The eSports and gaming world changed forever this autumn as the universally loved CS:GO officially became no more. In case you’ve been living under a rock and this news comes as a shock to you, don’t worry, the game itself still exists, but Valve has finally given it a much-awaited upgrade. CS:GO is dead, long live Counter-Strike 2!
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is, undoubtedly, a hard act to follow. First hitting the scene in 2012, Valve’s top-rated FPS game has gone on to become the stuff of video gaming legend — at one stage, the game pulled in over 1.8 million players per day.
Since CS2 replaced the original in the Steam store it’s pretty much been business as usual on the eSports scene, with Counter-Strike 2 eSports betting odds going live for major upcoming tournaments like the ESL Challenger League and BLAST. However, although CS2 is a “Source 2 refresh” of the OG title, what are the major differences that gamers should be aware of?
Let’s take a look, shall we?
Counter-Strike 2: A Summary
As mentioned above, Counter-Strike 2 is an upgrade to CS:GO rather than being a straight-up sequel. The eSports favourite has had a complete overhaul and brings many new elements and features to players thanks to the fact that it was built on a brand-new game engine. In fact, Valve has dubbed this latest edition as being the “beginning of an exciting new chapter” in the history of the Counter-Strike series, as well as displaying “the largest technical leap” from game to game to date.
This “technical leap” refers to the Valve Source 2 engine, itself an upgrade of the 2004 Source Engine. As players during the beta testing phase of the game in early 2023 soon found out, the extra horsepower from Source 2 has given the game a new, striking aesthetic and made numerous visual improvements to a title that was, let’s face it, beginning to show its age in the hyperreal digital era. CS2 has brought significant improvements to the game’s visual textures and object models and even overhauled the user interface with some cool animations.
While Valve has done an excellent job bringing the game bang up to date for play in 2023 and beyond, nevertheless pro gamers have noticed a few “cons”’ of this refreshed version of CS:GO. One of the more obvious issues with CS2 is that, despite its improved visuals, it doesn’t play as smoothly as its predecessor. Several players have reported “sluggish” and laggy gameplay, despite possessing the up-to-the-minute hardware needed to get the best out of the game.
Other issues that are causing a bugbear right now include the lack of left-hand weaponry options, unsynchronised sub-ticks, and inexplicable drops in frame rates. While it would’ve been nice for Valve to smooth out these things prior to CS2’s mass release in September, they’re not causing any major problems for the casual gamer, or even the pro eSports player.
All-New CS2 Features
Smoke Grenades
One of the biggest changes in CS2 for the better comes in the form of the game’s brand-new smoke grenades. In this edition of the game, grenades are “dynamic volumetric objects” capable of interacting with and reacting to changes in the in-game environments.
For instance, these all-new grenades provide a smokescreen that naturally expands and interacts with the environment around them, including moving through windows and doors. The smokescreens also react naturally to changes in light during gameplay, supplying a smoother, more natural response to the differences in indoor and outdoor light.
All-New Environmental Effects
As well as new features that react and shift with in-game environments, CS2 also has several brand-new effects that decide how the environment interacts with other elements. C4 explosions have a realistic impact, creating a “mini-nuke” type effect, while incendiary grenades and Molotov’s both give off authentic fire effects when deployed. Even HE grenades have more naturalistic explosions that will change depending on where they land.
Maps Refresh
Players have also commented favourably on the revitalised maps that appear throughout Counter-Strike 2. Numerous existing CS:GO maps have been upgraded, with some even being given a complete makeover. The visual quality of maps like Mirage and Dust 2, for example, has been given a major facelift thanks to Source 2 integrations.
Some pre-existing maps now in the Overhaul category have been completely reworked for this new release. Touchstone Maps, meanwhile, have had a more light-touch approach and display better lighting and more realistic character reads.
MR12 Format
Competitive gameplay is an essential element in an eSports FPS and though not every gamer playing CS2 will be doing so in a professional competitive environment, even casual gamers will appreciate that it now follows an MR12 format. What’s more, the maximum number of rounds that can be played is now 24, which encourages shorter and more meaningful competitive games, while an overtime counter has also been introduced to CS2.
