New to CS2 or want to understand what the roles each mean? We’ve got you covered.
At higher levels of CS2 play you'll often hear terms like "IGL," "support player," "entry fragger," or "lurker." These represent the roles of a player in a standard CS2 match. New players shouldn't conform to a particular role, but knowing what each term stands for helps differentiate the roles that make up a cohesive team.
Buckle up: Here's a dive into each role in competitive CS2!
Table of contents
All player roles in CS2
In-game leader (IGL)
- Must be tactically sound and able to execute strategies on the fly.
- Role stretches after death; IGL must continue to call the round once they go down.
- Extensive game knowledge required, and must put in the work outside of the server.
The in-game leader or IGL is arguably the toughest role in a CS2 team. The IGL is essentially the captain of the ship, guiding the team through a round by making judgment calls based on information gathered by the team.
An IGL must be able to process this information and make snap calls, sometimes mid-round, whilst also setting up the team for a site hit or rotation. Economy calculation and management is a must, but above all, the IGL needs to have a strong voice and ability to communicate quickly and efficiently with the team.
The role extends to outside of the server, too. From demo review to developing new strategies and implementing them in a live environment, the IGL sacrifices individual prowess for the better of the team. That's not to say an IGL doesn't frag out — there's only five players in a team, after all, so you can't be complacent with aim when captaining the team.
A prized IGL is one of the most desirable players to have on a team.
Pro player examples include karrigan, Aleksib, FalleN, chopper, and gla1ve.
It's important to note the IGL role, like most of the roles here, can be hybridized e.g. you can have an entry AWPer or an IGL lurker.
Don't feel pressured to just pick a role while playing!
Entry
- Sharpest aim with their chosen weapon.
- Be willing and confident to open a fight and come out winning — even if it means they die.
- Crosshair placement the most vital skill.
The coveted entry fragger role. When the IGL calls, the entry responds in kind and from the front. The entry is often the first player into the fray with the expectation they'll land their first shot every time — and be traded for their troubles.
In a perfect world, the entry provides the numbers advantage. Land the kill and survive? You're up a player for the hit later on. Aim is obviously vital for an entry fragger, but part of that is crosshair placement — the less you need to move the mouse, the more likely you'll get the kill.
Pro player examples include NiKo, donk, XANTARES, and oftentimes m0NESY (AWPer).
Support
- Flashbang, smoke grenade extraordinaire.
- Be able to follow the entry and make the trade.
- Act as a secondary voice to the IGL.
If the entry heads in first, the support is normally next up to bat, and is just as important of a role. In higher level CS2 there's almost sure to be another player once the entry finds the first kill. This second player will swing to make the trade, so its vital the support is next up to trade straight back.
Outside of being the next-man in, your support should also be knowledgeable and able to communicate with the rest of the squad quickly. Grenade knowledge is also key; it's all good if your entry knows the right smoke to throw but if they're busy fighting, it's the support's job to be in position with the right piece of utility.
Support players often act as secondary callers to the IGL, assisting in the mid-round with info they and the lurker have gathered.
Pro player examples include frozen, iM, Perfecto, and jks.
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AWPer/Sniper
- Wielder of the AWP.
- Can fluctuate between an entry and support when needed.
- Must be ready to rotate to cut off angles/find another opening.
The coveted AWP, the Big Green, the Boomstick — whatever you call it, it can be heard across the map when it rings out. Spending $4,750 in a round of CS2 is a heavy investment, and sure, the weapon can one-shot in most scenarios, but it isn't about the weapon — it's about who wields it.
Being an AWPer isn't just about sitting at the back of a long sight-line and bringing down targets. Sometimes the AWPer adopts the entry role and provides a safe opening for the squad. Other times, they're next up, following the entry in to trade. Sometimes they've got to get up close with lightning-fast reflexes to land their one shot.
Game-sense and map knowledge are pretty important for an AWPer. Making a successful pick with the AWP and standing still awaiting the second won't always work out; a good AWPer remains mobile and repositions to throw off the enemy team.
Pro player examples include m0NESY, sh1ro, ZywOo, broky, and kennyS.
Lurker
- A silent assassin, working both independently and with the team.
- Must be an excellent communicator.
- Has the clutch/big round factor.
Everyone loves to be the lurker, to roll out on your own and find the gap in the enemy's hold to exploit. In reality, your most communicative teammate might be best suited to the role, as they'll be feeding essential detail back to the team.
While the team begins to take one side of map control, the lurker should be elsewhere, finding space to rotate back through if needed or to push in and set up for a surprise kill. Solid game-sense is an absolute must here, and a great lurker can change the tide of a round singlehandedly even without scoring a kill.
Pro player examples include ropz, GeT_RiGhT, huNter, and NAF.
Anchor
- Able to operate alone at a bombsite without throwing away an advantage.
- High clutch and game-sense factor.
- Solid aim necessary.
The anchor is almost entirely a CT/defender role and is a tag given to someone whose job it is to hold down the bombsite on their own. The team may often call a strategy that pulls or stacks one bombsite for a push, leaving a single player to guard a large part of the map.
The anchor's job is simple: Don't die. If the enemies line up and push as one, dropping back and setting up with the team for the retake is often the best move. If all else fails and they've got nowhere to go, the anchor will stand their ground and take as many enemies with them as they can.
It's a more passive playstyle but knowledge of the bombsite and how best to approach it is a must.
Pro player examples include Magisk, Jimpphat, b1t, and flameZ.
That's all for now! Stay tuned to esports.gg for more CS2 news and guides.
