It’s been over a decade since Valve released Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and since then the game has raked in over 7 million user reviews on Steam with 88% of them being positive. So needless to say, players have been itching for a new installment in Valve’s acclaimed first-person shooter series for a long time. Now, in prime Valve fashion, we have confirmation that Counter-Strike 2 is not only real, but it’s right around the corner. With the introduction out of the way, let’s get to the details.
Counter-Strike 2 will be built on the Source 2 engine, which was announced in 2015 as the successor to the original Source engine. Dota 2 was the first game to be built on Source 2 and, more recently, Valve’s VT game, Half-Life: Alyx, was also built on the very same engine. CS2 will have maps with physical-based rendering and reflections. Old maps have been rebuilt from the ground up with improved visuals and lighting. Furthermore, Source 2 tools and rendering features will be available for community map makers.
The game also has overhauled smoke grenades with smoke that reacts to the action and environment around it instead of the grey blob players are familiar with in Global Offensive. For improved responsiveness, CS2 will also feature tick-rate-independent gameplay.
Lastly, the release window. We don’t know the exact date that the game will be released on but we do know that Counter-Strike 2 will be launching this summer. Your entire Counter-Strike: Global Offensive inventory will transfer over to the new game and every item will benefit from the improved lighting and textures of Source 2.
Valve is currently holding a Limited Test. Players who are chosen will receive a notification on the CS:GO main menu. The test will offer Deathmatch and Unranked Competitive matchmaking on Dust2. In the meantime, be sure to check out the videos linked throughout this article for more in-depth information on Counter-Strike 2. But that’s all we know about the game as of now. How excited are you about Counter-Strike 2? Let us know down in the comments!
