Is CS:GO Down? Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is one of the most popular multiplayer first-person shooter games available today. As an online game, it relies on various backend services to connect players together and facilitate matches. Like any online game service, CS:GO can occasionally suffer outages or downtime that prevent players from accessing the game. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about checking the status of CS:GO and its related services.
Overview of CS:GO Services
CS:GO relies on several key services to operate properly:
- Steam: The Steam gaming platform and storefront acts as the gateway for launching and accessing CS:GO. Steam facilitates account management, friends lists, matchmaking, item inventory, and more. If Steam is down, CS:GO will be inaccessible.
- Steam Store: The Steam Store allows you to purchase and download CS:GO. Outages to the Steam Store can prevent new players from acquiring the game.
- Steam Community: Steam Community enables CS:GO players to interact through groups, guides, artwork, profiles, and more. Issues with Steam Community restrict social features but don’t affect core gameplay.
- CS:GO Game Coordinator: The CS:GO Game Coordinator is the backend service that manages matchmaking, lobbies, server browsing, competitive play, stats, and more. Outages to this service severely impact the core CS:GO experience.
- CS:GO Servers: CS:GO relies on a worldwide network of game servers to host matches. Problems with this server infrastructure can cause major gameplay disruptions.
- CS:GO Inventories: Player inventories including skins, stickers, and other items are managed by a dedicated backend system. Issues here don’t affect gameplay but do limit access to owned items.
So in summary, Steam, the Steam Store, the CS:GO Game Coordinator, CS:GO servers, and CS:GO inventories are the key services that facilitate the full CS:GO experience. Let’s look at the best ways to monitor the status of each.
Checking Steam Status
Since Steam is required to even launch CS:GO, it should be your first stop when troubleshooting potential CS:GO downtime. Here are the best ways to check if Steam is up and running:
Steam Status Website
Valve provides an official Steam Status website that displays the current status of all Steam services. This includes:
- Steam Store
- Steam Community
- Steam Cloud Storage
- Steam Workshop
- Web API
- Economy
- Game Coordinator systems (including CS:GO’s)
The site visually indicates any services experiencing issues or outages. It will also display a history of recent incidents and updates.
Steamstat.us
Steamstat.us is a simple, easy to read site that tracks the status of key Steam services including logins, the store, community features, Cloud support, and more. Green lights indicate normal operation while red ones signify an outage.
Downdetector
Downdetector provides Steam outage maps and user-submitted problem reports for Steam services such as logins, server connections, Cloud saving, and the Steam Community. Checking recent Steam reports on Downdetector can reveal potential service issues.
Try Logging into Steam
Sometimes the simplest way to check Steam’s status is trying to log in yourself. Launch the Steam client or app and attempt to sign in to your account. If you encounter errors or the client is unresponsive, Steam could be experiencing problems.
Monitoring CS:GO Game Coordinator Status
Valve’s Steam Status website also tracks the uptime of various Game Coordinator services, including CS:GO’s. You can instantly see whether the CS:GO Game Coordinator is up and any recent or active issues affecting it.
The Game Coordinator facilitates matchmaking, lobbies, server browsing, and other gameplay features. So if it’s down, you’ll have trouble accessing core CS:GO experiences.
Is CS:GO Down? Server Status Checks
While the Game Coordinator handles matchmaking and connecting players, the actual CS:GO multiplayer gameplay occurs on dedicated game servers around the world. So even if the Coordinator is online, server infrastructure issues can still cause CS:GO outages.
Here are a few ways to check CS:GO server status:
View Server Status from CS:GO
From within the CS:GO client, you can view server status for your region:
- Open the Settings menu
- Select the Game Settings tab
- Click “View server status for datacenters”
This will display a ping, packet loss, and overall availability score for each regional server cluster. High ping times or packet loss can indicate gameplay problems.
Third-Party Server Status Sites
Sites like CS:GO Server Status track ping times and responsiveness for CS:GO servers around the world. You can filter by region and see detailed uptime reports. Spikes in latency or failures to connect can signify wider issues.
Check Downdetector Reports
The CS:GO section on Downdetector receives user reports for server connection problems with the game. Check for spikes in outage reports, which may reveal infrastructure problems.
Try Connecting to a Match
If CS:GO seems down for you, attempt to connect to an online match. Failure to find a server, long matchmaking delays, or laggy gameplay suggests potential server-side problems.
Verifying CS:GO Inventory Status
While inventory outages don’t affect core gameplay, you may want to check if CS:GO item and skin servers are up and running properly. Here’s how:
View Inventory History in CS:GO
In your CS:GO inventory, you can view a history of recent inventory transactions. If this hasn’t updated in a long time, the inventory system may be experiencing issues.
Visit Third-Party Inventory Sites
Many third-party sites like CS.Money and Skinport let you view your entire CS:GO inventory. If these sites fail to load your items, that points to potential outages.
Check Steam Community
The Steam Community forums will often have reports of inventory problems. Sort posts by New to see the latest complaints which may indicate downtime.
So in summary, checking your own inventory history, third-party sites, and Steam Community reports can help reveal CS:GO inventory system problems.
Getting Updates on CS:GO Outages
Rather than continually checking all these sites yourself, there are ways to have CS:GO outage updates sent directly to you:
- Subscribe to updates on Steam Status or third-party sites: Many of the status sites listed above like Steamstat.us and Downdetector allow you to subscribe for email/SMS updates when services experience issues.
- Follow CS:GO developers on Twitter: The @CSGO and @CSGODev Twitter accounts occasionally tweet about service issues and other downtime notices.
- Join the Steam Community group: The Steam Community Group receives posts for major Steam outages and downtime events.
- Check the CS:GO subreddit: The r/GlobalOffensive subreddit will often have discussion threads around CS:GO service issues, providing real-time updates from players affected by outages.
Troubleshooting Steps When CS:GO Appears Down
If CS:GO seems inaccessible or unusable, here are some basic troubleshooting steps to try:
- Restart the Steam client and retry connecting to CS:GO
- Ensure Steam is fully updated by checking for pending updates
- Reboot your router/modem and PC to refresh internet connections
- Disable any VPNs, firewalls, or network filters that could block connectivity
- Verify your PC meets CS:GO’s minimum system requirements
- Check Steam’s store page to make sure CS:GO hasn’t received any mandatory update that you need to install
- Scan for malware, viruses, or other infections that could be disrupting Steam or CS:GO
- Completely uninstall and reinstall CS:GO if none of the above help resolve connection issues
Following these steps can help identify and resolve common problems on your end contributing to the perception that CS:GO is down.
FAQs About CS:GO Downtime
Q: Why is CS:GO down for me but my friends can play?
This can occur if your friends are connected to different CS:GO server clusters that are still online. CS:GO downtime isn’t necessarily global – it could impact certain data centers and not others. So your friends may still access the game via unaffected servers.
Q: Does CS:GO downtime count towards competitive cooldowns?
No, if CS:GO is officially confirmed to be down by Valve, any competitive cooldowns or bans triggered due to disconnects during that period will be automatically reversed. Your rank and streaks will not be impacted.
Q: Will I lose my CS:GO rank if I can’t play during downtime?
Your CS:GO rank will not decay or be penalized if lapses in play are due to confirmed CS:GO outages. Once services resume, you pick up where you left off.
Q: Can I play CS:GO offline during downtime?
Unfortunately CS:GO does not have an offline mode – you must maintain a connection to Steam and CS:GO game servers to access matches and core game features. So offline play is not possible during outages.
Q: Does CS:GO downtime affect other Steam games?
It depends on the root cause. Full Steam outages will disrupt other Steam titles, but issues limited to CS:GO’s servers or Game Coordinator won’t necessarily impact other games. Check the Steam Status site to see which services are affected.
Key Takeaways
- Monitor the Steam Status website, Steamstat.us, and Downdetector to track Steam and CS:GO downtime
- The CS:GO Game Coordinator facilitates matchmaking and lobbies – check its status on Steam
- Laggy gameplay suggests issues with CS:GO’s server infrastructure, check third-party sites for status
- Verify inventory outages using transaction history and third-party inventory sites
- Get real-time downtime updates by subscribing to status sites or following CS:GO social media
- Try basic troubleshooting like restarts and updates if CS:GO seems inaccessible
- CS:GO downtime is not penalized by rank decay or competitive cooldowns
Conclusion
CS:GO’s reliance on several backend systems means there are multiple points of failure that can cause downtime. By learning to monitor Steam status, the Game Coordinator, inventory systems, and server infrastructure, you can get an accurate picture of what specific CS:GO services may be experiencing issues. Leveraging third-party status sites, social media, and troubleshooting best practices can minimize disruption when outages do occur. While CS:GO downtime can be frustrating, being informed allows you to plan your gameplay time accordingly and avoid confusion over what’s not working. With the right tools and knowledge, you can stay up to date on the current health of CS:GO services.
