These properties make the M4A1-S suitable for long-range tapfiring. With the silencer on, the weapon has a quiet firing sound, low recoil, and high accuracy. One reason to do so however is that the silencer noticeably increases the length of the weapon, which may make stealth around corners slightly more difficult. The silencer is best kept on because removing it increases recoil and decreases accuracy, making it less effective overall than its non-silenced counterpart M4A4. The time taken for detaching and reattaching the silencer is greatly increased, so it is unadvised to do it in the midst of combat. The M4A1-S is equipped with a silencer, which is attached when receiving the weapon, and can be manually detached (and reattached) by pressing the secondary fire key. Its rate of fire is slightly lowered at 600 RPM, slightly lower than the average assault rifle fire-rate or 667. In game, the weapon's capacity and reserve capacity is reduced compared to its predecessor, at 20 rounds per magazine and 80 rounds in reserve, which is the lowest out of all assault rifles. The M4A1-S in game is based off a Colt Model 723 'M16A2 Carbine' (an early predecessor to the M4 Carbine identified by the non-removable carry handle) with an 'M4' profile barrel. The M4A1-S is the reintroduction of the original M4A1 from earlier Counter-Strike games, originally replaced by the M4A4 in Global Offensive.

Counter strike global offensive rate