25 Years of Counter-Strike: THE Documentary [Doc, 2025, CS 1.6, Source, CS:GO, CS2]

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Counter-Strike is a cult game that has shaped the gaming world for 25 years. Starting as a simple Half-Life mod in 1999, it evolved into a global esports phenomenon. This documentary looks back at the milestones, the community, and the evolution of CS – from its chaotic beginnings through Counter-Strike 1.6 to Counter-Strike 2. Discover how a tactical shooter concept made history.

For 25 years, Counter-Strike has been played, and the success of the initial Half-Life modification is incredible: millions of people play CS, and professional players can now even make a living from it. We look back at 25 years of Counter-Strike – at the beginnings and the first beta versions, when no one knew how big it would eventually become. At its peak with Counter-Strike 1.6, the rivalry with Counter-Strike: Source, and the less successful Counter-Strike: Condition Zero.

We also explore the transition to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and its rise to one of the most popular esports titles in the world: every year, thousands of people flock to the Lanxess Arena for the IEM in Cologne to cheer on the best Counter-Strike players globally. Naturally, Counter-Strike 2 is also a topic in the documentary.

We mustn’t forget what makes Counter-Strike special: the clans, the community, the subculture. The Counter-Strike community is creative, as it has proven time and again – whether through creating new maps, fragmovies, or full CS films like A Gamer's Day or The Cheat Report. The documentary also covers LAN parties.

25 Years of Counter-Strike: THE Documentary was created by Tobias "MC_T" Frey and is completely ad-free.

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Featured in 25 Years of Counter-Strike: THE Documentary are the following legends:

  • Minh "gooseman" Le (Counter-Strike-Erfinder)
  • Fatih "gob b" Dayik (mousesports - BIG Clan)
  • Emil "HeatoN" Christensen (SK.swe - Ninjas in Pyjamas)
  • Filip "NEO" Kubski (PENTAGRAM - ESC Gaming - FaZe Clan)
  • Abdisamad "SpawN" Mohamed (SK.swe - Ninjas in Pyjamas)
  • Jonas "Johnny R." Bollack (mousesports - a-Losers)
  • Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund (fnatic - SK Gaming)
  • Michael "neo" Mitrega (mousesports - a-Losers)
  • Navid "Kapio" Javadi (mousesports - ALTERNATE aTTaX - CGN Esports)
  • Nikola "NiKo" Kovač (Falcons - G2 - FaZe)
  • Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač (G2 Esports)
  • Dan "apEX" Madesclaire (Team Vitality)
  • Jan "mooN" Stolle (ALTERNATE aTTaX - TAMM)
  • Danny "fRoD" Montaner (compLexity - u5)
  • Patrik "cArn" Sättermon (fnatic)
  • Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo (compLexity - SK - FURIA)
  • David "CHEF-KOCH" Nagel (ALTERNATE aTTaX - HFD)
  • Benjamin "paN" von Mulert (ALTERNATE aTTaX - SK)
  • Manuel "approx" Zeitz (ALTERNATE aTTaX - mousesports)
  • Benjamin "Kane" Reichert (Schroet Kommando)
  • Ralf "Griff" Reichert (Gründer ESL und Schroet Kommando)
  • Michele "zonixx" Köhler (mousesports - BIG Clan)
  • Philipp "hazz" Mohr (mortal Teamwork)
  • Taki "Scorp" Lau (TAMM - mTw - SK)
  • Christian "puCSt" Pust (mousesports - Schroet Kommando)
  • Cengiz "django" Tüylü (mousesports)
  • Jan "Swani" Müller (G2 Esports - FURIA - ALTERNATE aTTaX)
  • Ádám "torzsi" Torzsás (mousesports)
  • Melanie "beyoNd*" Gutsche (Catz, ALTERNATE aTTaX, mousesports)
  • Louise "AurorA" Thomsen (Les Seules - SK.Ladies)
  • Marc "silent" Wachsmuth (OCRANA.ATI - Team64.AMD)
  • Michael "kaLa" Weickert (Videoproducer Neo - The One, mousesports-Videos)
  • Oliver "hossa" Keller (mTw - ALTERNATE aTTaX)
  • Denis "denis" Howell (mousesports - Sprout - esport player foundation)
  • Christian "Lenz" Lenz (BIG - mousesports - esport player foundation)
  • Timo "Spiidi" Richter (mousesports - Sprout - ALTERNATE aTTaX)
  • Alexander "TheSlash" Müller (SK Gaming - ESL)
  • Markus "CountFloyd" Klinge (Erfinder des PODBots)
  • Dominic "slam" Sommersperger (E-Sports-Kommentator)
  • Duncan "Thorin" Shields (E-Sports-Journalist)
  • Chris Fries (Sprecher FBI-Team in CS:GO)

Dive deeper into Counter-Strike’s history with our interactive timeline: CS History Timeline. From the first beta versions to today – all at a glance! Plus: Level up your game with our Counter-Strike 2 Binds Generator. Customize your controls and gain the edge you need to dominate!