In gaming slang, a katka is one completed game: from loading in to the results screen. The word is universal and fits almost any competitive game, from MOBAs (a genre of team games with heroes, such as Dota 2) to shooters like CS2.
How the word is used
Most often, katka comes up in conversations between friends and teammates (players on the same team):
- "Katnyom paru kat?" ("Shall we play a couple of katkas?") — a suggestion to play several games in a row.
- "Won three katkas in a row" — a winning streak in ranked games.
- "Yesterday there was a crazy katka" — a game that was memorable for its tense fight or unexpected ending.
- "A slivshaya katka" (a "thrown" katka) — a lost game, often one lost in a frustrating way or because of team mistakes.
The verb "katat" means to play games back to back: "I've been katat-ing since morning," "we'll katat in the evening." The phrase "poydu katnu" means "I'm going to go play a game."
Where the word comes from
The exact origin of the word is hard to establish: it has long been part of Russian-speaking gaming culture. It most likely comes from the verb "katat" in the sense of "to play." In a similar way, people say "katat partiyu" in casual speech about chess or cards.
Katka, match, map, and round
These words are often confused, even though they mean different things:
- Katka — the colloquial name for a single game. Depending on the game, it can mean a whole match or just one map.
- Match — a more formal word. In tournaments, a match can consist of several maps: for example, a "first to two wins" series is one match but several games.
- Round — only part of a game. In CS2, a game is made up of rounds, while in Dota 2 there are no rounds at all: the game runs continuously until one team destroys the opponent's main building.
That is why in Dota 2 a katka is one whole game, while in CS2 it is usually one played map, that is, a set of rounds until one side wins.
A typical situation
Suppose a group of friends gets together in the evening to play. One of them writes in the chat: "Who's up for a katka?" The others respond, the team assembles, and they play through one game. If it ends in a win, someone suggests "one more katka," and if it ends in a loss, the call for a "rematch" is common. That is how an evening turns into a series of katkas.
The word is also used in the professional scene, but mostly in conversations among players and commentators. In official summaries and tournament brackets, "match" or "map" is the norm, and "katka" remains a lively colloquial option.
Shades of meaning
The word often carries an emotional coloring. A "pustaya katka" (an "empty" katka) is a game without any significant events. A "tyazhyolaya katka" (a "heavy" katka) is a difficult, drawn-out one. A "lyogkaya katka" (an "easy" katka) is a quick win without resistance. These expressions help convey the impression of a game briefly, without a detailed breakdown.
For those who follow esports as spectators, it is useful to know: when a commentator or player says "in this katka," they usually mean the specific game in the series being discussed.