How to Record, Save & Watch CS:GO Replays

CS:GO's built-in demo system is one of the most powerful tools available to competitive players. Whether you want to review your mistakes, study an opponent's playstyle, or clip a highlight for your friends, knowing how to use replays is an essential skill. This guide walks you through everything you need to know.

Understanding CS:GO Demos

CS:GO saves match data in .dem files, commonly called "demos." These files record every event in the match — player positions, shots fired, grenade trajectories, and more — allowing you to replay matches from any perspective, including a free-roaming camera.

How to Access Your Replays

  1. Launch CS:GO and navigate to Your Profile → Matches.
  2. Select any recent competitive match from the list.
  3. Click "Download" to save the .dem file locally.
  4. Once downloaded, click "Watch" to open it in the demo viewer.

Note: Valve only stores demos on their servers for a limited time (typically around 2 weeks). Download any replays you want to keep before they expire.

Navigating the Demo Viewer

The CS:GO demo viewer has several key controls you should know:

  • Shift + F2 — Opens the Demo Playback UI, your main control panel.
  • Free Camera Mode — Use the toggle in the playback panel to move the camera anywhere on the map.
  • Player POV — Click on any player's name in the scoreboard to spectate from their perspective.
  • Playback Speed — Speed up or slow down the replay using the slider (0.1x to 8x).
  • Round Navigation — Jump directly to specific rounds using the round selector.

Saving Your Own Match Files

You can also record demos manually during any game (including practice or casual) using console commands:

  1. Enable the developer console in settings.
  2. Open the console with the ~ key.
  3. Type record myreplay to start recording.
  4. Type stop when you want to end the recording.

The .dem file will be saved in your CS:GO game folder under /csgo/.

Analyzing Replays for Improvement

Simply watching replays isn't enough — here's how to get maximum value from them:

  • Review your deaths: Watch every round where you died. Was it a positioning error, a timing mistake, or an information gap?
  • Check your crosshair placement: Use free camera or your own POV to see if your aim was pre-aimed at head level.
  • Study the enemy team: Switch perspectives to see how opponents took map control and coordinated utility usage.
  • Analyze grenade lineups: Watch where smokes, flashes, and molotovs landed relative to where they were thrown.

Third-Party Tools for Better Demo Analysis

The built-in viewer is useful, but tools like CS:GO Demo Manager and HLAE (Half-Life Advanced Effects) unlock advanced features like heatmaps, kill tracking, and cinematic camera movements. We cover those in detail in our Tools & Software section.

Final Tips

Make replay analysis a regular part of your practice routine — even 15–20 minutes reviewing a recent match can reveal patterns you'd never spot in the heat of play. Consistency in reviewing your own gameplay is one of the most underrated paths to rank improvement.