Glossary: GTA RP, FiveM, CS2 and esports terms explained

103 plain-language definitions that new roleplay and Counter-Strike players need: what RDM, metagaming, MLO and QBCore mean, how an eco round or an IGL works and which settings matter. Jump to a section: Roleplay (GTA RP, RedM) · FiveM, RedM and servers · Counter-Strike 2 gameplay · CS2 esports and ranks · Settings and gear.

RP (roleplay)

Playing a character with a believable life instead of just playing the game. You speak and act as the character, follow server rules and let other players shape the story.

IC (in character)

Anything said or done as your character inside the story. IC information is the only information your character may use to make decisions.

OOC (out of character)

Talk or actions that belong to the real player, such as asking a rules question in chat or Discord. Most servers want OOC kept out of voice and visible chat unless it is clearly marked.

Metagaming

Using information your character could not know, for example something you saw on a stream or heard on Discord. It is one of the most common reasons for a warning.

Powergaming

Forcing an outcome on another player, for example writing that you automatically succeed, so they cannot respond. Good RP leaves room for the other side to react.

FailRP

Behaviour that breaks the believable story, such as ignoring injuries, driving like a stunt pilot with no consequences or acting as if you have no fear of a weapon. Staff may warn or ban for it.

Fear RP

Reacting realistically when your life is threatened. If someone points a gun at you in a robbery, your character should comply and not start a fight.

NVL (no value of life)

Acting as if your character's life has no value, for example resisting armed criminals or jumping from a building to escape police. Servers treat it as a rule break.

RDM (random deathmatch)

Killing a player without a story reason. It is banned on almost every roleplay server.

VDM (vehicle deathmatch)

Using a vehicle to hit or kill people without a roleplay reason.

CK (character kill)

The permanent death of a character, which can only happen with the right story reason and, on many servers, after approval. A new character starts with no memory of the old one.

PK (player kill)

A death after which your character forgets the events leading up to it, but stays alive. Often called new life rule.

NLR (new life rule)

After your character is downed or dies you forget what led to it and do not return to the scene for a set time, to avoid revenge fights.

Combat logging

Leaving the server during a scene to avoid consequences, such as arrest or death. It usually leads to a ban.

Stream sniping

Watching a streamer's live broadcast to find and follow them in game. Many servers add a delay or ban it.

Whitelist

A list of approved players. Whitelisted servers require an application, an interview or a quiz before you can join. Read more in whitelist vs public servers.

Priority queue

A paid or earned place at the front of the connection queue on a busy server.

LEO

Law enforcement officer. A police role such as LSPD or sheriff, played with a script-based job system on many servers.

EMS

Emergency medical services: paramedics and doctors who revive and treat other players.

10-codes

Short radio phrases used by police and EMS, such as 10-4 for message received. Each server may use its own list.

Heist

A planned criminal job, such as a store robbery or bank robbery, with a scripted objective and a police response.

Green zone / safe zone

An area where violence is not allowed, such as a hospital or the spawn point.

Gang RP

Roleplay as a member of a criminal group with its own hierarchy, territory and rivalries. Most servers limit gang size or need approval.

Character backstory

The story of who your character is, where they come from and what they want. A good one gives you reasons to meet other players.

FiveM

A free multiplayer modification framework for GTA V on PC that lets you join community-run servers. See how to connect.

RedM

The same kind of framework for Red Dead Redemption 2. See how to play RedM.

Cfx.re

The team and platform behind FiveM and RedM. Rockstar acquired it in 2023.

Resource

A package of scripts, models or maps that a server loads, such as a job, a car pack or a new map.

MLO

Map Loading Object: a custom interior or building added to the game world, such as a police station or a casino.

ESX

One of the oldest and most used server frameworks. It handles jobs, money and inventory.

QBCore

A popular server framework that many roleplay servers use for jobs, items and a player economy.

Qbox

A newer framework built on ideas from QBCore, used by some modern servers.

txAdmin

The web panel that server owners use to start, monitor and manage a FiveM server.

Slot

A place for one player on a server. A server with 128 slots can host 128 players at the same time.

Server ID

The number a server gives each connected player. Staff and players use it to report problems.

Allowlist

The FiveM term for a whitelist setting.

Tebex

The store platform many servers use to sell optional perks such as a priority queue.

Server list

The in-game list of FiveM servers. You can also compare servers by real player counts in the Oggo live list.

Ping

The time in milliseconds that data needs to reach the server and return. Lower is smoother.

Desync

A mismatch between what you see and what the server sees, such as a car that rubber-bands. It is caused by lag or an overloaded server.

AWP

The most powerful sniper rifle. One body shot usually kills, so AWPers hold angles and are worth protecting.

AWPer

The player on a team who plays the AWP. See ZywOo or m0NESY.

Entry fragger

The player who goes in first on a site to open space and trade kills.

IGL (in-game leader)

The player who calls strategy and economy. karrigan is a famous example.

Lurker

A player who plays away from the team to catch rotations and flank from behind.

Support

The player who throws utility such as flashes and smokes to help teammates.

Rifler

A player who uses assault rifles such as the AK-47 or M4 and does most of the standard shooting.

Eco round

A round where a team buys little or nothing to save money for the next round.

Force buy

Buying weapons with limited money when a full buy is not possible, to keep pressure on the opponent.

Full buy

A round in which every player buys rifles, armour and utility.

Anti-eco

A round where you play against a team that saved. The best move is to stay together and not take risks.

Save

Not engaging and keeping your weapons for the next round after the round is lost.

Clutch

Winning a round as the last player alive against one or more opponents. 1v3 means one against three.

Ace

Killing all five enemy players in a single round.

Trade

Killing an enemy right after he killed your teammate. A good team trades every opening death.

Peek

Stepping out of cover to see or shoot at an angle. A wide peek is a big step that reveals you early; a jiggle peek is a tiny step for information.

Prefire

Shooting at a spot before you see an enemy because you expect him to be there.

Crosshair placement

Keeping your aim at head height where enemies will appear so you do not need to adjust.

Counter-strafing

Tapping the opposite movement key to stop quickly so your first bullet is accurate.

Spray control

Pulling the mouse against the recoil pattern during a burst so bullets land in a line.

Flash / pop flash

A flashbang that blinds enemies. A pop flash explodes almost instantly after being thrown, giving the enemy no time to look away.

Smoke

A grenade that blocks vision for about 18 seconds. Pro teams smoke off lines to take or defend a site.

Molotov / incendiary

A grenade that creates fire on the floor and forces players out of a position.

Lineup

A fixed spot and aim point for throwing a grenade so it lands in the same place every time. Practice them with practice commands.

Execute

A coordinated attack on a bombsite with several grenades thrown at once.

Rotate

Moving from one site or area to another after learning where the enemy attack is.

Default

A set-up that spreads players across the map to gather information before choosing a plan.

Fake

A fake attack on one site to draw defenders away before the real attack on the other.

Retake

Defending players coming back to a site after the bomb has been planted.

Post-plant

The part of a round after the bomb is planted, when the attackers defend it.

One-way

A smoke or wall trick that lets you see enemies while they cannot see you.

Tick rate

How many times per second a server updates the game. CS2 uses sub-tick updates so actions are timed more precisely than the tick alone.

MR12

The match format in CS2: 12 rounds per half and the first team to 13 wins. Ties are decided in overtime.

Pistol round

The first round of each half, when everyone has only a pistol.

Map pool

The list of maps a competitive event uses. Teams ban and pick maps before every series.

Major

The most prestigious type of CS tournament, funded by Valve and open to the best teams. See every one in Esports history.

Swiss stage

A format where teams with equal records play each other. In a Major, three wins advance a team and three losses eliminate it.

BO1 / BO3 / BO5

Best-of formats: best of one, three or five maps. A BO3 needs two map wins.

Pick and ban

The process in which teams alternately remove and choose maps before a series.

Valve regional standings

The ranking Valve publishes to rank teams and invite them to Majors. See the current table on CS2 teams.

HLTV ranking

A world team ranking by the site HLTV that weights recent results more heavily than the Valve model.

Rating (HLTV rating)

A single number that summarises a player's impact in a map or an event. 1.00 is about average.

MVP

The most valuable player of an event, usually named after the final.

Roster

The five players and the coach that make up a team at a given time.

Stand-in

A temporary player who replaces a team member for an event.

Free agent

A player who is not under contract and can sign with any team.

Premier

The ranked mode in CS2 that uses a rating number instead of the old rank names. Read ranks explained.

CS Rating

The number that Premier gives you after you play enough matches. Higher means stronger.

Faceit level

The skill levels of the Faceit platform, from 1 to 10, with an Elo number.

VAC

Valve Anti-Cheat, the system that bans accounts for using cheat software.

Overpass, Mirage, Inferno

Examples of maps that appear in the competitive map pool. See the map pool guide.

DPI

Dots per inch, a mouse setting that sets how far the cursor moves for one inch of hand movement.

Sensitivity

The in-game multiplier for mouse movement. Combine it with DPI to find your eDPI.

eDPI

Effective DPI: mouse DPI multiplied by in-game sensitivity. It lets you compare your aim speed with other players.

Raw input

A setting that makes the game read mouse data directly, without Windows acceleration.

Refresh rate (Hz)

How many times a second your monitor draws a new image. 144 Hz or more is common for competitive players.

FPS

Frames per second, the number of images your computer shows every second.

Launch options

Commands added to the game in Steam that change how it starts, for example to set a resolution.

Autoexec

A config file that runs your saved console commands every time CS2 starts.

Crosshair code

A short text code that you paste in CS2 to share a crosshair. You can build one with our crosshair generator.

sv_cheats

A console variable that unlocks practice commands on your own server. It does not work on normal public servers.

Viewmodel

The position and size of the weapon that you see on screen.

Net graph

An on-screen display of fps, ping and packet loss, useful for finding lag.

FAQ

What does RP mean in GTA?

RP means roleplay: you play a character in a shared story on a server and follow its rules, instead of just playing GTA missions.

What is metagaming?

Using information your character could not know, such as something seen on a stream or in Discord. Most servers punish it.

What is the difference between IC and OOC?

IC is in character, meaning what your character says and knows. OOC is out of character, meaning talk between the real players.

What does IGL mean in CS2?

IGL means in-game leader, the player who calls the strategy and economy for the team.

What is eDPI?

eDPI is your mouse DPI multiplied by your in-game sensitivity. It is the best way to compare aim settings between players.

What is an eco round?

A round in which a team saves money and buys little, to afford better weapons later.