How to cast a Counter-Strike match

Everything from an empty desk to your first live broadcast. Read it top to bottom once, then use the checklist at the end on match day.

1. The job

A caster talks over the match so viewers understand and enjoy what is happening. That's it. Everything else in this guide is in service of that one sentence.

Broadcasts usually split the job into two roles:

• Play-by-play calls what is happening right now. "Two players pushing B through tunnels, NiKo holds the site alone, first shot… he gets one!" Fast, clear, energetic.
• Colour (or analyst) explains why it is happening. "They had to force-buy that round, which is why they're all on SMGs and going together." Calmer, talks mostly between rounds and in freeze time.

If you cast alone you do both. During the round you lean play-by-play, between rounds you lean colour. This is how most people start and it is a perfectly good broadcast.

2. Gear

Start with what you have. Upgrade only what viewers notice, and viewers notice audio far more than anything else.

Mic position matters more than mic price. Keep it a hand's width from your mouth, slightly off to the side so your breath doesn't hit it directly.

3. OBS setup

OBS Studio is free, runs everywhere and is what almost every caster uses. One evening of setup, then it just works.

Scenes and sources

1. Create a scene called Match.
2. Add a Game Capture source (Windows) or Window Capture (Mac/Linux) pointed at CS2. Set CS2 to borderless windowed at your stream resolution so the capture stays clean.
3. Add an Audio Input Capture source for your microphone.
4. Make sure Desktop Audio is on so the game sound goes out. Keep it at around −20 dB so your voice always sits on top.
5. Add a small Text or Image source in a corner with your name and the tournament name. Keep it small. The game is the content.
6. Optionally create a Starting soon and a Be right back scene with a single image. You'll use them more than you think.

Mic filters

Right-click your mic source, choose Filters, and add these in this order:

1. Noise Suppression (RNNoise). Removes fan and keyboard noise.
2. Noise Gate. Closes the mic when you're not speaking. Start with close threshold −40 dB, open threshold −35 dB.
3. Compressor. Evens out the difference between your calm voice and your "HE GETS THE ACE" voice. Ratio 4:1, threshold −18 dB is a fine start.

Output settings

Do a private test stream for ten minutes and watch it back. Check that your voice is clearly louder than the game and that nothing is clipping.

4. Getting the match feed

You need to see the match in a way you can broadcast. There are three common ways, and the tournament decides which one you get.

Option A: Join GOTV yourself

GOTV (also called CSTV in CS2) is Counter-Strike's built-in spectator broadcast. The organiser gives you an address and a password. In the CS2 console you type:

password casterpass
connect 203.0.113.10:27020

You are now a spectator in the match with your own camera. A few tips:

• GOTV runs with a delay, typically 90 to 120 seconds, so nobody can use your stream to cheat. That's normal.
• Number keys jump between players. Space toggles free camera. spec_show_xray 1 shows players through walls, which viewers expect on a broadcast.
• If you're casting alone, turn on the auto director with spec_autodirector 1 for the first few casts. It picks a reasonable camera so you can focus on talking. Take over manually when you're comfortable.
• Turn off your own HUD clutter: bind a key to cl_drawhud 0 and back if you ever need a clean screenshot.

Option B: Restream an observer feed

Bigger events have a dedicated observer and give co-streamers a clean video feed with no commentary. You add it to OBS as a Browser or Media Source, mute the original audio if there is any, and talk over it. This is the easiest option: no in-game camera work at all.

Option C: Watch the official stream

Some organisers allow you to put their official stream in your OBS and cast over it. Only do this if the rules explicitly say so, and always keep the official casters muted.

5. Casting rights

You need the organiser's permission to broadcast a match. This sounds scary and is usually a two-minute conversation.

• Community cups and small leagues are mostly thrilled that anyone wants to cast. Join their Discord, find the admin, say "I'd like to cast, here's my channel". They'll hand you the GOTV details.
• Semi-pro qualifiers and mid-size events often have a co-streaming form on their website, or a dedicated Discord channel for co-stream requests. Apply a week or more in advance and expect to show a short sample of you casting anything.
• Tier-one events (the big ones you see on the front page of ViewYourTeam) have formal co-streaming programmes. Some are open to everyone with a few rules, others are invite only. Read their co-streaming guidelines; they're usually published on the event site.

Common rules you'll be asked to follow, whatever the size of the event:

• Name the tournament in your stream title and don't pretend to be the official broadcast.
• Don't run ads or sponsors that clash with the event's partners unless you've agreed to it.
• Respect the stream delay. Never leak information from a lower delay to players.
• Keep it respectful. You are, in a small way, representing the event.

Our tournament list tells you for each event exactly who to ask and how. Start there.

6. Going live

Twitch is where most CS viewers are; YouTube is fine too and keeps VODs forever. Kick has a growing CS audience and pays better revenue share, so it's worth considering if you're already building a following there. Either works, pick the one you already use.

• Title: tournament name, teams, and the stage. "ExampleCup Finals: Team A vs Team B, community cast" beats "playing cs lol".
• Category: Counter-Strike. Add tags like esports, casting and the tournament name.
• Go live early. Ten minutes before the match, on your "Starting soon" scene, talking through the lineups. It gives you time to spot problems and lets people find you.
• Tell the organiser your link so they can share it. Many list community streams on their site or Discord.
• Check for platform exclusivity. Some co-streaming programmes require a specific platform (often Kick) or forbid simulcasting to more than one. Read the rules before you go live, not after.
• Read chat between rounds, not during them. A quick "yes, GOTV has a delay, that's normal" saves you answering it forty times.

7. Preparation

Fifteen minutes of preparation is the difference between a cast that sounds like a fan on the couch and one that sounds like a broadcast. Before the match, write down:

• Both rosters, with how to pronounce every name. Check clips of other casts if unsure.
• Each team's recent results and current ranking. ViewYourTeam has rankings, rosters and match history for exactly this.
• The map pool and, once the veto is done, which maps are played and who picked them.
• One storyline. "Team A lost to Team B two weeks ago, tonight's the rematch." You'll come back to it all night.
• Two or three facts per player: their role, their signature weapon, one recent highlight.

Keep the notes on a second screen or a piece of paper. You'll glance at them during freeze time.

8. How to talk

The craft. All of this comes with repetition, but knowing what to aim for shortens the road.

During the round

• Say names, not "he". "ropz finds the first pick" tells the viewer something. "He gets one" doesn't.
• Set the round up in the first ten seconds. Who has what money, where the CTs are set, what the T side seems to want.
• Call what's on screen. If the camera is on a player, talk about that player. Viewers get lost when your words and the picture disagree.
• Match the game's volume. Quiet mid-round, louder as the fight starts, top volume for a big moment, then bring it back down. Constant shouting is exhausting and makes the big moments smaller.
• Let the clutch breathe. In a 1v3 you don't need to fill every second. "One against three, he has thirty seconds" and then let it play.

Between rounds

• Explain the economy in one sentence. "Full buy on both sides, this one matters."
• Recap what just happened and why it worked, then look forward.
• Bring back your storyline and your player facts here, never during a firefight.

Things to avoid

• Filler words. "Uhm", "like", "kind of", "obviously". Record yourself and count them. It's painful and it works.
• Criticising players harshly. Analyse decisions, don't insult people.
• Reading chat mid-round or reacting to trolls out loud.
• Apologising for your setup. Nobody cares, and pointing it out makes it noticeable.

9. Casting with a partner

A duo cast is easier than a solo cast once you've done it a few times: one person always has something to say. Set it up like this:

1. Agree who is play-by-play and who is colour. Stick to it for the whole match.
2. Talk over a Discord call. Both of you join GOTV or watch the same observer feed, so you see the same thing.
3. One person streams. They capture Discord audio in OBS (on Windows, an Application Audio Capture source for Discord is cleanest) and their own mic.
4. Use hand-offs. Play-by-play finishes the round, then says "…and that's why the eco worked out, [name]?" and the colour caster takes over. Simple cues stop you talking over each other.
5. Never both talk during a fight. If it happens, the play-by-play caster wins and the other stops immediately.

10. Practice

Casting improves with reps, and you don't need a tournament for reps.

• Cast a demo. Download a pro match demo, mute everything, and cast it out loud into a recording. Ten of these will change how you sound.
• Cast your friends' matches. Their FACEIT or matchmaking games via demo, or a scrim via GOTV. They'll love it and you'll learn to cast unknown players.
• Listen back to yourself. Once per cast, for twenty minutes. Note three things to fix, then move on. Don't spiral.
• Watch pro casters with a purpose. Pick one thing, like how they set up a round, and listen only for that.
• Cast small events regularly. One community cup every week or two beats one big event every three months. Consistency also gets you noticed by organisers.

11. Match-day checklist

Print it, tick it, go live.

An hour before

• Rosters, rankings and storyline written down
• GOTV details or observer feed link received and tested
• Stream title, category and tags set
• Organiser has your stream link

Fifteen minutes before

• OBS open, "Starting soon" scene live, private test recording checked
• Mic level peaking around −12 dB, game audio around −20 dB
• Discord call up if you cast with a partner
• Water within reach, door closed, phone silent

After the match

• Thank the organiser and the teams on stream
• Save the VOD and note the timestamp of your best and worst moment
• Send the organiser your stream analytics (peak and average viewers, watch time)
• Tell the organiser you'd like to cast again