Have You Played Retake CS GO Mode Already?
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Retake CS GO matches were all the craze of private servers, but at some point they’ve come fully official.
One thing about Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gameplay is that it is very adaptable. Although the classic game is wrapped in very strict rules and physics, switching things around can bring a breath of fresh air. That’s basically what happened with Flyings Scoutsman that started back in the days of CS 1.6 with scout maps.
Retakes are yet another twist on the standard bomb scenario. The dynamics are changed, and there’s a bunch of different dynamics thrown in. Let’s see how retakes were born and how they work now on official servers!
CSGO Retake Origins
The idea for this mod started back in times of CS 1.6, but it’s hard to trace its exact history. For sure, the classic CS retakes were evolving hand in hand with CS:GO retakes. The oldest public CSGO retake modification that can be tracked online falls back to 2014. There is also some confusion to the exact ownership of the idea in the first place. There have been many iterations of this mod, some of them even only for closed groups of people.
Whatever it is, the popularity of the mode was finally noticed by Valve and introduced into the game’s non-tournament modes together with Operation Broken Fang in 2020.
Rules Of The Official CS GO Retake Mode
The official version of the mode included some Valve’s twists to the formula. The round starts with a bomb being planted automatically. Afterwards, three players on the Terrorist team that are spawned directly at one of the bombsites need to prevent four randomly spawned players on the Counter-Terrorist side from defusing it. The first team to win eight rounds tally wins the match.
Players are oriented to one of two bombsites on the map and guided to stay there. The bombsite for the current turn is shown under the radar, so even when a CT starts off into the map, they will know where to go. The planted bomb has a 40 second timer, so that’s how long a round takes maximally.
At the beginning of each round, the players pick one of the random cards with predefined loadouts consisting of weapons and possible utilities and armor. The money mechanics are off, so the cards are your only way for getting equipment. In the first rounds they will usually only allow you to get a pistol and some utilities, but more options appear as time progresses. The weapon pool is aligned with the sides, but sometimes enemy loadout cards appear, allowing for CTs to start with, say, an AK 47, or for Ts to help them guard the bomb with AUG.
The equipment doesn’t carry over to the next round, so you start each time fresh and have to choose a new loadout card.
CSGO Retake Servers
Those who want to play some retakes now have two options to choose from.
Official Servers
Retake games hosted by Valve itself are available in the main play window, among other alternative, non-tournament modes. You can choose a range of maps you want to play on and start searching for a game. Regular lobby mechanics do apply, so you can also play along with a chosen team of friends, but remembering that four people max can play together (or three on the T side).
Private Servers
After all, this is where the mode came from. The benefit of private servers is that they can apply even more custom rules and elements. WIth the safety of VAC, you are still able to enjoy a safe environment with levelling up – if you have a Prime account. Use the game’s private server search engine or check services like Gametracker to find a retake server CS GO register even before you turn on Counter-Strike.
Why Is Retake Mode Popular?
There’s a number of reasons why playing such simplified scenarios has many fans. What’s most noticeable, it’s much quicker than a tournament match. Fifteen rounds max, each forty seconds max – that amounts to ten minutes in the most head-to-head situation. Usually, retake matches last around a couple of minutes.
This is good for a couple of reasons – first, it allows for a much speedier warmup, not having to play dummy matches or dully practicing on aim maps before starting competitive plays. It puts you right in the action and lets you oil your gears. Secondly, it is a good method of practicing quick reactions without the sterility of bot maps. You need to react quickly, but play with the same precision you would in a full scenario.
Last but not least, it’s great for people who don’t have that much time to play. For casual players, it’s much more fun to play a couple of retake matches – whatever the score is – than to play a full tournament game and be anxious about it finishing soon enough, not to lose ranks for quitting early.
CS GO Retakes – Summary
While some people might say this oficial embrace of Retake mode by Valve comes a wee too late, it turns out that it works perfectly with current player base of CS:GO. It is a quick type of game that allows players to practice actual skirmishes without having to go through the economy and pacing aspect of tournament matches.
Do you like the retake mode in CS GO? Do you need any more tips on it here? We’re open to suggestions! Also, make sure to visit Skinwallet Market if you want to trade some skins in and out before your next fight!
