Counter-Strike 2

Valve confirms Counter-Strike 2 is coming and will run on Source 2 with new and improved maps, 'sub-tick updates' and dynamic smoke grenades.

In practice, that means players will be able to create “holes” in smoke grenades and even blow them away with frag grenade explosions. Plumes from smoke grenades are now dynamic volumetric objects that interact with the environment, and they will react to lighting, gunfire, and explosions, Valve says. The new Counter-Strike will run on Valve’s Source 2 engine.

CS2 is based on Valve's Source 2 engine and includes updates to some of the game's core mechanics, including improved smoke grenades and “sub-tick updates” that ...

[reported that an overhauled CS:GO](https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/5/23626439/valve-counter-strike-global-offensive-source-2-update) is in the works. [Here’s the latest news from GDC 2023](https://www.theverge.com/23647882/gdc-2023-game-developer-conference-news-announcements-interviews). “The game’s full range of new features will be announced at launch, but during the limited testing period we’ll be evaluating a subset of those features to get it ready for the worldwide release,” writes Valve spokesperson Kaci Aitchison Boyle. [video titled “Leveling Up The World,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExZtISgOxEQ) Valve says that maps will be getting a new look in CS2 but that experienced players’ skills should carry over. The limited test is also only available on Windows for now, not macOS or Linux, and the FAQ has zero mentions of Valve’s People are allowed to stream their experience and post videos of it, so even those of us who can’t play the game should get a good look at the improved smoke and lighting effects.

Counter-Strike 2 is launching this summer, but you can try the game today in Valve's new limited test. Here's how to check if you're eligible for the test.

If you are chosen to participate in the Counter-Strike 2 limited test you will receive a notification on the main menu of CS:GO. There’s no word on how many players are being selected to play the limited test initially, but Valve has stated that more players will be added over time. There’s no sign-up for the limited test — players are being selected by Valve. And it appears that veteran CS:GO soldiers and gamers who have played a lot recently will be prioritized in the limited test. Here’s what you need to know. How to play the Counter-Strike 2 limited test

(Official Valve Image). One of the most popular games on Steam is getting an official sequel this summer, as Bellevue, Wash.-based Valve Software has ...

The most recent game in the series, 2012’s Global Offensive, is one of the highest-grossing games on Valve’s digital storefront Steam, with a popular esports circuit, and has maintained a Other new features are planned for announcement later in the year. This is the latest installment in a series of military-themed, comparatively realistic first-person shooters that Valve has published and developed since 2000.

Find out everything there is to know about the new Counter-Strike 2 tick rate changes in this guide here, as we've explained it all for you.

However, in Counter-Strike 2 there is a new sub-tick architecture that supposedly negates the importance of tick rate entirely. In a game defined by milliseconds like Counter-Strike, tick rate is - as you can imagine - incredibly important. One of the biggest issues players had with CS:GO was the fixed tick rate of 64 on official servers.

Valve Software has announced Counter-Strike 2, a sequel to the famous team-based shooter. The update features new smoke-grenade physics, updated player ...

So, how do you join the Counter-Strike 2 beta? [say](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=111346X1569483&url=https://counter-strike.net/cs2&xcust=2-1-1668142-1-0-0&sref=https://www.pcworld.com/article/1668142/counter-strike-2-adds-an-updated-sequel-to-an-epic-game.html). The game’s developers describe it as “the next era of Counter-Strike,” and it’s not hard to see why. There are also updates for how Counter-Strike 2 manages player interactions. For a huge chunk of the PC gaming community, Counter-Strike defined team-based first-person shooters. Now there’s a sequel: Counter-Strike 2, which will debut this summer from Valve Software.

Counter-Strike began as a mod for Half-Life back in 1999. It was acquired by Half-Life developer Valve Software and released as a commercial product in 2000.

The initial test of Counter-Strike 2 includes only "Deathmatch and Unranked Competitive matchmaking on Dust2," but more content will be added in the future. Smoke grenades are a key part of the gameplay in all versions of Counter-Strike. And "Full Overhaul" maps will be rebuilt from the ground up with new geometry and features. Additionally, Valve will overhaul how smoke works in the game. "Touchstone" maps like Dust2 will keep the exact same geometry and features as their CS:GO counterparts but with some improvements to lighting or materials. Counter-Strike 2 by no means offers a fundamental change to the original game's design.

Dr Disrespect has revealed his initial thoughts on Counter-Strike 2, after Valve revealed first-look footage of the CSGO sequel.

[Can banned CS:GO players play Counter-Strike 2?](https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/counter-strike-2-rules-banned-csgo-players-2093946/) [Can you play Counter-Strike 2 on Linux or macOS?](https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/can-you-play-counter-strike-2-on-linux-or-macos-2094002/) [All smoke changes in Counter-Strike 2](https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/all-smoke-changes-in-counter-strike-2-2093984/) Is Counter-Strike 2 going to be free to play?](https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/counter-strike-2-rules-banned-csgo-players-2093946/) [How to play Counter-Strike 2 limited beta test](https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/csgo-2-beta-test-guide-2093744/) [ In a [blog post](https://www.counter-strike.net/cs2), they announced changes to combat with a “game-changing” responsive smoke coming in the sequel, on top of other differences.

Valve has upgraded tick rates for Counter-Strike 2 by introducing a sub-tick system; here's how it will work in-game.

But while the game still played responsively, the milliseconds that separated a mouse click and tick could often be the difference between a shot landing or missing the target entirely. The time between each tick was nonexistent. [Valve](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqhhFl5zgA0) uploaded a video detailing how the team is “Moving Beyond Tick Rate” with sub-tick updates.

Tick rate no longer matters for moving, shooting, or throwing. Sub-tick updates are the heart of Counter-Strike 2. Previously, the server only evaluated the ...

According to the game's website, CS2 is a massive update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the crown jewel of the tactical shooter genre for decades. Maps ...

Jsaux](https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/steam-deck-docking-stations-valve-vs-jsaux/) [Steam Deck Evolved: Valve's Portable Gaming PC, One Year Later](https://www.cnet.com/news/steam-deck-evolved-valves-portable-gaming-pc-one-year-later/) According to the game's website, CS2 is a massive update to [Counter-Strike: Global Offensive](https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_Global_Offensive/), the crown jewel of the tactical shooter genre for decades. The announcement boasts a variety of upgrades to the game experience. That's particularly important for the competitive aspect of the game, where players' reflexes are continually tested, and the tiniest increments of time make a significant difference in the outcome of a game. The announcement of Counter-Strike 2 gives the series a modern upgrade and a chance to attract newer players who weren't interested in a decade-old game. [Counter-Strike 2](https://www.counter-strike.net/cs2), the evolution of one of the most storied first-person shooters.

Valve recently wowed fans with several Counter-Strike 2 announcements, and some interesting features have already been confirmed for the game.

"Touchstone" maps are classic CS maps that are mainly designed to act as a gateway between CS:GO and Counter-Strike 2, only offering minor graphical improvements in the way of lighting. Of course, Counter-Strike 2 also aims to provide a serious level of graphical improvement over the old Global Offensive. [the Counter-Strike community](http://gamerant.com/cs-go-player-gun-skin-150k-dollars/) regarded the tick rates that installments such as CS:GO operated off of on a server level. [Valve's Source 2 game engine](https://gamerant.com/valve-source-2-engine-rtx-support/), smoke grenades in Counter-Strike 2 will produce 3D volumetric plumes of smoke that can directly interact with the environment. These improved smoke grenades will also be able to fill confined spaces such as holes and tunnels more realistically, greatly improving the scope of plays that can be made with them. Valve has already announced several exciting new features for Counter-Strike 2 which hint at the level of technological advancement that the release will herald for the IP.

The CS community has been on de_hypetrain for quite a while now, and Valve has finally officially revealed Counter Strike 2...

While we didn’t get much details for the specific changes, audio has been reworked to better reflect the physical environment and express the game state better. All of the visual effects have been updated in Counter Strike 2. In-game visuals have been redesigned with the goal of better readability. Regardless of tick rate, moving and shooting will be equally responsive and the grenades will land the same way. Another big change being introduced are sub-tick updates, which are “the heart of Counter-Strike 2.” With this new feature, the server will no longer evaluate game events in terms of ticks and will instead know the exact instant that a button is pressed. However, the smokes thrown by Terrorists seem to be tinted yellow while those from Counter-Terrorists will have a lighter hue to them.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 2 limited test (closed beta) is available now, and here's how to access it on Steam.

[Street Fighter 6 closed beta codes](https://gamerant.com/street-fighter-6-closed-beta-codes-sent-out-capcom/), Valve has been more secretive about the limited test process. Counter-Strike 2 limited test allows for Deathmatches and Unranked Competitive matches in Dust2. (Head to the Steam Settings, click Account, and then VAC Status.) Beginner players and those with bad Steam standing are not likely to get invited for CS:GO 2 limited test. To see if an account matches the Valve criteria, check Counter-Strike playtime on Steam and ensure there are no VAC bans on the account. As of this writing, there’s no way to register for the limited beta, and Valve chooses the testers based on partially undisclosed standards. If a popup window offers beta enrollment, click “ENROLL,” download CS:GO 2 data, relaunch Steam, and select Limited Test in the Main Menu.

Counter-Strike 2 test access is very strict, so here are the criteria for being invited by Valve and what you can do to boost your chances.

The sort-of-sequel is being built on Valve's Source 2 engine and will launch as a free upgrade to CS:GO, carrying over all of your unlocks and purchased items.

For any other questions about the limited test, head to the [FAQ page.](https://steamcommunity.com/faqs/steam-help/view/5ED2-ED8E-81F4-0C18#often) The coolest-looking new feature is definitely the [smoke grenade's rejigged effects](https://youtu.be/_y9MpNcAitQ). [the official CS2 site](https://www.counter-strike.net/cs2) to quench your thist for details. As previously rumoured - now confirmed - Counter-Strike 2 has a new approach to tick-rate: it no longer matters. Valve [say](https://twitter.com/CounterStrike/status/1638585850924797958?cxt=HHwWjMDUpcvJtr0tAAAA) they’re selecting players based on factors that are important to the dev team, including “recent playtime on Valve official servers, trust factor, and Steam account standing.” New players are being added over time, so you may get an invite later if you haven’t already. The sort-of-sequel is being built on Valve’s Source 2 engine and will launch as a free upgrade to CS:GO, carrying over all of your unlocks and purchased items.

Counter Strike 2 may look similar to Counter Strike: Global Offensive, but there are features in CS2 that weren't carried over from CSGO.

This includes looking at your HP and ammo in the corners of the screen. Manually binding your jump-throw to one of your mouse buttons through the in-game console is now a thing of the past with CS2. As we enter the era of Source 2, we also have to say goodbye to these things.

Valve did the unthinkable and made a new video game, and you can play 'Counter-Strike 2' very soon if you're lucky.

It won't come in an email or even in a Steam message; it has to be done in an older Counter-Strike game. Anyway, all you have to do is play CS:GO and hope for an invite to show up on the main menu screen in that game. Whether or not you get picked isn't entirely in your control, and it's not clear exactly how long the Limited Test will last or when other players will be let in.

Valve has done a Valve once more. Not only did it announce Counter-Strike 2 out of nowhere but, with one finger raised aloft at all the web3 donkeys, ...

[I play Counter-Strike because I love it](https://www.pcgamer.com/in-counter-strike-2-valve-may-have-just-created-my-dream-game/) (opens in new tab), and simply due to sheer length of time played I have some reasonably valuable skins, but in terms of a time-to-money ratio you'd be much better off doing almost anything else. Since the Source 2 rumours started it's had a minor spike in value, going for around $175, and in the last 24 hours several have been sold for around $200. There's a small but notably rising tide in skin value for the simple reason that speculators know one thing about Counter-Strike 2: Whatever else, it's going to attract new players and in all likelihood increase Counter-Strike's popularity. Which leads me, finally, to the most important thing. The bigger question is going to be whether these valuations hold because, at the moment, they're entirely speculative. I won't even pretend to understand the sticker market, which has seemingly random spikes in value all the time, but the time-limited avatars will definitely continue to rise in value over time. You couldn't see them in-game, even if your opponents could, because you couldn't see your avatar's body (beyond the hands holding the gun). Skins that have been 'retired', meaning that the cases which you can get them from no longer drop, are the most valuable for obvious reasons, whereas skins that can be obtained from current cases are not so sought-after. We're not talking about thousands of these things being sold: One gun going for $730 spikes the graph and, afterwards, the valuation will usually drop again. CS:GO skins are a very big deal indeed, with people in extreme cases paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a new look for their gun. That is, skins which have particularly lighting-sensitive and pearlescent finishes. The general rule with CS:GO cosmetics and their value is the older the better.

There may be a Counter Strike 2 mobile port on the way, if some Twitter sleuths' console-command digging is to be believed, though these may just be ...

So, the mentions of mobile may just be leftovers – and there’s little other evidence out there to say whether they are or aren’t. “These strings and console commands may simply be leftovers from other games, but they are not exist [sic] in Dota 2 or the Aperture Desk Job. One shows a line of code with the mention of ‘other platforms etc’ and ‘mobile’, while the other shows a list of console commands with the mention of mobile as well.

The CS community has long been waiting for Counter Strike 2, since rumors about game engine Source 2 years ago. Now that it's finally here and there is the ...

While CS2 did not copy VALORANT exactly in this aspect, there is now a stack of cards that appears in the middle of your HUD that increases by one card per kill in the round. Counter Strike 2 also repositioned its HUD to display health and ammo closer to the center of the monitor rather than the edges, which makes for better readability while in-game. These rings in CS2 can also coexist, meaning your minimap can have more than one sound radius displayed at the same time.

In Counter-Strike 2, Valve is walking a potentially difficult line, one that few developers ever tread. It's not often that a game is designed to ...

The complexity of that journey means that Valve is used to wrangling its community, but after 11 years of CS:GO, there's every chance that some players will be similarly resistant to change. That meant that when CS:GO's significant overhaul came around in 2012, many of those 1.6 players had been playing the original game for 12 years, and were again reluctant to make the jump. But that journey has rarely been smooth - competitive Counter-Strike players felt that Source's competitive ceiling was too low when compared to their current 1.6 patch, and many didn't make the jump. But in Counter-Strike 2, Valve has another problem to overcome: its current game is demonstrably one of the biggest in the world, and that means a lot of things that can potentially go very wrong, in a very public manner. [Steamcharts](https://steamcharts.com/app/730) (opens in new tab), we can see the strength of its rise, and the power of its position at the top of the biggest PC platform. The transfer of power is rarely easy, in these instances.

Shroud was among the first to compliment Counter-Strike 2 for its “smooth” upgrades but the FPS superstar isn't sold on new smokes yet.

After playing for a few hours, he remained hesitant on the new smokes as a whole. But over time, there’s every chance those opinions change as he acclimates to the new version of Counter-Strike. On the other hand, a few new tweaks did raise eyebrows as shroud got more familiar with the new version of Valve’s iconic FPS title. Instantly checking out all the new features and updates, the veteran was quickly impressed after a few games in the Source 2 engine. If you’re among the lucky few with [early access to Valve’s limited beta](https://www.dexerto.com/counter-strike-2/csgo-2-beta-test-guide-2093744/), you can jump in right away and start getting familiar with the new FPS port. Though he isn’t completely sold on one particular change yet, questioning smokes in the new port.

With the successful tactical shooter franchise getting a new iteration, players have begun to wonder about the fate of Counter-Strike's close cousin, Valorant.

That said, those who prefer the hard-core and realistic shooter experience will want to choose Counter-Strike 2 over Riot’s supernatural shooter. Now that Counter-Strike 2 is set for a release window, it’s natural for players to wonder which one of the games is a better shooter in 2023. Hence, it may be too soon to know whether CS 2 is a better shooter than Valorant or not. It has a separate, yet massive, fan base and will bring many old loyalists who migrated to Valorant back to the franchise. Valorant, on the other hand, is a hero tactical shooter featuring magical abilities and precise gunplay. Valve finally pulled the curtains off the highly-anticipated Counter-Strike 2 on March 22, giving players a taste of what’s to come this summer.

In an announcement that shocked much of the gaming community, Valve confirmed this week that Counter-Strike 2 is real and releasing very soon.

By remaining free-to-play, jumping into Counter-Strike 2 is essentially a no-brainer for fans of the FPS genre. The announcement of Counter-Strike 2's release is already changing the competitive-shooter landscape. If so, Counter-Strike 2 could utilize its unique release date to become a near-untouchable force, by the time another shooter tries to break into the market. A Summer 2023 release also has major implications for Counter-Strike 2's player count at launch. However, there will be no Call of Duty entry this year, meaning that an established and flourishing Counter-Strike 2 may draw the attention of an entirely different community of fans left wanting by Activision's absence this Winter. Therefore, the recent announcement of Counter-Strike 2 has made major ripples across the entire gaming community.

A data miner has discovered a new anti-cheat measure that is in the works for Counter-Strike 2 that could cancel live matches.

The new system seems to be reminiscent of Riot’s Vanguard system in Valorant. Valve implemented VAC in 2002 with the launch of Counter-Strike in 2002. The anti-cheat is installed directly onto players’ computers and can detect cheats during matches. Some bans from the Valve system can take days or weeks to go through the system after it was originally detected. With Valve’s announcement of Counter-Strike 2, many new updates to the game’s engine and gameplay were revealed, but nothing was said about a new anti-cheat system. A similar type of thing happens in Riot Game’s tactical shooter Valorant with its anti-cheat system