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How to Surf in CS:GO — Everything You Need to Know about CS:GO Surfing

Any true CS:GO aficionado worth their salt has spent a few hours here and there dabbling in CS:GO servers. If you are new to the competitive first-person shooter or just need to get a refresher, this guide is meant for you!

In layman’s terms, if you aren’t sure about how to surf in CS:GO, it basically is when you ride an elongated inclined ramp while gaining momentum along the way. These ramps are placed adjacent to each other, wherein you gain speed from one ramp, position yourself accordingly and then jump to the next. Surfing helps your movement, aim placement, and mouse movement. So, it is definitely worth a shot, even if you haven’t tried it before.

It isn’t necessary for competitive gameplay, but it really helps you understand the movement and aiming mechanics of CS:GO. This is because CS:GO surf requires macro control of your movements and aiming mechanics, which, in turn, helps your competitive matches, as CS:GO is all about movement and precision.

How to Get CS:GO Surf

The whole process is quite simple and takes a couple of minutes of your time. You can get to CS:GO surfing via Surf maps selection on Surf Server.

  1. Press “Play CS:GO” when launching the game.

  2. Select “Community Server Browser” in the drop-down menu.

  3. Type “Surf” in the search bar and then choose a server from the list that will be displayed.

How to Surf in CS:GO

Surfing in CS:GO combines the efficacy of strafing with the Source 2 engine’s movement mechanics. Essentially, a ramp with an overall incline of 45.58° or more is surfable. Anything less, and you’ll simply fall off the map.

Before we get to surfing, there are two things you should keep in mind. Firstly, you do not need to jump or crouch when surfing. Secondly, looking straight up or down does not affect your movement speed.

With that out of the way, here’s how to surf in CS:GO:

  1. Jump on the top corner of the incline/ramp.
  2. After doing so, move towards the ramp by pressing the D or A key the same way you would when trying to climb a ramp.
  3. After landing on the ramp, work towards the bottom to gain speed.
  4. Stay towards the bottom edge of the ramp until you see its end on the horizon.
  5. At the end of the ramp, move slightly upwards, and you’ll gain enough momentum to get to the next ramp.

If you are met with an inward-facing ramp, move in the opposite direction of the ramp to stay on it. Otherwise, you’ll fall off the ramp as soon as it starts moving inward.

Note: Pressing the W key while surfing will drastically affect your movement speed. However, you can press the S key at any time to stop mid-air.

How To Find CS:GO Surf Servers

The best CS2 surf maps are often hard to find. Thankfully, CS:GO’s in-built server browser helps ease the process. Here’s how you can use it to find CS surf servers:

  1. Launch CS:GO
  2. Now, click on Play CS:GO
  3. Select the dropdown menu and change it to Official Server Browser
  4. Once there, type in Surf besides Map and then click on Change filters
  5. You’ll now be able to find a list of all Surf servers.

CS:GO Surf Commands

You do not need to enter any CS:GO surfing commands if you will be joining a server. However, if you are hosting one yourself, you will need to enter these commands to be able to surf in the server you have just created. Now, most of these commands need to be used to surf in the first place, such as sv_staminamax, which stops you from receiving a stamina penalty.

On the other hand, some commands, such as sv_accelarate dictate the overall difficulty of your surfing session. Here is the list of CS:GO surf commands:

  • sv_cheats 1: Enables cheats so all other commands work
  • bot_kick 1: Kicks all bots (if present) in the server
  • sv_accelerate 10: Usually the default for overall acceleration in CS surf servers
  • sv_airaccelerate 800: This command lets you accelerate faster in the air. The higher you set it, the easier the map gets
    • Hard: 100
    • Medium: 200
    • Easy: 400
    • Casual: 800
    • Extremely Easy: 1,000
  • sv_staminajumpcost 0: Changes the penalty you receive after jumping
  • sv_staminalandcost 0: Changes what you receive after jumping
  • sv_autobunnyhopping 1: Enabled auto bunny hopping
  • sv_enablebunnyhopping 1: Enabled bunny hopping

So, if you want to surf offline, you can copy and paste these commands:

sv_cheats 1; bot_kick; sv_accelerate 10; sv_airaccelerate 1000; sv_staminajumpcost 0; sv_staminalandcost 0; sv_staminamax 0; sv_autobunnyhopping 1; sv_enablebunnyhopping 1; mp_warmup_end; mp_restartgame 1

CS:GO Surfing Tips

While surfing is easy to learn, it has quite a high skill ceiling, with veteran surfers taking years to hone their craft, beating others with exceptional map times. To get up to speed, here are a few CS:GO surfing tips that we’ve learned over the years.

Tip 1 - Learn How to Board a Ramp

How you board a ramp affects your overall speed. Our tip is to board a ramp at the spine (point bit of the ramp) to avoid bouncing off. Then, before you get to the bottom of the ramp, slowly pull up. If you master this, you’ll notice your speed improving quite a bit.

Tip 2 - Lower Your Sensitivity

Surfing isn’t meant for quick flicks; it requires finesse and precision. Lowering your sensitivity can instantly improve your overall movement. But this begs the question: to what degree do you reduce your sensitivity? A good rule of thumb is to reduce your current sensitivity by 10% and to go down from there until you get to the right figure.

Tip 3 - Pick the Right Maps

Maps are divided into tiers when it comes to surfing. They start from Tier 1 and go up to Tier 8. If you are having trouble with a particular map, drop down a tier or two. This helps nail down the basics and iron out any mechanical errors you might be making before you move to more complex courses.

Tip 4 - Flaunt Your Skins

Alright, let’s be honest; this won’t help your surfing endeavors. But who doesn’t want to look at a gorgeous gun when weaving through surf_summer? An M4A1-S | Leaded Glass, for instance, one of the best cheap CS:GO skins, looks absolutely fantastic when surfing.

Getting your surf game up and running can seriously improve your movement and precision in the actual game. Plus, knowing how to trade skins on DMarket also comes in handy when you hop onto surf servers and end up finding a slick skin that you want for yourself.

All in all, practice makes perfect with surfing. And, with a little bit of patience, you’ll be setting records in no time!


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Eugene Bozhenko image
Eugene Bozhenko
Eugene Bozhenko is an enthusiastic gamer and professional gaming journalist with 14 years of writing experience. Since 2007 he has been a member of the Ukrainian National Union of Journalists. Eugene has experience writing about culture, sports, modern technology and politics but gaming remains his long-term favorite topic.
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