Retake is a situation in Counter-Strike where the attacking team has already managed to plant the bomb (the explosive device that must be planted on a site and defused) on one of the bombsites, and the defenders push back in to retake the site and defuse the charge before it detonates. The word comes from the English "retake" — to take again — and in Russian esports slang it stuck without translation, simply transliterated.
Retake is one of the most tense moments of a round, because the defense has a strictly limited amount of time: the bomb timer counts down the seconds, and if the defusal isn't completed in time, the round automatically goes to the attackers. This creates constant pressure and forces the team to act quickly, yet in a coordinated way rather than rushing in one by one.
How a retake works
The defending side usually regroups at one point on the map, coordinates the push, and uses utility (grenades — smokes, flashes, incendiaries) to enter the site safely. This is where a lineup — a pre-practiced grenade throw pattern that blocks the opponents' sightlines and creates a safe corridor for advancing — becomes especially important.
A typical retake sequence looks like this:
- smoke grenades are placed to block off angles from which the site can be shot at;
- a flashbang is used to blind opponents holding near the bomb;
- after the utility, players push in as a single wave so they don't get caught in a crossfire one at a time;
- one player defuses the bomb while the others hold angles and finish off the remaining enemies.
Why it matters
A successful retake often becomes the deciding moment of a match — the team that retakes the site after the plant gains not only the round but also a psychological edge. A player who single-handedly wins such a situation against multiple opponents may be credited with a clutch — a comeback while outnumbered.
A failed retake, on the other hand, often becomes a subject for post-match review — teams rewatch the demo to understand why the push didn't work: not enough utility, poorly distributed roles, or simply missing the timing.