Counter-Strike 2 news center: Latest information and community reactions

What maps will be included at launch? These are but a handful of questions that thousands of players have as we edge closer to the official release of Counter-Strike 2 beta. Here’s all we know about CS:GO 2 news including the latest news, information, and guides.

On March 25, fuelled by the Counter-Strike 2 hype, CS:GO reached 1.5 million concurrent players. But even without Counter-Strike 2, CS:GO had been breaching new records when it came to player numbers.

We've all heard about the sub-tick system. It's not 64, it's not 128. But how exactly does it impact performance. Well, before you get the Counter-strike 2 beta, you can only rely on feedback from existing Beta 2 users. And some, like Tarik have said it feels good, but that's not an opionion across the board.

Finally, some really good news. Counter-Strike 2 will include the possibility of including custom sprays. Whether Valve will allow it or not is another matter.

We will keep this thread updated as and when more information about Counter-Strike 2 comes out.

Meanwhile, Tarik seems to be enjoying the shooting style in CS:GO. Come back Tarik!

The Source 2 engine supports iOS and Android. There have been fragments of mobile code found in the Counter-Strike 2 update. While nothing is confirmed just yet, this might be an indication of a future mobile version of th egame.

Don't do this

The CS:GO handle on Twitter is now counterstrike. Yes! It's the start of a new era indeed.

Counter-Strike 2 to feature Battle Royale style lobbies where if you invite your friends, you walk into the lobby together. Here's what Fl0m said on stream soon after Counter-Strike 2 announcement.

Anti-Cheat has been a big focus for the team in CS:GO. Global Offensive was plagued with cheaters and hackers and it often became difficult for Valve to stay ahead of hackers. Valve has not officially unveiled what Counter-Strike 2 anti-cheat would look like, but they are definitely planning something more robust than VAC. Or maybe it is an update to Valve Anti-Cheat?

Counter-Strike 2 has significant engine upgrades with better lightings on existing and new maps.Tick-rates no longer matter. It will have sub tick-rates which means your tick rate will be determined based on your system.. It will also have responsive smokes, adding a realistic feeling to the game.

After a lull for a few days, CS:GO 2 news is back! There's a new CS:GO Twitter banner, with a Counter-Terrorist seen facing right between the C and the S.

More DPR updates spotted on SteamDB. Even though there's no official announcement yet about CSGO2, the regular updates point to something coming soon. Stay tuned!

Source 2 for CS:GO gets individual OS depots - Windows, Mac, and Linux. This means the game will be playable on all three of these platforms.

On March 17, CS:GO devs changed their profile pics to various iterations of the game. While this might not directly point towards CS:GO2, it has a high chance of hinting at a major update coming to the game.

Valve has officially trademarked CS2 as we head towards an imminent release. The trademark application was filed on March 13 and it was approved on March 17. You can check out the applications here. Here are the serial numbers for the applications:

A lot of players and influencers were trying to bait with ‘self-reported’ access to CS:GO 2. When fl0m posted a similar tweet, the official CS:GO account replied with an Office gif. 

While this is not an indication of anything, it could also point toward building hype for the impending update. 

With the CS:GO 2 hype in full force, any small changes on the official CS:GO Social media accounts had fans scrambling for theories. When CS:GO changed its Twitter banner to five terrorists, some players assumed it pointed towards five remaining days for CS:GO 2. 

CS:GO devs were at it again on March 16 with even more updates to the CS:GO blog.

As the hype around CS:GO 2 continued to rise, there were thousands of fans tweeting at the official CS:GO Twitter account. Some of you might also be amongst those tweeting at the official handle. 

And finally, the CS:GO Twitter budged, with a reaction from The Office. 

Aquarius posted CS:GO blog updates, which could point to a potential update that will announce the CS:GO 2 beta soon. 

CS:GO devs get ready Source 2 to be added to the game with the Changelist #18076878. There is an executable file added to the config. This has been the biggest indication that the name of the new game/update will be CS2. 

The file’s description is ‘Limited Test Build’ pointing toward a Dota 2 Reborn-like DLC update.

In 2016, Dota 2 received a DLC update in the form of Dota 2 Reborn. Both versions of the game remained playable for some time. The two games were finally merged together with the Reborn version being the only playable one. It is likely CS:GO will also follow a similar pattern where we might see months of playable DLC before Valve decides to retain only CS:GO 2. 

On March 7, Dota 2 received a game update. While Dota 2 fans were disappointed with the lack of any big changes ( and 7.33), CS:GO dataminers found a treasure trove of information about a potential CS:GO update.

CS:GO got ten new depots with the update including Source 2 workshop tools for the game. This indicates that CS:GO Source 2 files were included as part of the Dota 2 update. 

This was the start of the recent craze surroundnig CS:GO2. While there have always been rumors of a potential CS:GO update for Source 2, this was one of the first-ever ‘proof’ of something new coming to CS:GO. 

By going through some not-so-deep dive, it was possible to see two new executables in the Nvidia settings - CS:GO2 and CS2. 

While rumors of CSGO Source 2 update have been doing the rounds for some time, on March 5, Richard Lewis' report was a welcome shock to the fanbase. A respected journalist whose work has improved the game's esports scene, the Richard Lewis report mentioned that CS:GO2 will release in the same month (March 2023).

Here's what we can expect in CS:GO 2:

Higher tick-rate servers have been one of the most popular demands by the CS:GO community. Higher tick-rates makes the game more enjoyable for the average user with smoother graphics and better gameplay. With third-party services such as FaceIT and EMEA offering 128 tick-rates and more recently, Riot's VALORANT also launching with 128-tick servers, CS:GO was not to be left behind.

Meanwhile, just as was the case with Dota 2's Source 2 update, players can expect improved graphics and some better game mechanics. CS:GO's matchmaking system should also be expected to receive an overhaul to bring it on par with other third-party services.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CSGO 2 news and updates.