The CS:GO M4A4 has been out of fashion for a little while now, but players are finally coming around to using it again after some tweaks to the M4A1-S made the choice more difficult.

The change came in November 2022, when Valve reduced the M4A1-S range modifier from 0.99 to 0.94. It was a small change that had enormous ramifications on which weapon players would choose. It effectively changed the number of body shots required to kill an armored enemy with the M4A1-S from 4 to 5 anywhere but extremely close range. Players across the CS:GO ranks, from Silver to Global Elite, made the switch to the M4A4. Plenty of them haven’t looked back.

Image Credit: Inevitable Cabinet on Reddit

At $3100, the M4A4 isn’t a cheap option. Costing $200 more than the M4A1-S is enough for some to look elsewhere. But right now, using the M4A4 is the meta and shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone learning how to get good at CS:GO. While you don’t get the benefit of a silencer on the weapon, plenty out there feel that the benefits outweigh this negative.

The best use of the M4A4 comes at long range. It’s extremely accurate at distance, and the recoil is low when used in bursts. If you spray at distance, the recoil can get out of control fast and you’ll likely kill nothing. But in bursts, it’s absolutely deadly.

At close range, the M4A4 is no slouch either. Its spray pattern isn’t difficult to learn, and it does enough damage that you can quickly down enemies with a spray. It also has a larger magazine than the M4A1-S, meaning that it’s great for stopping a team rush early in rounds. Think a B-rush on Nuke, or an Apps rush on Mirage. Defensive roles in general suit the M4A4 enormously.

In CS:GO M4A4 skins are some of the most expensive skins the game has to offer. Because of this, they’re heavily sought after among players in the community, with the skin market exploding in recent years.

The M4A4 skins CS:GO features have often been embroiled in controversy. Most recently, the weapon was heavily involved in CS:GO esports news, after allegations that the M4A4 Temukau featured stolen art. It’s unfortunate that Valve seems to deal with accusations like this with the release of every new case.

Perhaps the rarest CS:GO skin is the M4A4 Howl, which remains the only Contraband quality skin in the game. This is because the original skin violated copyright laws in 2014. Rather than remove the skin, Valve redesigned it and removed it from cases, massively increasing its rarity.

To this day, a StatTrak Factory New CS:GO M4A4 Howl sells for around $13,000. Legends of the game coldzera and FalleN have used the M4A4 Howl in pro matches previously, even if it’s out of the question for the average player.

There are plenty more CS:GO M4A4 skins to collect that won’t demolish your bank account, with the M4A4 Asiimov a classic.

Image Credit: Steam Community