Utility wins rounds. A well-placed smoke shuts down a push before it starts, a pop flash turns a fair duel into a free kill, and a molotov on the bomb buys your team the seconds they need to rotate. This guide covers the five grenade types, how to throw them, and when each one earns its cost.
The Five Grenade Types
CS2 has five grenades. You can carry four total, with a maximum of one of each type except flashbangs, where you can carry two.
- Smoke — $300. Blocks line of sight for roughly 20 seconds. In CS2, smokes are volumetric and react to bullets and HE grenades, which can punch temporary holes through them. Carry limit is one.
- Flashbang — $200. Blinds and deafens anyone looking at it for up to 5 seconds. You can carry two. Turn away to reduce the effect.
- HE grenade — $300. Deals up to 98 damage to unarmored opponents and about 57 to armored ones at point-blank range. Carry limit is one.
- Molotov (T) / Incendiary (CT) — $400 / $500. Creates a burning area that damages roughly 40 HP per second and slows players. The molotov burns for about 7 seconds, the incendiary for about 5.5. A smoke landing on fire extinguishes it instantly.
- Decoy — $50. Mimics the sound of your primary weapon and explodes for 5 HP at the end of its 15-second life. Counts toward your 4-grenade total but does not share a slot with other types.
Throw Mechanics
CS2 has three throw types:
- Left-click is the long throw. Maximum distance, used for cross-map smokes and deep flashes.
- Right-click is the short underhand lob. Lands close to your feet, used for close-range molotovs and self-flashes.
- Both-click is the medium throw. Useful for precise mid-range placements.
Movement affects throws. Running forward adds distance, running backward reduces it. Standing still gives the most consistent results for lineups. Jumping extends maximum range and is essential for jump-throw lineups.
Smoke Lineups
A lineup is a repeatable throw from a fixed position that lands a smoke on a specific sightline. Learning even a handful per map makes a real difference. To practice:
- Start a local server with sv_cheats 1
- Enable sv_infinite_ammo 1 for unlimited grenades
- Use cl_grenadepreview 1 to see the projected flight path while holding a grenade
- Use sv_grenade_trajectory_prac_trailtime 10 to keep thrown trails visible
- Bind sv_rethrow_last_grenade to a key to repeat your last throw
- Use noclip to fly around and check exactly where the grenade lands
Since the August 2024 update, Valve blocks single-key jump-throw binds on official servers. Manual jump throws are consistent enough in CS2 thanks to the sub-tick input system. Hold the throw button, jump, and release at the peak.
Flash Techniques
A pop flash detonates the instant it enters an enemy's field of view, giving them no time to turn away. Bounce the flash off a wall so it pops around the corner. Aim for head height. Time your peek to be instant as the flash pops.
To avoid self-flashes, throw the flash behind you and turn to peek as it pops. If the flash indicator appears on screen, turn away immediately.
Communicate flash throws to teammates. Call "flashing [location]" so they can look away. A full-blind teammate is worse than no flash at all.
Molotov Usage
Molotovs and incendiaries are area-denial tools. Throw them into common hiding spots before pushing. Use them to delay pushes through chokepoints, buying 5.5 to 7 seconds of stall time. Stack with an HE grenade for additional damage.
After planting, molotov the bomb to deny or delay the defuse. Forces CTs to either extinguish with a smoke or wait the fire out. Combined with a smoke over the bomb, this creates a powerful stall.
Utility Economy
In a full buy, the standard competitive loadout is smoke, two flashes, and a molotov or incendiary. That fills all four slots. On eco rounds, one or two smokes can be used for fakes or post-plant chances. Save at least one smoke and one flash for the execute or retake phase.
Practice
Workshop maps like Yprac let you set up smokes, flashes, and molotovs and simulate bot peeks. Crashz's crosshair and nade training map covers angles and grenades for beginners. Repeat each lineup 10 or more times until it becomes muscle memory.
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