How To Surf in CSGO

Toby Marshall
6 June 2022
How To Surf in CSGO

Have you ever been watching – or even playing in a CSGO game or event and wondered how and why there is a player that seems to glide effortlessly around certain parts of the map? Well, what you have just witnessed is one of the weirdest offspring CSGO game modes, surf. This is where players ride the waves of triangular ramps in a scenario where the ‘floor is lava’…

The main issue with CSGO surf gameplay is that, when done right, it can look like the easiest thing in the world. But, the reality is very, very different. A professional CSGO surfer can float through the mode’s trickiest and most convoluted maps easily. They have learned every single turn they need to make and calculated the exact speed needed to make every gap. 

Conversely, more inexperienced players often find themselves over-compensating on a particularly sharp turn, pressing on the wrong buttons etc, which will result in a loss of speed… and a fast track back to the start.

Surf Game Modes

There are two main popular Surf game modes. Firstly, the most popular of the two is Skill Surf. This is where a player races to get the quickest time to complete the course. The other is Combat Source, where players have to fight each other as they surf around the map. The secret to succeeding in either of these Surf modes is quite simple – practice. Practice, along with picking up tips and tricks will help you take those steps to become a master surfer – no waves required.

How to Surf in CSGO?

When you get started, the principles of CSGO surf gameplay are pretty straightforward. If you are on the left side of the platform, press D. If you are on the right side, press A. Whatever happens, no matter where you are, never press W. Essentially, what you are doing is simply falling through the levels, sustained by climbing the ramps that you move across the map. Theoretically, you could use W to move through levels. However, you would need to look directly at the ramp, which wouldn’t be helpful at all.

That being said, it isn’t as easy as just holding down A or D – if only. Many surf maps will need you to build up more momentum to bridge any gaps between the platforms. The important thing is to start at the top of the ramp, then look to the bottom edge and progressively move down – this is how you start to build up speed. You then remain at the bottom of the ramp until just before the end. You then move a tiny amount back up the ramp in order to gain enough air to make the gap over to the next ramp.

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If the ramp is either straight or just slightly curved then, depending on what side you are on, you should either keep on holding either A or D. However, if there is a sharper turn, then you might be better to let it go – or possibly even hold the opposite key to prevent yourself hurtling over the top edge of the ramp.

Practise Makes Perfect

When asking how to play CSGO surf, the answer is… practice makes perfect. It might take a little time to master the basic fundamentals. However, when you have, you will be able to surf away to your heart’s content. The toughest part after that – and this is what separates the wheat from the chaff, the enthusiasts from the surf champions, is the ability to master the different levels.

Just as with any other platform or racing game, it is all well and good to know what you should be doing, but to become a master, you need to know it all off by heart. So, let’s look at some of the best courses to get you ready to surf CSGO style!

The Best CSGO Surf Maps

You have two options for accessing CSGO surf maps. Your first option is to go through the CSGO community workshop. Here, you can play on your own offline, or alternatively, you could use the community server browser to look for other new maps or play along with other players online.

Surf_Beginner & Surf_Rookie

Two of the best maps if you’re a beginner and new to the idea of surfing the CSGO waves are the aptly named surf_beginner and surf_rookie maps. These are both readily available in the Steam Community Workshop. The first of these is the one you should head over to first as this will teach you the basics of jumping, sharp turns, transfers and hurdles. Then, when you have mastered that, download surf_rookie which will take you further forward in your training, with more complex stages and a wider variety of challenges to have a go at.

Surf_Whiteout

Once you feel confident that you have mastered the beginner maps and you feel like you have got the hang of it then you can try something a little more fun! If you are one of these players that used to love the extreme sports era of online gaming then this might be the one for you. Surf_whiteout is 1080 snowboarding inspired -and it will be right up your street.

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Surf For Points I-IV

Surf For Points is a series of games that introduces a whole new level of challenges to the popular CSGO surfing format. Players play to see who can collect the most tokens before they run out of time. There are four neon maps and each one contains silver, gold and diamond tokens which award one, two or five points respectively. The better you are at surfing, the more points you can pick up!

Surf_Egypt2

This game was created and developed by the inventor of CSGO – Charles ‘Mariowned’ Joyce. This map places you, as you may well have guessed by the name, amongst the sandy landscape of the Egyptian pyramids. Unlike many of the other maps, on this one, you will find yourself surfing over all sorts of different surfaces – stairs, sandy cliffs and even the pyramids themselves! This is a tricky course that will keep you occupied for quite some time!

Using the CSGO Surf Browser

If you are looking to surf with or against or with other players, your best way to do so is via the community server browser. In order to do this, head over to the Play section, then click on the drop-down menu on the top right of the screen and click on Community Server Browser.

You will then be greeted with a screen that will allow you to join in games, use the search filter or pick your choice from your favourite servers. If you are looking to play a more traditional CSGO surf game then simply type in ‘skill surf’ into the tag section at the bottom of your screen. You will need to make sure you select the difficulty that is right for you, which is marked by the tier in the game. The higher the number, the tougher it will be.

So, there you go! Now you know how to surf CSGO – and where to find the best maps to learn and test out your newly found surfing skills. This can be a little tricky to master at first but when you learn the basics, you’ll be surfing your way to stardom at wipeout speed!

Author Toby Marshall