Counter-Strike 2: Three Major Changes We Know About So Far

This summer, Valve’s biggest game finally gets a huge update-come-sequel after over a decade of generating one of the most competitive gaming scenes in the industry. Counter-Strike 2 will be delivered as a free update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, allowing all players to carry over their progress and items to the new experience.

Tremendous changes to the Counter-Strike experience are coming, and while Valve has kept its cards relatively close to its chest to this point, we already know of some of the most significant alterations that are on the way.

Immensely popular game deserving of an update

Such is the difference between the 2012-launched multiplier FPS and Counter-Strike 2 that, while it is being applied as an update, CS2 is certainly a new game. It may get console releases down the line as CS:GO did to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but of course, its primary audience is and will remain on PC. What's quite incredible is just how CS:GO has become as a mostly PC game, and having fairly high spec and internet requirements to run at optimal levels.

Being free to start certainly helps, and is a method deployed by other popular PC-based forms of gaming. This is even true of online slots real money, where "Instant Play" sections and bonuses pave the way to free play. CS:GO using the free-play model has allowed it to garner, per Steam Charts, a monthly average player count of at least 500,000 since June 2021. So, it makes sense that Valve would invest in a sweeping update to appease so many players. 

Colossal visual updates

Already hailed as the “largest technical leap forward" in the history of the game series, easily the most striking element of what’s been revealed so far is the graphics. CS2 is said to making full use of the mighty Source 2 engine from Valve, which allows for a much greater scope for graphical fidelity.

While it will maintain the aesthetic style of CS:GO, the upcoming release has been built with a modern approach, which will allow the visuals to hold their own against other popular modern first-person shooters. Scenery will, of course, see a huge boost from this, but there are also important gameplay improvements that come from this.

Environmental effects like smoke, fires, explosions, and especially lighting will all be more realistic. When running around a Counter-Strike map, reaction time is critical to success. With better graphics, players can rely much more on their vision and depend on gear like smoke bombs to be more effective and realistic.

Grandiose map improvements

While all of the maps that will be in CS2 are yet to be revealed, we have been informed about the updates coming to some of the most popular maps. Importantly, some are being given massive improvements in the form of a complete overhaul. Our first example of this is Overpass, which Valve has given a tremendous refurbish. Others that have been updated for the new release include Ancient, Train, Nuke, Inferno, Mirage, and Dust 2.

Counter-Strike 2 shouldn’t be far away now, and with it, a truly modern and exciting experience will arrive for free to all players of the legendary CS:GO.