When Is Counter-Strike 2 Coming Out? 

On March 22, 2023, following earlier rumors of a Source 2 update for Global Offensive, Valve officially announced that we could expect Counter-Strike 2 at some point in the year. At the same time, they released three videos that showcased the improvements that you could expect over Global Offensive. On that very same day, a beta version of Counter-Strike 2, which was named the “Limited Test,” was launched for specially selected Global Offensive players.

Throughout the Limited Test phase, they progressively started to introduce various new aspects of the game for testing via updates, which included upgraded maps, a revised weapon loadout system, and new authoring tools which would allow players to create their own custom maps, weapon skins, and stickers.

Then, on September 1, 2023, the Limited Test was made accessible to any of the players who had purchased Global Offensive before its transition to free-to-play in 2018… and they started to actively engage in competitive matchmaking.

Finally, Counter-Strike 2 was officially released to the general public on September 27, 2023, when it replaced the Global Offensive game on the Steam platform. This transition led to Global Offensive being taken offline, except for community servers, where it was accessible via a ‘legacy’ branch of the game.

There were a number of features from Global Offensive that ended up being omitted in Counter-Strike 2, including the ‘Arms Race’ and ‘Danger Zone’ game modes, along with various multiplayer maps such as Train and Cache – and all of the 167 in-game achievements. As well as this, support for the macOS operating system and older hardware configurations that used DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems was discontinued. All of the subsequent updates for Counter-Strike 2 were exclusively slated for 64-bit Windows and Linux systems.

Famously, Valve has developed Counter-Strike 2 using the Source 2 game engine… which is an extensive update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which was built on Source 1. During the game’s development, there were a lot of elements of Global Offensive that were overhauled in order to best make use of the capabilities of Source 2. Indeed, the release of CS2 marked the very first new entry in the Counter-Strike series in over ten years.

As well as the engine transition, the game also introduced new server architecture which was designed to support “sub-tick” gameplay, which meant better synchronization with player inputs for an even smoother gameplay experience. On top of this, Valve Studio Orchestra also composed a brand new soundtrack for Counter-Strike 2, which was digitally released by Ipecac Recordings on November 1, 2023.

Lots of the Global Offensive game maps underwent serious upgrades so that they would be able to make the best use of all the advanced features of Source 2, incorporating new lighting effects and physically-based materials.

Valve also categorized the map updates into three groups:

• “Touchstone” for maps that had kelp their original layouts (e.g., Dust II). 
• Upgrades” for those maps that had a lot of aesthetic enhancements with Source 2 features (e.g., Nuke). 
• Overhauls” for the maps that had been completely rebuilt from the ground up (e.g., Inferno).

As well as this, all of the cosmetic items from Global Offensive, including weapon skins, knives, and gloves, were seamlessly transferred to Counter-Strike 2.

That being said, let’s take a closer look at what to expect from the new and improved Counter-Strike game…

The New CS Rating

Get ready to elevate your game with the new CS Rating System. Essentially, your CS Rating acts as a visible indicator of how well you are performing and playing in Counter-Strike – and it positions you on both global and regional leaderboards. You can earn your CS Rating by competing in matches in the updated Premier mode or the Active Duty Pick-Ban competitive mode, whether you play on your own or with friends.

Game-Changing Features

In the new Counter-Strike 2 game, the Smoke Grenades transform into dynamic volumetric objects that interact dynamically with the environment. Unlike in previous versions of the game, they now respond to lighting conditions, gunfire, and explosions, which can be great for gameplay strategies.

In addition, smoke in Counter-Strike 2 now interacts dynamically with gameplay events, which means even more tactical possibilities. Bullets and HE grenades can temporarily disperse smoke – which can clear sightlines or change areas of cover.

Smoke will naturally expand to fill various spaces – such as open doorways, broken windows, staircases, and long corridors. What’s more, more than one smoke grenade can combine and flow seamlessly within the game environment.

Smoke particles in Counter-Strike 2 can also integrate with the unified lighting system, which creates even more realistic lighting effects and color variations.

Tick Rate Independence

Counter-Strike 2 also eliminates the dependency on tick rate for movement, shooting, or grenade throws. In the previous game, the server evaluated the world in ticks (discrete time intervals). But thanks to the new game’s sub-tick update architecture, a server will know the exact instant that a motion starts – a grenade is thrown or a shot fired.

Thanks to the sub-tick update architecture, your gameplay will be equally responsive regardless of the server’s tick rate. Your movements, shots, and grenade throws will always be executed with the same precision and timing.

The CS2 Maps

As part of the new and improved package, the first set of Counter-Strike 2 maps were designed to harness the new Source 2 tools and rendering capabilities. This meant a rebuild of some of the most popular CS maps and serious updates to others.

For instance, Overpass has undergone a complete overhaul to use advanced engine tools, while Nuke will also benefit from new Source 2 lighting, giving it more realistic materials, better lighting effects, and reflections. Meanwhile, iconic maps like Dust 2 will see enhancements in lighting and character clarity, but still retain their fundamental layout.

• Completely Overhauled Maps: Maps that have been completely overhauled in Counter-Strike 2 have been completely rebuilt from scratch, using the latest Source 2 tools and rendering capabilities. Example: Overpass. 
• Upgrade Maps: These are maps that have benefitted from new Source 2 lighting technology – including a physically based rendering system that makes materials more realistic and offers better lighting and reflections. Example: Nuke. 
• Touchstone Maps: Classic maps with solid foundations that have acted as benchmarks for evaluating gameplay changes from CS to Counter-Strike 2. These maps have some improvements in lighting and character visibility but have kept their original layouts. Example: Dust II.

Community map makers and artists now have access to powerful Source 2 tools and rendering features, which will make it easier to create, experiment with, and refine maps.

You can also bring your entire CS inventory into Counter-Strike 2. All of the items will keep their legacy models and finishes but they’ll also benefit from upgraded Source 2 lighting and materials.

In addition to supporting legacy models and finishes, all of the game’s stock weapons have been upgraded with high-resolution models, and some weapon finishes have taken advantage of these new models.

• HI-DEF VFX: Visual effects across the board in Counter-Strike 2 have been reimagined. With Source 2 lighting and particle systems, you can enjoy a fresh look and new behavior for water, explosions, fire, push smoke, muzzle flashes, bullet tracers, impact effects, and more. 
• Gameplay Visuals: Important gameplay visuals in Counter-Strike 2 have also been redesigned for improved readability. Bullet impacts are clearer at a distance, and directional blood impacts fade over time, which will give you important information as you try to navigate the environment. 
• Environment Effects: You get to experience revamped explosions, fire effects, C4 lighting, and more in Counter-Strike 2. By using the power of the Source 2 Engine and modern hardware, the environmental effects offer even better visual fidelity and consistency. 
• UI Enhancements: The user interface (UI) in Counter-Strike 2 has also undergone a complete overhaul, featuring updated visual effects throughout the HUD. These improvements not only make the aesthetics look even better, but they also convey important game state information. 
• Better Audio – Reworked, Balanced and Enriched: The audio in Counter-Strike 2 has been completely reworked so that it better reflects the physical environment, giving you clearer distinctions and conveying even more detailed game state information. The audio has also been rebalanced to make it a more immersive and comfortable listening experience.

As you would expect, since the game was released, there have already been updates.

• In November 2023, Valve enabled Steam Workshop support for the game, which meant that players were able to submit custom maps to the Steam Workshop – and even play them on community-hosted servers or in offline matches. 
• Then, in February 2024, Valve paid attention to feedback from players and added the Arms Race game mode from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to CS2, which came as a part of the ‘Calls to Arms’ update. This update also included amended versions of Global Offensive maps ‘Shoots’ and ‘Baggage’ as well as adjustments to ‘Zeus’, a taser weapon and ‘Kilowatt Case’ – which is a weapon case that contains 17 weapon skins created by the Counter-Strike community. 
• Later, in April 2024, Valve added left-handed weapon ‘view model’ settings to the game – which had been omitted in the original game’s release. The Dust II map was also added to the Premier game mode map pool – which replaced Overpass. 
• The next month, in May 2024, they introduced a rental system for the Kilowatt weapon cases, which means that players who had gotten a key for the case could rent the skins in it for one week. There were also adjustments to the flame spread and duration of CT incendiary grenades. 
• In June 2024, they added five community-created maps:
  • Assembly
  • Memento
  • Mills
  • Pool Day
  • Thera

So, how did the Counter-Strike community react to this free upgrade? Well, some were happier than others, tbh. Players were critical that some of the game modes found in CS:GO had been removed from Counter-Strike 2 – such as the Danger Zone and Arms Race. There was also some dissatisfaction that there would no longer be support for the macOS operating system, unlike Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. There was also the removal of all of the in-game achievements, which caused a fair bit of negative feedback.

Indeed, it came under criticism that a lot of the negative reviews were hidden from the Steam platform – and there were also comments that CS2 should not have been allowed to use Counter-Strike: Global Offensive reviews to boost the positive reviews – as they were ultimately two very different games. Apparently, if there was only feedback from CS2 used, the feedback would be very mixed, with only 59% of it being positive.

According to sources, it was reported that Counter-Strike 2 was actually the lowest-rated of all Valve’s games that had been released because of the removed content. However, since then, there have been a number of updates to rectify these issues… hopefully meaning a few more satisfied customers!

In contrast, Counter-Strike 2 received mainly positive reviews from game critics – based on the 16 reviews it received. In fact, it scored a pretty high overall average score of 80 (out of 100), and 88% of the critics recommended it.

Some of the critics praised the new and updated game for its ‘silken’ movements and its ‘clean gunplay’. However, there were criticisms that it wasn’t very friendly to new players and there weren’t enough accessibility features. Other critics commended the game for its overhauled maps and moment-to-moment gunplay but commented on the fact that there were stability issues and not enough alternative game modes that deviated away from the focus on competitive gaming. One critic even described the game as a ‘mostly positive update’ to the Global Offensive game.

The game was also described as a ‘significant move forward’ for the Counter-Strike franchise – and praise was heaped on it for its changes to visuals, sound design, art direction and weapon handling.

Overall, the critics responded much more positively than the players on its first release!

So, hopefully you now know not only when the game was released… but everything that you can expect from the game, all the improvements – and all the additional updates that have been put into place since it was first released in response to the initial feedback.

So, if you were a fan of Counter-Strike Global Offensive and you’ve yet to try it out, give it a go!