Yes. Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Counter-Strike 2 are entirely standalone titles that do not require Half-Life . However, the original Counter-Strike (the one that started in 1999 up until version 1.6) was a mod.
Le had a specific vision: a slow, tactical, team-based shooter where one mistake meant death. This was a radical departure from the frenetic, rocket-jumping, bunny-hopping chaos of Quake and Unreal Tournament . He wanted realism: no aiming dot, weapon recoil that required burst fire, and round-based gameplay where dead players spectated until the next round. is counter strike a mod of half life
Counter-Strike was originally a fan-made modification (mod) of Le had a specific vision: a slow, tactical,
The mod used Half-Life’s character movement, physics, and networking code, but replaced the aliens and crowbars with M4A1s, AK-47s, and C4 explosives. From Mod to Masterpiece and networking code
The project evolved from a mod into a massive franchise, leading to stand-alone releases like Counter-Strike 1.6 Global Offensive , and finally Counter-Strike 2