Up until 2020, the only tactical shooter esport of note was CS:GO. Released all the way back in 2012, it stood uncontested and hugely popular for several years. However, with the release of VALORANT in 2020, the genre is now being shared – how do the two esports compare right now? Read on as we discuss tactical shooter esports 2022 in this featured article!
Is VALORANT Still the “CS:GO Killer”?
Firstly, we need to address an essential point. Indeed, upon release, discussions in the community discussed VALORANT as a “CS:GO killer”.
However, as time passed, it became clear that the gameplay of VALORANT is hugely different to the likes of CS:GO.
Furthermore, the main difference is agent/ability based gameplay. Specifically, while CS:GO relies on barebones strategy and gunplay with grenade utility, VALORANT takes a note from Overwatch by combining multiple unique agents with unique abilities which influence gameplay heavily.
Overall, both share the elements of a tactical shooter title:
- Bomb defusal gameplay – either detonate the bomb, prevent planting of the bomb or eliminate the opponents
- High precision gunplay
- Alternating offense and defensive halves
- An underlying economy mechanic
So yes, they’re different games which both sit in the Tactical Shooter Esport genre. On a side note, while Rainbow Six Siege may be considered to be in this genre, VALORANT and CS:GO are moreso similar due to elements such as economy.
Tactical Shooter Esports 2022 – Different Structures
With the gameplay discussed, let’s focus on the esports.
Starting with CS:GO, Valve has opted for a hugely popular approach, with third-party organizers. Accordingly, Valve coordinates with multiple high profile event organizers such as PGL, BLAST and ESL.
In addition, this allows for Majors to take place every now and then while other third party competitions take place with Valve’s underlying support.
Overall, the advantages of this approach is the incredible number of events filling the year to the brim, a consistent viewership and constantly developing competition.,
On the other hand, being a massive difference, competitive VALORANT is focusing on a first-party aproach. Cradled by Riot Games, who are known for the franchised League of Legends, this approach will only grow with time.
For the past two years, Riot Games has organized the VALORANT Champions Tour. This is an open format event allowing the best teams from each region to try and compete for international dominance.
Moreover, events not organized by Riot Games are not given much attention, making most of the esport exclusive to the publisher.
In the coming future, there is a huge likelihood of franchising or a form of partnership program – this has been confirmed by Riot Games.
On a side note, both esports also make efforts to support female esports, though VALORANT’s may be viewed as more invested.
Esports Viewership – CS:GO Clearly On Top
Apart from viewing differences, we need to understand which esport is more popular. Accordingly, to do so, esports viewership is a commonly used metric.
Thanks to some statistics available by Esports Charts, we’ve listed the top three peak viewership statistics for both esports:
VALORANT:
- VALORANT Champions 2021 – Peak Viewers 1,089,068
- VCT 2021 Stage 2 Masters Reykjavik – Peak Viewers 1,085,850
- VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters Reykjavik – Peak Viewers 1,065,887
CS:GO:
- PGL Major Stockholm 2021 – Peak Viewers 2,748,434
- PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – Peak Viewers 2,113,610
- ELEAGUE Major 2017 – Peak Viewers 1,331,781
As viewable, CS:GO is currently leaps and bounds ahead of VALORANT. Naturally, it’s unlikely VALORANT would compete with fanbase for an esports of 10 years.
Bearing this in mind, a peak of 1,000,000 views is very impressive for VALORANT – imagine where the esport will be given enough time!
Tactical Shooter Esports 2022 – A Clear Conclusion
So overall, CS:GO esports offers a more stacked calendar with more events, higher prize pools and better viewership. However, VALORANT is only two years old and holds its own in ever department with a promising future – though pursuing a different esport structure.
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