Game-Breaking Bugs and Updates in CS:GO

Throughout CS:GO history, various bugs and updates have made a lasting impression on players. 

While some of these bugs and updates were unfair and definitely abused, they make for some memorable throwbacks for the game.

The R8 update that broke the game

The R8 update was a game-breaking update added with CS:GO’s Winter Update in 2015. With base damage at 115, players could kill an enemy with one shot to the chest, instantly making the R8 revolver the most powerful gun in the game.

Along with its overpowered stats, the R8 had many bugs as well. Players could waste ammo during free time and defuse bombs while right-clicking enemies at the same time. Also, players could hold their left and right mouse buttons to get the accuracy of a channeled mouse one and the speed of a mouse two-shot. 

However, the R8’s abusable stats and bugs would not last very long. With the community outraged and ESL refusing to play on the new update, Valve decided to nerf the unbalanced pistol in a blog post titled “Damage Control”. The nerfs to the R8 were so bad, that fewer and fewer players used the gun over time. While the R8 is rarely used now, there was a point in time when it was the most powerful gun in CS:GO history.

The infamous train update

In December 2014, the Train map was reintroduced to CS:GO. This was the first time in the game’s history that an existing map would receive a complete update. The map was great and fun for fans to replay in updated graphics, however, Valve made one crucial mistake. 

After the map’s update, players soon found out about the “Bird Boost” bug. This bug was a result of the spawning of pigeons that were included in the updated map. These pigeons actually had hitboxes that players could use to jump on top of and enter the map with. 

If used correctly, players would be allowed clear vision into the A bombsite for the player using the bug. After Valve became aware of the bug and its unfair advantage, they quickly patched it and set up a mural in memory of this funny and game-breaking moment in CS:GO history. 

The spawn teleport glitch

In 2016, a new glitch had appeared in the CS:GO community. This bug was known as the spawn teleport glitch. The bug gave an unfair advantage to players as it would allow them to spawn in the sky. 

If a player disconnected from their game, then reconnected while spamming their spectate key bind, they would find themselves spawned in a random location stuck in the sky. This bug would then give the player a clear vantage point over other players moving on the map.

Mirage wallhack

This bug exploit had been found by the CS:GO community back in 2020 and existed in the Mirage map. Players could use this bug and get stuck inside a wall in Mirage. 

The player could use their S and shift key to get backward on the stair in the ladder room in Mirage. Since the brush there is too big, it allows players to go through the wall.

Invisible ledgebug

The invisible ledge bug was an older bug discovered in 2014. On the Dust2 map, players would crouch jump using their CTRL + Space button then hold their W key forward. 

The player would then be high up on an invisible ledge giving them a clear view of players below them.

Spawn 'anywhere' glitch

This bug was found recently by the cheating community for CS:GO. This exploit allows players to teleport to the default camera position using a bot when reconnecting on freeze time. This bug even works on any server including valve competitive and wingman. 

The glitch can even be replicated without additional software. Players are able to plant on sites where enemies do not have access. Respawn changes the sign-on state which allows the player to reconnect but not exactly since the server still thinks the player is there. However, on the player’s screen, it is reconnecting.

Vertigo CT molly bug 

Found recently by the CS:GO community, this bug allows players to throw a molotov cocktail, or molly for short, over a certain spot on the map Vertigo. The molly then bugs through the ground and burns the entrance to the B stairs.

The bug has since been patched by Valve.