As a result, a tactic often seen in Capture the Flag games is players taking the enemy flag and 'hiding' in a corner of the map whilst the rest of the team attempts to locate their own flag so that the team is able to score. Having possession of an enemy flag allows your team to score, but also stops the enemy team from being able to score. In games where the flag has to be at home to score, the flag becomes a very important asset for a player to have in any given game. Some games require a team's own flag to be at its default location in order to capture an enemy flag, while others do not. In order for a team to score, they must pick up the flag from the enemy base, and subsequently return it to their own base. Bases may simply be allocated areas on opposing sections of the game map, or more extensively constructed fortress-like areas, depending on the game. A Capture the Flag game typically involves two teams, each with a flag in his or her respective 'Base'.

Whereas FPS games usually revolved around simply scoring more kills than the opposing side, Capture the Flag introduced another objective which took precedence over killing the other team. Capture the Flag (often abbreviated to CTF) is a gametype commonly included in First-Person Shooter games, and is one of the first 'Team Based' gametypes included in multiplayer gaming.

Quake champions capture the flag