How to Surf in CS:GO - Maps, Servers, Tips

Aditya Singh Rawat
Published On: 14 Feb 2021, 01:26 AM

Surf is a popular game mode in CSGO. After the competitive and casual game modes, it is perhaps one of the most played parts of the game.
Surfing involves sliding along slopes and flying off surfaces to complete a maze as fast as possible.
Check out the basics of surfing, how to surf in CS:GO, surf maps, surf servers, and even some additional surfing tips.

Surfing in CS:GO is very different from the regular gameplay that a player is accustomed to, the game mode is quite unique and there is absolutely no shooting involved. Surf is very popular in CS:GO, it is a game mode in which players basically slide on top of different surfaces with an objective to reach the finish line as fast as possible. There are various ways in which players control themselves, their gliding speed, and other necessary movements across a huge collection of distinct community maps. Surfing might sound easy and maybe even dull, but it is quite addictive and mastering this skill is no joke.

For all those looking to do something different in Counter-Strike and are new to the concept of surfing in CS:GO, we will break everything down and give you guys a good understanding of what surfing is, how to surf, best maps to surf on, tips and tricks for beginners, and everything in between.

How to surf in CS:GO?

The concept of surfing in CS:GO is easy to understand, players have to glide through a maze by sliding on top of surfaces and control their movements both in the air and on the slope. The only things that players need to use while surfing is a mouse and 2 keys, A for moving left and D for moving right.

Here is how you can slide successfully while surfing in CS:GO. When you are on top of a slope, the objective should always be to push against the wall. So if a slope is on your right press D and if it is on your left press A.

While pressing the 2 buttons will help you slide, adjusting the aim with a mouse is also important to maintain the balance while sliding. Always make sure that you point your crosshair in the direction that you want to surf to otherwise, you will lose momentum or simply fall off.

Though it is important to maintain the balance you also need to generate momentum in order to launch your self on to the next surface and move forward through the maze. For this, you will once again have to use your mouse to create an angle and catapult towards the next slope. It is difficult to explain how this mechanism works through words, but now that you know the basics getting a hang of it practically should not take too long.

This is what a CS:GO surf map looks like

How to find CS:GO surf servers?

Now that you understand the concept of surfing in CS:GO along with the basics of both sliding and movement, this is how you can quickly jump into your first CS:GO surf map and start practicing the basics.

First and foremost launch the game and select ‘Play CS:GO’.
Select the ‘Community Server Browser’ option from the drop-down menu.
Type either surf or surfing in the search bar at the bottom and go through all the results.
Servers will indicate how many players are currently playing and it is the most valid metric to measure how popular a particular server is. Click any of the servers from the list, and then press ‘Connect’ to join it.
If it is your first time playing or if it is a new map, the game will automatically start downloading all the required assets so it may take some time to load.
Once all the assets have been loaded and you accept all the server rules which mostly specify the difficulty level of the surf map, you are all set and ready to go.

List of surf servers in CS:GO

How to find CS:GO surf maps?

If you do not feel comfortable practicing online, there is an option to surf offline also. But for this, you would be required to implement some console commands as you will be playing offline and not on a particular server. Apart from this, you can also pick your favorite CS:GO surf maps from the ‘Steam Workshop’ in case you do not like the once available online. For this, users can follow these steps,

Open ‘Steam’ and under the ‘Community’ drop-box click on the ‘Workshop’. This will open the ‘Steam Workshop’.
Then you can enter the filter for ‘CS:GO’ and type ‘Surf’. This will give you a lot of surf maps to choose from.
Now you can simply click on the green-coloured ‘Subscribe’ button to add all the surf maps that you want to try out.
You should then launch the game, open the console, and paste these console commands (Click Here) before trying out any of your selected surf maps.
Once the console commands have been entered, you can click ‘Workshop Maps’ from the drop-down menu, select your favorite map and start surfing.

Steam Workshop - Multiple CS:GO surf maps

Best CS:GO surf maps

Here are some popular and highly recommended CS:GO surf maps that you can try out. They are some of the most common ones which are enjoyed by the community at large.

One of the best looking surf maps in CS:GO - surf_fortum

Tips for surfing better in CS:GO

Once you get the hang of what surfing is and are able to control yourself in-game, then these additional surfing tips can help you further increase your skill and potential.
Strafing into the ramp will push your character forward. Point the mouse in the direction you want to head while you are surfing.
Turning involves strafing in mid-air, in the direction you want to turn. While simultaneously moving your mouse in the same direction. Stop strafing once you start heading in the desired direction.
In order to gain speed, begin at the top of a ramp and move downward while surfing. Keep the mouse relatively steady or you will not gain the desired speed.
Pressing the back key will stop you in mid-air and cause you to immediately fall to the ground below.

Aditya Singh Rawat

Aditya is the in-house CS:GO writer at AFK Gaming. While his understanding of the esports space is not restricted by geographical borders, his current focus lies in the Asian region. Understands and follows almost all major esport titles.

CS:GO How to Surf