Valve officially releases Counter Strike 2

After several weeks of teases and updates, Valve has finally announced Counter-Strike 2’s launch. The new game replaces CS:GO and will be free-to-play.

If you open your Steam Library right now, there’s a high chance you will see Counter-Strike 2 instead of Counter-Strike Global Offensive. After announcing the new game earlier this year, Valve has officially released CS2. There’s a lot to unpack in CS2 and it’s not just the improved graphics and the amazing gameplay. 

The official Twitter (X) handle released a video that highlights the progress the franchise has made over the years. 

The video goes back to the 1.6 days showing highlights from legendary maps like Dust 2 and Ancient. Global Offensive was released in 2012 and required multiple changes before pros were open to adopting the new game.

Showing some of the most exciting moments in CS:GO history, the highlight video also shows Team Vitality’s victory in the final CS:GO Major. The BLAST Paris CS:GO Major was the final CS:GO Major where they took down GamerLegion in the Grand Finals. The 2-0 victory cemented their name in history as the final Champions of CS:GO.

You can download CS2 for free right now as long as you have an active Steam account. You will find CS2 in your library. Simply click Install and the client will start downloading the game for you.

Counter-Strike 2 features improved graphics, significantly better and responsive smokes as well as a new sub-tick system. Valve has been quietly working on the beta for a long time slowly increasing the number of players and adding new maps. With Counter-Strike 2 now officially live, the esports scene is set to transition into a brand new game that might be shorter, more exciting, and definitely looks significantly better. 

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Counter-Strike 2 news and updates