CS:GO players are turning to a historically underused gun type—and it’s actually working

The FPS genre is jam-packed full of people who can be quite stubborn when it comes to weapons, with CS:GO players easily topping the charts. If you’re not using an M4, an AK, or an AWP, you must be saving cash to buy one—or you’re a lunatic.

However, these days, some Counter-Strike players are actually turning toward shotguns as their primary choice, and it’s working a treat for them.

Shotguns have always filled a niche in CS:GO, but with buffs over the years and a slight cost reduction, some are choosing to use them more often than rifles. The community discussed this recent meta-shift in a Sept. 16 Reddit thread, where players were turning down a purchased rifle or AWP in favor of their beloved shotguns.

What the average shotgun lacks in consistency at range, it makes up for with its reward for kills. Where most rifles get you $300 for an elimination, most shotguns grant $900 a kill. In a game where economy management is critical, the extra cash from shotgun kills might get you a rifle or two in the next round.

Their lack of range is key, but as one player pointed out, most maps see enemy players enter a tight choke point before a bombsite, such as Banana toward the B site or the apartments near A site on Inferno. If enemies don’t take care, the potential for an XM1014 auto-shotgun multi-kill is high—and with it a massive stack of cash.

The XM isn’t the only shotgun players are gravitating toward. The Nova has always been seen as a bit of a meme in CS:GO and CS2, but thanks in part to the way NAVI’s s1mple handled the weapon at ESL Pro League season 18, some are beginning to try it themselves.

Against Asian representatives 5yclone and up 8-6 on Inferno, s1mple pulled out the Nova—a weapon he had used in numerous rounds earlier—and landed three kills in quick succession while cornered on the A site. At close range and with a tight pellet spread, aiming near enough to the head is a guaranteed one-hit kill, and s1mple isn’t one to miss many shots.

One player feels the Nova has a tighter spread at a distance in CS2, indicating the weapon archetype might be even stronger in the sequel.

Inferno isn’t the only place a shotgun can be used effectively. From the tight corridors and turns on Vertigo to chokepoints in Ancient’s caves or toward Ramp on Nuke, there are plenty of cases where a shotgun can thrive and provide a CT squad with extra cash.

Its shortcomings are evident on maps with longer sight lines and when rotating or retaking a lost bombsite, where swapping out for a rifle on the ground is generally more consistent. Also, we wouldn’t recommend shottys on the T side when attacking, especially when you’d have ample access to the one-tap potential of the AK.

Otherwise, crack out your best “SWAG-7,” XM, or Nova and blast your opponents back to the respawn screen. Most importantly, don’t let stigma get in the way of fun—if you want to only use a shotgun, go for it!