CS2 grenades reference
Five throwables. Half the win condition.
CS2’s volumetric grenades changed how util plays. Smokes carve under bullets, molotovs push smoke up, and decoys still trick low-MMR rotates. Mechanics, costs, and the tactical reason each grenade exists.
HE Grenade
Direct damage. Used to chip multiple enemies for trade-frag setups, finish low-HP players, and momentarily dispel volumetric smokes.
$300Kill +$300- Max damage
- 98 (point-blank, kevlar)
- Radius / area
- ~350 units (about half of a Mirage A site)
- Duration
- ~1.6s fuse · instantaneous detonation
Tactical tips
- Pop-flash and HE pair: HE detonates as flash blinds — opponents take damage AND can't see the trade
- HE through smoke clears smoke briefly (~1 second peek window)
- HE on plant denies defuser — armor reduces damage, so pair with molotov for chip-kill
- Common pre-execute: HE long doors on Inferno, HE truck on Dust 2
Smoke Grenade
Block sightlines. CS2 smokes are volumetric — bullets and HEs carve temporary peek-holes; molotovs push smoke up. Single most strategic grenade.
$300Kill +$300- Max damage
- No damage
- Radius / area
- ~144 units · ~5 player widths
- Duration
- ~18s active · ~1.2s deploy time
Tactical tips
- Block AWP angles before exec (mid window on Mirage, dark on Inferno)
- Bullets through smoke leave a visible peek-hole for ~1 second — counter-peek through it
- Molotov dropped INTO smoke pushes it up, briefly exposing players hiding inside
- One-way smokes still exist in CS2 but are harder than CS:GO due to volumetric edge softness
Flashbang
Blind opponents to enable a peek. Works only if they're facing the flash — turning your back reduces blind time to ~1s.
$200Kill +$300- Max damage
- ~7 (rare splash damage)
- Radius / area
- Direct line-of-sight only
- Duration
- ~1.6s fuse · 1.0–4.0s blind depending on facing
Tactical tips
- Pop-flash: bounce off a wall so it flashes within ~0.2s of becoming visible
- Team flash: throw, your teammate peeks while opponents are blind
- You can carry 2 flashes in CS2 — most pro setups burn both per execute
- Flash audio cue ("flash out") gives opponents ~0.5s to turn — pop-flashes deny that window
Molotov / Incendiary
Area denial. T-side molotovs flush corners, deny defuse, force hostage repositioning. CT-side incendiaries stop entries.
$400Kill +$300- Max damage
- ~40/sec while in fire (no armor reduction)
- Radius / area
- ~210 unit radius · spreads on flat surface
- Duration
- ~7s active · ~2s fuse
Tactical tips
- Throw on plant location to force defuse abandonment (35-40 damage/sec)
- Burn out hidden one-ways: a molly pushes smoke UP, exposing players inside
- Molly + smoke combo: smoke covers angle, molly behind smoke catches anyone repositioning
- CT incendiary on Mirage A connector / Inferno apartments stops entry trains
Decoy Grenade
Misinformation. Plays a fake shooting cycle (matches the weapon type of whichever you bound). Used to fake site execute, force rotation.
$50Kill +$300- Max damage
- ~25 on direct impact (rare meme kills)
- Radius / area
- Audio cue radius (~600 units in stereo HRTF)
- Duration
- ~15s of cycling fake gunshot audio
Tactical tips
- Decoy site B → push site A. CT rotates the wrong way
- Decoys play the audio of whichever PRIMARY you have at throw — AK decoy sounds like a real T pushing
- In CS2, decoys also light up briefly on radar, reinforcing the fake
- Cheapest grenade — buy on saves, throw aggressively
How many do I need?
Standard utility loadouts.
T-side execute (full-buy)
2 smokes + 1 flash + 1 molly + (optional HE). $1,200 in util.
CT-side anchor (full-buy)
1 smoke + 1 flash + 1 incendiary + (optional HE). $1,200 in util.
CS2 caps your throwable inventory at 4 grenades, with at most 2 flashes. Decoys are typically only bought on saves (cheap distractor) or pre-coordinated fakes.
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