Counter-Strike vs Day of Defeat
Counter-Strike is an FPS strategy game from Valve (2000) while Day of Defeat is an FPS strategy game from Valve (2003).
Quick answer: Counter-Strike rates higher, 8.8 to 7.6 on the GamingPickz Score, and Day of Defeat is the cheaper at $4.99.
What each one is
Counter-Strike is filed under FPS and Strategy. In contrast, Day of Defeat under FPS and Strategy.
Play the world's number 1 online action game. Engage in an incredibly realistic brand of terrorist warfare in this wildly popular team-based game. Ally with teammates to complete strategic missions. Take out enemy sites. Rescue hostages. Your role affects your team's success. Your team's success affects your role.
Enlist in an intense brand of Axis vs. Allied teamplay set in the WWII European Theatre of Operations. Players assume the role of light/assault/heavy infantry, sniper or machine-gunner class, each with a unique arsenal of historical weaponry at their disposal. Missions are based on key historical operations.
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Counter-Strike is considered one of the most influential first person shooters in history. The series has a large competitive community and has become synonymous with first person shooters. As of August 2011 , the Counter-Strike franchise has sold over 25 million units. (Wikipedia)
Plot
A player takes cover behind rubble in order to avoid enemy fire. Day of Defeat's initial retail offering included fifteen maps, each depicting different scenarios with variation in size and thematic locations. These often drew inspiration from historical World War II battles, such as the battle at Omaha Beach and street-fighting in the Italian city of Salerno during Operation Avalanche . (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Day of Defeat received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . IGN praised the game for its use of narrow spaces to stimulate the game's "relentless pacing", and GameSpy spoke highly of its attention to detail. Reviewers also praised Day of Defeat for its promotion of teamwork through purposefully tight corridors that force players to cooperate, lest they be killed by an enemy outside their field… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Counter-Strike | Day of Defeat | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.8/10 | 7.6/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 261,499) | Very Positive (90%, 7,365) |
| Critic aggregate | 88/100 | 79/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | $4.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2000 | 2003 |
| Developer | Valve | Valve |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Counter-Strike vs Day of Defeat, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Counter-StrikeFPS strategy gameDay of DefeatFPS strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Counter-StrikeAction, FPS, ShooterDay of DefeatFPS, World War II, ShooterThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Counter-Strike ✓Score 8.8 · 97% on Steam · 88 criticDay of DefeatScore 7.6 · 90% on Steam · 79 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Counter-Strike261,499 reviewsDay of Defeat7,365 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Counter-Strike$9.99Day of Defeat ✓$4.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Counter-StrikePlayableDay of DefeatPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueCounter-Strike and Day of Defeat on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Counter-Strike (GamingPickz Score 8.8)
- The cheaper right now: Day of Defeat ($4.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Counter-Strike (261,499 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
ActionFPSMultiplayerShooterClassicTeam-BasedFirst-PersonTactical
Where they differ
Competitive1990'se-sportsPvPSurvivalScore Attack
World War IIWarClass-BasedHistoricalSingleplayerCo-op
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Counter-Strike is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Day of Defeat is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 4 accessibility features for Counter-Strike and 4 for Day of Defeat. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat in scope?
Counter-Strike has drawn 261,499 Steam reviews. Day of Defeat has drawn 7,365 Steam reviews.
Is Counter-Strike or Day of Defeat better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Counter-Strike rates higher (8.8 to 7.6). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Counter-Strike or Day of Defeat?
Day of Defeat is cheaper right now at $4.99, against $9.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Counter-Strike or Day of Defeat?
Counter-Strike rates higher, 8.8 to 7.6 on the GamingPickz Score, and Day of Defeat is the cheaper at $4.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.