Counter-Strike 2 weapon specifications
| Property | CS2 value |
|---|---|
| Buy price | $700 |
| Magazine / reserve | 7 / 21 rounds |
| Damage | 53 |
| Fire mode / rate | Semi-automatic · 267 rounds per minute |
| Reload time | 2.2 seconds |
| Armor penetration | No CS2-specific value separately labeled in the retrieved record |
| Penetration power | 200% |
| Range modifier | 0.85 |
| Running speed | 230 units/s |
| Kill reward | $300 Competitive · $150 Casual |
Damage by hitbox (CS2 and Global Offensive)
| Hitbox | Unarmored | Armored |
|---|---|---|
| Head | 205 | 191 |
| Chest and arms | 52 | 49 |
| Stomach and pelvis | 65 | 61 |
| Legs | 39 | 39 |
High damage and deliberate accuracy
The Desert Eagle is a semi-automatic pistol with a seven-round magazine. Its CS2 hitbox record lists 205 damage to an unarmored head and 191 through armor, enough to eliminate a full-health helmeted opponent with a headshot. Body damage is 65/61 to the stomach and pelvis, 52/49 to chest and arms, and 39 to the legs. Two or three body hits can finish an opponent, but misses consume a large fraction of the magazine.
The pistol’s 53 base damage, 75% armor penetration and 200% penetration power give it a stronger wall-penetration role than most sidearms. Its accurate single shot can challenge longer sightlines, but the rate of fire is only 267 rounds per minute. The Wiki lists 75% armor penetration for older Counter-Strike editions and 93.2% for Global Offensive; it does not separately label an armor-penetration figure for CS2 in the weapon record, so neither is used here. After firing, pause briefly for accuracy to recover before taking the next shot. Crouching and a settled single shot are more reliable at range than rapid clicking.
When to buy the Desert Eagle
At $700, the Desert Eagle is the most expensive CS2 pistol listed in the source. In an opening pistol round, that cost competes with armor and can leave the player exposed; in a later save or economy round, one accurate headshot can provide a path to pick up a primary weapon. Its $300 Competitive and $150 Casual kill rewards do not erase the purchase cost, so consider how the whole team plans to play.
The seven-round magazine rewards precision and makes the 2.2-second reload risky while an opponent can see the player. Use cover to reset accuracy or replenish ammunition. The Desert Eagle works as a longer-range sidearm beside a shotgun or low-damage SMG, while the CZ75-Auto, Tec-9 and Five-SeveN provide different magazine and firing styles.
CS2 ammunition rule
The Desert Eagle has 21 rounds in reserve in CS2. On March 18, 2026, CS2 magazine-fed reloads began discarding ammunition remaining in the loaded magazine and taking a full magazine from reserve. A player who fired one or two shots should account for those rounds before reloading; the HUD shows magazine count and the fill level of the current seven-round magazine.
The damage and ammunition tables on this page are explicitly scoped to Counter-Strike 2 and, where the Wiki labels it, shared CS2 and Global Offensive data. Older Counter-Strike editions used different magazine capacities, damage values and range behavior and are not substituted for the CS2 record.
Third-person muzzle-flash smoke
The August 31, 2023 Limited Test update made smoke from the Desert Eagle’s third-person muzzle flash dissipate faster. This refers to the visual effect emitted by the character model when firing. The note does not report a change to damage, accuracy, recoil, ammo or the first-person weapon view.
The Desert Eagle remains a high-damage pistol; this dated change is cosmetic presentation. See Weapon Skins for other finish and weapon-effect changes in the same update.
Weapon appearance update (June 15, 2023)
The June 15, 2023 Limited Test notes listed visual improvements to the Desert Eagle. They do not describe the exact model change or any effect on damage, accuracy or handling.