9 Easy Steps to Start Your Pro Career in CS:GO

So, you have decided to become a professional esports athlete and nothing can change this intention. Or, you are considering this career due to your powerful connection to all things Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In any case, this guide on the DMarket blog will show you a path to esports glory.

Please, take any advice from this article and from any other source with a grain of salt. In fact, no one knows your perfect way to an esports career, as it’s only yours to discover and explore. Follow your dreams, but listen carefully to tips on how to get into esports - these thoughts and ideas may unlock new understandings in your mind and boost your progress.

Step 1. Develop Your Skills

This may sound like an obvious thing to say, and still, this step is super significant. No one can avoid it if they are looking for an answer on how to join a professional gaming team.

You should love CS:GO and be an efficient player. Practice lots and constantly try out new things in the game. Find your weaknesses and put all your effort into overcoming them. Find your strengths and work on them even harder to reach that level of perfection.

Consistency is crucial here. This doesn’t mean to play without breaks. Regular playing sessions should come with regular rest in order to save you from burnout.

Get all the possible information from our guides on how to get better at CS:GO. and then try those tips in practice. For example, check out the article How to Become a Global Elite Rank in CS:GO and other posts on the DMarket blog.

Step 2. Adjust the Game for Your Needs

The “vanilla” condition of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a perfect starting point for most players. However, while you are progressing, some aspects of the game may feel uncomfortable: perhaps the mouse settings create unnecessary obstacles in CS:GO gameplay, the crosshair is not of the right color and size, or the computer performance doesn’t allow you to realize your full potential.

Many of these inconveniences can be solved through the game settings menu, launch options, or console commands. Follow the links to get more information, but don’t get stuck in adjusting your settings for too long. The ultimate goal of this process is to find your perfect condition when playing the game, not be in the process of constant changes.

Step 3. Learn from the Best

Watch professional esports tournaments and absorb various tricks from top-players. It’s not the same as reading guides and watching tutorials - on CS:GO Majors everything happens too fast to explain every detail, but if you know the game well, you will feel the level of greatness in each episode.

Try not to follow one specific team. Watch different matches to learn from all sorts of playing styles. Listen to comments and watch aftermatch analytics so you don’t miss anything significant and to remember the most brilliant moments - they can offer very good CS:GO tips.

Be careful with comparing yourself to others. Everyone is unique, and you just can’t be a copy of someone else. Watch tournaments and then let that subtle knowledge bloom into amazing practical skills.

Being part of an esports organization means to be in the spotlight. Fans want to have direct interactions with pro-players, so start your Twitter or Instagram and share your thoughts on the CS:GO esports scene and on your own successes.

Don’t expect to get fans on the second day of your social activity. At the early stage, your goal is to find like-minded people and attract the attention of industry personalities. The first will help you to form a team. The second will open opportunities - at least by offering advice on how to join esports.

Keep these social accounts professional to the max. Too much personal stuff may ruin your reputation.

Step 5. Stream Your Games

Let people see how you play. Your streams on Twitch or YouTube will form your initial fan base and (again) attract the attention of industry professionals.

Stream only some of your games. The goal is to build an esports career, not become a streamer. If you comment on the game to viewers, you might distract yourself from the process. Make a schedule of streams and follow it. Be stylish - it’s important to look nice both in front of the camera, and also for your character to look nice in virtuality. Create your wow-appearance with the most beautiful cosmetic items, it’s quite a powerful tool to impress viewers. If you have nothing great in your inventory, buy CS:GO skins on DMarket.

Step 6. Earn in CS:GO

You need to invest many hours in the game before you will really be able to earn as an esports pro. Also, you need to invest quite a lot of money in your equipment before a team and sponsors will purchase anything for you. Still, you can start earning in the game here and now, even if this won’t be a professional gamer salary.

Activate advertisements on your YouTube/Twitch channel - you need to have many views to get good money from ads. Sell CS:GO skins on DMarket - if you play a lot, you already have your inventory filled with skins you don’t really use, so they can be converted into cash.

Starting to earn in the game is a significant step. After all, this possibility distinguishes professionals from amateurs.

Step 7. Find Your Team

You can’t win tournaments with random people. You have to play with the same teammates again and again - to develop perfect harmony in communications and to bring into matches various strategies where everyone is in their place and knows what to do. CS:GO is not a single-player game. Your team may change in the future, but you will have the precious experience of being a team player.

Also, find a coach for your team. Those men staying behind players on esports events are not for nothing, you know. Coaches see the team and games from outside, coordinate players, give advice, and just lead their guys to victories. The role of a coach is crucial for any team’s success. A professional coach knows for sure how to become a pro gamer.

Step 8. Participate in Every Tournament Possible

Stop wondering how to become a professional gamer and just become a CS:GO pro. You have to move from planning to action. Lots of CS:GO tournaments happen regularly. Take your time and find them on the Internet. Don’t look for something special - anything will do. Esports events even with no prize money is a chance to prove yourself or at least to practice in action.

Let’s not look for words powerful enough to express the importance of this step. Everything before is just preparation. Consider it a portal to a new level of your career and don’t hesitate to use it with every possibility.

Step 9. Stay Healthy

Develop a healthy attitude to CS:GO from the very beginning and this power will remain with you for many years. Take regular breaks between playing sessions to let your mind and your body rest. Sleep well to be in top condition during matches. Eat healthy food and take regular exercises to become a decent role-model for your future fans.

Take care of your mental health as well. Burnout is a totally real threat in the professional esports industry. Life is not limited to CS:GO, so find a hobby, go for a walk in nature, or just do nothing time after time. Your physical and mental health make you much more efficient in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Take an example from pro teams, such as Astralis, who pay enough attention to training beyond the game itself.

Whatever steps you take to grow as a CS:GO professional, never separate the process from your goal. If you think only about glory and money, you risk missing many links that connect the current you with your future success. Everything you do on the way should be the same pleasant as the results you want to achieve in the end. Otherwise, the destination is not worth the journey. Not everyone is ready to be a champion, but if you feel the power inside, it will crash through all the obstacles. Good Luck!

In regular games, resolution might doesn’t matter, but in million-dollar competitions, players want to get every advantage they can get, and even a 5% increase can make a difference. Check out the best resolutions for CS:GO in our article.

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