Counter-Strike 2 item details
| Property | CS2 value |
|---|---|
| Purchasable by | Counter-Terrorists |
| Buy price | $500 |
| Maximum carried | 1 |
| Competitive kill reward | $300 |
| Casual kill reward | $100 |
| Terrorist counterpart | Molotov |
| Fire appearance | Blue edge treatment distinguishes CT fire visually |
Team role and purchase
Only Counter-Terrorists can purchase the Incendiary Grenade. Its Terrorist counterpart is the Molotov, which has a different team assignment and, since the CS2 Fire Sale change, a larger fire-spread area. This makes the two items related but not interchangeable: the team determines which fire grenade is available, and their CS2 coverage differs.
The Incendiary Grenade costs $500 and occupies one grenade carry slot. That purchase competes with the CT’s other utility and protection under the team’s Economy and Buy Menu. A player can use it for area denial, but should consider whether the team also needs a Smoke Grenade, a Flashbang or an HE Grenade for the same round plan.
Impact and fire behavior
The grenade spreads when it strikes a suitable walkable surface at a shallow angle. If it hits a surface that does not meet that condition, it bounces rather than immediately creating fire there. The spreading flames damage players caught in the burning area, including the thrower’s teammates, so the landing point matters even when the goal is to stop an enemy advance.
In CS2 the incendiary fire covers less ground than the Molotov’s fire. The blue flames at the edge of the patch provide a visual distinction from the Terrorist version. The flame pillar also decreases in height over time. Fire creates a temporary hazard and denies the ground it occupies; it does not reveal an enemy’s position after that player leaves the burning area.
Area denial and displacement
Defensively, a CT can throw the grenade into a narrow approach, a route toward a bombsite or a path near a hostage objective to delay a push. The fire can make a close-range rush costly and buy time for teammates to rotate or hold another angle. Because the area is smaller than the Molotov’s in CS2, placement matters: aim to cover the relevant entrance or landing area rather than expect it to block a broad section of the map.
Offensively, the grenade can be thrown into a defensive position to make an opponent leave cover or take damage. This is useful when a defender is holding a doorway or a compact position that the team must clear. Coordinate the throw with teammates so they are ready to challenge the displaced player and do not enter the burning area themselves. The fire pressures space; it does not guarantee an elimination or make a bombsite safe by itself.
Smoke interaction and counterplay
A Smoke Grenade can extinguish the incendiary fire when enough of the burning patch is covered. Fire does not spread inside smoke. A CT or attacker can therefore use smoke to reopen a route rather than wait for the flames to expire, but the smoke itself changes visibility and may create a new timing risk. See Smoke Grenade for the CS2 smoke behavior and its interaction with utility.
When fire blocks a route, opponents can wait for it to clear, answer with a smoke or choose another path. A player should communicate the fire’s location and avoid assuming that it identifies exactly where an opponent is. The item is strongest when its temporary denial supports a team’s timing, site defense or entry; isolated use can spend valuable utility without changing the fight.
CS2 changes
The CS2 Incendiary Grenade costs $500, reduced from $600 in Global Offensive by the May 23, 2024 update. That update also reduced its duration and the area covered by spreading flames, and made the flame pillar shrink over time. Since the Fire Sale change, it has a smaller radius than the Molotov, and blue edge flames distinguish the Counter-Terrorist patch. These are CS2-specific item differences; older edition values should not be substituted for them.
The grenade belongs to the normal CS2 utility system and is available for the Counter-Terrorist side during applicable purchase conditions. Its team restriction, price, one-item carry limit and interaction with smoke are more useful for identifying when it fits a round than treating it as a guaranteed damage tool. Compare it with Molotov for the Terrorist fire option, and Grenades for other utility choices.
Role & availability
Counter-Terrorists buy the Incendiary Grenade from the grenade section of the CS2 Buy Menu. Once it lands, fire spreads across nearby ground and damages players who remain within it. The threat can make an attacker give up a position or delay a push until the flames end.
The Terrorist counterpart is the Molotov. The two grenades fill a related tactical role but belong to different teams. In a round, their use should be coordinated with rifles, armor and other utility so that the team can defend the objective without spending its entire available budget on grenades.
Area denial & counters
Fire controls space by making a path costly to cross. A Counter-Terrorist can throw it into a choke or toward a common entry to slow attackers while teammates reposition. An attacker caught in the flames can retreat, wait or accept damage to keep moving; that choice depends on time and the objective.
A Smoke Grenade can extinguish fire in the area it covers. Smoke therefore gives the opponent a way to contest a blocked route, while also removing visibility through that space. Watch for the smoke response and do not assume that fire will hold an entrance for its entire duration.
Round decisions
The grenade is most useful when it delays a meaningful action: an entry, a plant approach, a retake route or a rotation. Throwing fire into empty space early may leave the team without a way to slow a later push. Communicate the location and allow teammates to cover another lane while the fire controls one.
Fire can pair with a Smoke Grenade to shape sightlines or a Flashbang to contest an opponent forced to move. It does not reveal exactly where an enemy goes after leaving the flames, so use sound and teammate information to update the defense.
CS2 applicability
This page describes the Counter-Terrorist Incendiary Grenade in CS2 and distinguishes it from the Terrorist Molotov. It does not combine earlier editions’ pricing or behavior. Exact values and patch-specific changes remain for dated CS2 verification.
Incendiary detonation in water
The August 3, 2023 Limited Test update fixed a case where Incendiary Grenades failed to detonate in water. This is a dated reliability fix for the grenade’s detonation behavior in that environment. The patch does not specify affected maps or describe a general change to fire duration, damage or water physics.
Incendiary Grenade sound correction (August 1, 2025)
The August 1, 2025 CS2 update corrected the sound played by the Incendiary Grenade. The same note names the Smoke Grenade as receiving a correct-sound fix, while Molotov received its own first-person audio and particle-timing adjustment. No audio event, volume, range or gameplay behavior is specified, so the correction should not be interpreted as changing the weapon’s fire effect or tactical function.