What Does “CT” Mean in Valorant? (Explained)

Updated: May 2, 2024
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Have you seen the term “CT” in Valorant chat or heard it in comms but do not know what it means? This guide has you covered!

What Does “CT” Mean in Valorant?

In Valorant, “CT” refers to the defending team whose objective is to hold sites and defuse the Spike. The term was carried over from Counter-Strike, where defenders are called Counter-Terrorists (or CT for short). If someone in your Valorant game makes a callout like “CT spawn”, that means there’s an enemy player in or in the direction of the defenders’ spawn.

Counter-Strike Terms Brought to Valorant

Valorant was launched 20 years after the original Counter-Strike game. With the many Counter-Strike games (CS1, CS: Source, CS:GO, CS2, etc.) being immensely popular in the competitive FPS realm, many common Counter-Strike terms have been brought to other games.

CS is very similar to Valorant. In CS, the attacking team’s objective is to plant a bomb and have it detonate. The defending team’s goal is to prevent the bomb from being planted and detonating.

Attackers are called Terrorists (or Ts) and defenders are Counter-Terrorists (or CTs).

Counter-Strike to Valorant Callouts Explained

Here’s an explanation of some of the most common callouts brought to Valorant from Counter-Strike players.

  • CT – As we’ve mentioned, CT refers to the defending team in Valorant. Players may call defenders CTs or reference areas of the map such as “CT Span” or “CT Halls”.
  • T – T may reference the attacking team in Valorant or areas of the map on the attackers’ side.
  • Bomb – Many players refer to the Spike in Valorant as “the bomb”. It’s debatable whether this is due to the bomb in CS or just because the Spike is essentially a bomb.

The above terms are all specific to Counter-Strike, but other terms you’ll hear in Valorant originated or were popularized in CS, such as:

  • Full Save – Don’t buy anything.
  • Eco Round – Don’t spend much to save for the next round.
  • Anti-Eco – When you expect your enemies to be in an eco round.
  • Stick the bomb – Keep planting or defusing the bomb. Don’t fake it.
  • Drop me – Buy me a weapon.
  • Play for time – There’s not enough time for the enemy to plant or defuse the bomb, so play cautiously to avoid dying.

These are just some of the terms that are arguably attributable to CS, but many others at least owe a lot of their significance to the game.