Can you play Counter-Strike on Android and iOS?

Counter-Strike

June 25, 2024

Daniel Morris

In Collaboration with Thunderpick

Counter-Strike is one of the biggest esports in the world. However, since its inception back in 1999, it has predominantly remained a PC-exclusive franchise, with only a few notable forays elsewhere. From 1.6 all the way to CS2, we’re answering the question: can you play Counter-Strike on Android and iOS?

Can you play CS2 on Android and iOS?

Counter-Strike 2 on Android

We can keep it simple with this one – absolutely not. Powered by the Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike 2 requires extremely powerful hardware to run that modern mobile devices still can’t offer. Plus, you can only find the game on Steam, meaning that no, you can’t play Counter-Strike 2 on Android and iOS.

The same goes for CS:GO, too. There’s no way to play CS:GO on Android and iOS – hell, it’s difficult to play CS:GO on PC without a workaround nowadays.

Can you play CS 1.6 on Android and iOS?

Officially, no. Unofficially, the answer is a little murkier. Sadly, iOS is a no-go, as the closed platform doesn’t allow you to install CS 1.6 there. However, you can play CS 1.6 on Android through a complicated series of steps, which we’ll walk you through right here. This is the best method that we found still working in 2024 – the screenshot above is from when we tried to get it working.

First, install CS 1.6 on your PC, and make a new folder on your desktop named “xash“.
Then, copy the folders “cstrike” and “valve” from your CS 1.6 install directory (this may be under “Half-Life” in your Steamapps folder) and paste them into your new “xash” folder.
Move this into your “xash” folder, and connect your Android phone to your PC.
Move the “xash” folder onto your Android phone.
Install “CS16 Client” and “Xash3D FWGS” from the Play Store.
Open “Xash3D FWGS” and load both the “cstrike” and “valve” folders in the app. Allow them to fully install before touching anything, as it won’t work otherwise. Your app should look like this when finished.

You’re almost there! Now, it’s just a case of launching the game from “CS16Client“. You’ll be able to join games online and offline from here, giving you the classic experience of CS 1.6 on Android.