This is a rather surprising new development for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as the game that pits terrorists against counter-terrorists in death matches has added support for Source 2, the newer iteration of Valve’s Source engine. While this only extends to the pre-release branch version of the game, it could hit at the possibility of a future for the game in which the Source 2 engine is powering it in the coming months.
This development was first spotted by content creator Gabe Follower, who wrote a tweet confirming that Source 2 executables were found on the pre-release branch of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Something weird just happened again, looks like CS:GO Source 2 executables going around, someone just sent me them, and it’s legit. pic.twitter.com/8vTpPNygU6
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 14, 2023
The legitimacy of these executables was confirmed by several sources shortly after, with Pavel Djundik particularly mentioning that get_good.exe is a python executable program that exists to sync builds. Of course, some of our more eagle-eyed viewers might be reading the code right now and noticed the “Left 4 Dead 3” name, as well. While it might not necessarily confirm the presence of a third installment in the series, it still is noteworthy that it’s found within Source 2’s code.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has seen a huge upheaval in terms of users due to the rumors of the incoming switch to Source 2. The game has managed to hit 1.4 million concurrent players for the first time in a decade, and not only that, but it has also managed to consistently break its peak player count. The rumor mill at the moment states that the game will be sent to Source 2 in the coming months; we might as well have seen the prelude to that with this latest addition.
The biggest rumor around this states that Valve is flying in community figures to test the new version of the game. But now, we get to see this new iteration of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the beta version. According to the rumors, the Source 2 version of the game will have 128 tick servers at launch, one of the most requested features by current CS:GO players. Additionally, the game will also have an improved matchmaking system which will make it easier for players to get into games without the need for assistance from third-party software like FACEIT or ESEA.
If you’re curious, you might see the new Source 2 version of Counter-Strike in Beta form in March. According to some journalists, this new version of the game will be dubbed Counter-Strike 2. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is currently available exclusively on Steam.
