>this</a>, or you can check out a ton more on the <a href='http://steamcommunity.com/app/730/videos'>Game Hub video page</a>.

Current players, don’t forget to attach your Steam account to your YouTube account so you can post your videos to the CS:GO game hub.

You should also make sure to post your favorite screen shots and death cams to the CS:GO Game Hubs. While you are there check out what other people are posting. See something you like – up vote it. Curious about something - ask a question. Join the community.

As the ESWC finals continue and the Free Weekend kicks into full gear, there is more to see than just the game itself. Counter-strike has always been about a large vibrant community and CS:GO is no different.

If you are not up to the level of competing as a pro, you can always join one of leagues. Two of the most popular are ESEA and ESL. Don’t worry, you can compete at all skill levels in these leagues.

While we have been posting a Pro Tip series, the community has also been making their own videos. WarOwl from the forums even made a video to help you if you are new to the game. You can also checkout these weapon guides, um.. uh.. this, or you can check out a ton more on the Game Hub video page.

Current players, don’t forget to attach your Steam account to your YouTube account so you can post your videos to the CS:GO game hub.

You should also make sure to post your favorite screen shots and death cams to the CS:GO Game Hubs. While you are there check out what other people are posting. See something you like – up vote it. Curious about something - ask a question. Join the community.

Starting yesterday at 10am until Sunday at 1pm PST – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is free. You can <a href='steam://install/730'>click this link</a>, <a href='http://store.steampowered.com/app/730/'>visit this page</a>, or launch steam and start downloading the game now. All weekend you can play the complete game.

CS:GO is more than just the best looking CS. We have expanded the game with new characters, new weapons, new maps, and new game modes. So you don’t get overwhelmed, let’s break down the game modes and give you a suggestion on where to start based on your skill level.

For everyone, a good first stop is the Weapon Course where you will get some quick tips and training on new mechanics.

If you have never played a first person shooter – first, what’s wrong with you? You have been missing out. A good intro that isn’t about map strategy, team goals, etc – is Arms Race. It’s pretty simple. Kill the guys who don’t look like you. Every time you kill one, you get a new weapon. There are some things that happen at the end with a knife if you are the top player in kills, but do you really think that is going to happen? Okay, let’s pretend it does. You get a golden knife – then what? Stab a guy and win the game. If you do that, you better take a screen shot and <a href='http://steamcommunity.com/app/730/screenshots'>post it on the CS:GO Game Hub</a> – otherwise no one will believe you.

If you do actually play first person shooters but maybe haven’t played much Counter-Strike or it has been a bit – try Demolition Mode. These are small intense maps that remove the buy round at the start and throw players right into the action. Plant the bomb, defuse the bomb, kill a guy – it all helps.

Has it been a while since you last played CS? The franchise has existed for 12 years, so at this point you could have last played in 6th grade and since graduated college, gotten married, and had your first kid by now – so we’ll excuse your rusty skills if you are bouncing the new kid on your lap as you play. A word of warning on that - don’t play Competitive Mode if you think you need to drop out mid-game or just want to drop in and out of games, instead play Casual Mode. It is classic Counter-Strike with some relaxed rules on purchasing weapons and we leave all talk on so players can chat while playing.

Are you a CS player? Think you have what it takes to win but have been scared to try CS:GO? If you think you are up for it – jump into Competitive Mode. This is where it is all about skill, win 10 matches and you will get put into a <a href="http://blog.counter-strike.net/index.php/2012/10/5565/">Skill Group</a>, keep winning and you’ll be placed into a higher Skill Group, lose and you might get placed lower. Match making will make sure you keep playing in games at your skill level. Leaving a match will put you into a timeout period for Competitive match making. We even have <a href="http://blog.counter-strike.net/index.php/page/2/#FAQ">a FAQ here</a> for you if you want more information.

Starting yesterday at 10am until Sunday at 1pm PST – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is free. You can click this link, visit this page, or launch steam and start downloading the game now. All weekend you can play the complete game.

CS:GO is more than just the best looking CS. We have expanded the game with new characters, new weapons, new maps, and new game modes. So you don’t get overwhelmed, let’s break down the game modes and give you a suggestion on where to start based on your skill level.

For everyone, a good first stop is the Weapon Course where you will get some quick tips and training on new mechanics.

If you have never played a first person shooter – first, what’s wrong with you? You have been missing out. A good intro that isn’t about map strategy, team goals, etc – is Arms Race. It’s pretty simple. Kill the guys who don’t look like you. Every time you kill one, you get a new weapon. There are some things that happen at the end with a knife if you are the top player in kills, but do you really think that is going to happen? Okay, let’s pretend it does. You get a golden knife – then what? Stab a guy and win the game. If you do that, you better take a screen shot and post it on the CS:GO Game Hub – otherwise no one will believe you.

If you do actually play first person shooters but maybe haven’t played much Counter-Strike or it has been a bit – try Demolition Mode. These are small intense maps that remove the buy round at the start and throw players right into the action. Plant the bomb, defuse the bomb, kill a guy – it all helps.

Has it been a while since you last played CS? The franchise has existed for 12 years, so at this point you could have last played in 6th grade and since graduated college, gotten married, and had your first kid by now – so we’ll excuse your rusty skills if you are bouncing the new kid on your lap as you play. A word of warning on that - don’t play Competitive Mode if you think you need to drop out mid-game or just want to drop in and out of games, instead play Casual Mode. It is classic Counter-Strike with some relaxed rules on purchasing weapons and we leave all talk on so players can chat while playing.

Are you a CS player? Think you have what it takes to win but have been scared to try CS:GO? If you think you are up for it – jump into Competitive Mode. This is where it is all about skill, win 10 matches and you will get put into a Skill Group, keep winning and you’ll be placed into a higher Skill Group, lose and you might get placed lower. Match making will make sure you keep playing in games at your skill level. Leaving a match will put you into a timeout period for Competitive match making. We even have a FAQ here for you if you want more information.

<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/730/">Counter-Strike: Global Offensive</a> is now available on Steam!

CS:GO expands on the classic team-based action gameplay that Counter-Strike pioneered. Featuring an arsenal of over 45 weapons, loads of maps, new game modes, new visuals, leaderboards, and over 165 Steam Achievements.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is now available on Steam!

CS:GO expands on the classic team-based action gameplay that Counter-Strike pioneered. Featuring an arsenal of over 45 weapons, loads of maps, new game modes, new visuals, leaderboards, and over 165 Steam Achievements.

Welcome to the beta.

In addition to an update to CS:GO earlier this afternoon (see the release notes <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/news/8641/">here</a>), everyone who has <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/730/">pre-purchased</a> the game should now have access.

We’re excited to add so many new players to the beta today. As we approach the release of CS:GO on August 21st, play as much as you can, and let us know what you think in the forums.

(Not seeing the beta? Restart Steam.)

Welcome to the beta.

In addition to an update to CS:GO earlier this afternoon (see the release notes here), everyone who has pre-purchased the game should now have access.

We’re excited to add so many new players to the beta today. As we approach the release of CS:GO on August 21st, play as much as you can, and let us know what you think in the forums.

(Not seeing the beta? Restart Steam.)