Let's practice aiming in offline mode

Global Offensive also offers two offline modes: Offline with Bots, which offers the same game modes with AI-controlled bots; and a Weapons Course, a single player map serving as a tutorial and a training mode.[20]

Global Offensive initially launched with four game modes: Classic Casual, Competitive, Demolition, and Arms Race, and several official maps for each of the game modes. The Deathmatch game mode as well as more official maps, some user-made, were added post-release. The mechanics for the Hostage Scenario were revamped post-release. New weapons, such as the CZ-75 Auto, were added post release. The statistics for the weapons and the layout of the maps were modified post-release for competitive balance.[18]
A screenshot of the user upload process containing a custom made weapon finish for the Desert Eagle

Cosmetic items, such as weapon finishes, were added on August 13, 2013 in a major update named the "Arms Deal" update. Most cosmetic items are received via game-end drops and opening virtual crates with keys that can be bought through microtransactions, similar to the item drop systems in Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2. These items can also be traded between players through the Steam trading system or the Steam Community Market.[8]

Valve enabled Steam Workshop support for Global Offensive, allowing users to upload user-created content, such as maps, weapon finishes, and custom gameplay scenarios, and subscribe to user-uploaded maps to download them. In previous versions of Counter-Strike, players had to download maps through third party sites or while attempting to connect to a server. The Steam Workshop is controlled by Valve, and they reserve the right to remove content.

Valve supported community map-makers in the form of "operations", which act like expansion packs and require players purchase "operation passes" to play community made maps on Valve's official servers (this does not affect the map being played on community servers), with the exception of Operation Breakout which doesn't require the player to buy a pass. Each operation only lasts a certain amount of time before a new operation is released, requiring players to buy a new pass.[28][29] A portion of the income generated through pass sales is given to the creators of the maps.[30]

Popular user-created weapon finishes will have the chance to be added in the game as official cosmetic items in updates, where they can be received in virtual crates. A portion of the income generated through the sale of keys in order to receive these finishes is given to the creators of the weapon finishes.[8][31]

An October 2014 update added "music kits", which replace the default in-game music with music from nine soundtrack artists commissioned by Valve. If a player with a music kit equipped becomes the round's most valuable player, their music will play for others at the end of the round. There is a feature to allow kits to be borrowed, and kits can be sold and exchanged through the Community Market.[32]

A November 2014 update added 44 campaign multiplayer missions and a "journal" for tracking player statistics.[33]