Want to know the Counter-Strike 2 release date? After weeks of countless rumours, Valve has finally confirmed Counter-Strike 2 is real and is coming a lot sooner than you might expect.
CSGO may be considered among the best PC games for some, but it is a decade old now, and there haven’t been any significant updates for a while. Is this because they’ve been working on Counter-Strike 2 to try and take the crown of the best FPS games? Quite possibly. Here’s everything we know about the Counter-Strike 2 release date, leaks, skins, news, and more.
Counter-Strike 2 release date window
The Counter-Strike 2 release date has been confirmed for Summer 2023. There’s no telling whether there will be a Counter-Strike 2 beta period or if the game is going to launch in early access.
Counter-Strike 2 trailers
Valve announced Counter-Strike 2 by dropping three trailers on their YouTube channel: Responsive Smokes, Leveling Up The World, and Moving Beyond Tick Rate.
Smoke grenades have been redesigned to become dynamic volumetric objects that interact with the environment. Now that smokes can be altered by players, you can use weapons and items like grenades to move entire smoke grenades out of the way. Shooting through smoke now produces a line of sight through it, allowing both sets of players to peer through the cloud.
The move to the Source 2 engine has prompted Valve to redesign and overhaul a number of the maps in CS2. The redesigns come in three forms: touchstone maps, upgrades, and overhauls. Touchstone maps (Dust 2, Mirage, Train) are classic maps that have only received lighting and character-read changes. This allows players to analyse the differences between CSGO and CS2 using a familiar map layout that is unchanged from each game. Upgrades (Nuke and Aztec) represent maps that utilise Source 2 lighting to produce realistic materials, lighting, and reflections. Overhauls (Italy and Overpass) are maps that have been fully rebuilt using the Source 2 tools and rendering features.
One of the biggest complaints about the competitive side of Counter-Strike has to do with the tick rate of servers. In CS2, servers are tickless, ensuring the player’s actions happen at the exact moment they pressed the button rather than during a set tick.
Counter-Strike 2 news
On March 1, dataminers found support files for CSGO2 and CS2 in the Nvidia driver, fueling the rumours. Later, the news that Counter-Strike 2 is underway was revealed. However, Gabe Follower’s findings suggest Valve is working on the good old Source 2 port, not a new game.
Gabe Follower dug a bit deeper into the CSGO spaghetti code and discovered that the upcoming game is under the same ID as the current CSGO – 730. This means that even if it’s a different version, it’d open with the same button on Steam as CSGO. Instead of being a separate game, Valve may just roll out a new version and merge it with CSGO later, just like it did with DOTA 2 Reborn.
Counter-Strike 2 may also feature a much-loved third-party CSGO tool that allows players to bind the jump and throw actions to one key, known as the jumpthrow bind. If true, players won’t have to enter the in-game console every time.
Counter-Strike 2 skins and market
Ever since the initial whispers of Source 2 surfaced, players have asked the same question: what will become of their treasured skins? CSGO data miners attributed the Source 2 delay to the lucrative market, impossible to dissolve and a challenge to transfer to the new engine. Heaps of skin data worth millions of dollars exist, so it’s natural for skin collectors to be concerned.
But leakers are confident that skins would be safe in Counter-Strike 2 and that they’ll actually be better than before. Quality of life and visual changes with the Source 2 port will also be realised on in-game cosmetics, meaning shinier skins with defined wear. If the merger materializes, CSGO players could sell out their OG skins for double the amount. In any case, skins should be safe if Counter-Strike 2 is just a Source 2 port.
Counter-Strike 2 new logo
Fresh from the reports of Valve filing a new trademark for CS2, the official CSGO Twitter account changed its banner to reveal the game’s new logo. Eagle-eyed players have spotted that if you reverse the logo, the S looks suspiciously like the number two. Is this the final piece of the puzzle that confirms CS2 is real and that it’s arriving next month? No one knows.
Counter-Strike 2 rumours
CSGO players’ exodus to FACEIT is concerning. Only a tiny percentage of players take the official matchmaking seriously. It’d be Valve’s primary concern to retain the player within the official game while creating Counter-Strike 2.
Leaks state the new rendition would make third-party pugging services unnecessary. The only reason players prefer FACEIT or ESEA is for their kernel-level anti-cheat 128 server tick rate, something official matchmaking lacks.
Counter-Strike 2 should put an end to the decade-old cheating problem as the new game would likely have Ring 3 anti-cheat, the same as Valorant. While it may strike some CSGO players as overly intrusive, the kernel’s potential to curb cheating within the game is indisputable. Currently, VAC only monitors cheats within the game’s engine, which is clearly not working too well. Valve should introduce a kernel anti-cheat for CSGO, similar to the successful system used by FACEIT, to eradicate cheaters at the grassroots level.
Server tick rate is another reason that makes FACEIT a much more attractive option. Currently, CSGO plays at 64 tick, which is not viable at a higher level of competition. According to the leaks, Counter-Strike 2 would have 128 servers, like its rival Valorant. There are also some rumours that Counter-Strike 2 will have “tickless” servers.
Besides the two highly-requested features, a Source 2 port would drastically change the quality of life. Grass would be greener and the sky brighter. And while all of it sounds great, these changes will require the best gaming PC to maximise performance.
Reports say Counter-Strike 2 is just around the corner, so we should have factual information in the next few weeks. Until then, make sure you check out our guide to the CSGO ranks if you need to improve your competitive forte. Alternatively, we also have a list of the best free PC games if you fancy playing something else.
