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Just as it seemed like Valve might break its promise about the CS:GO 2 release date, the Steam-maker came through and quietly launched the free CS:GO 2 update. The multiplayer game‘s revamp was a quiet affair, released with no big announcements or anything other than a new Steam page and a brief trailer highlighting some of the sequel’s changes. quietly launched the revamp with no fanfare and no proper announcement.
“For over two decades, Counter-Strike has offered an elite competitive experience, one shaped by millions of players from across the globe,” Valve says in the Steam description. “And now the next chapter in the CS story is about to begin. This is Counter-Strike 2.”
“A free upgrade to CS:GO, Counter-Strike 2 marks the largest technical leap in Counter-Strike’s history. Built on the Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike 2 is modernized with realistic physically-based rendering, state-of-the-art networking, and upgraded Community Workshop tools.”
Over 1 million players flocked to the game within minutes, and while the numbers have since calmed down slightly from the 1.4 million high on Sep. 27, 2023, there are still 950,000 people playing CS:GO 2 at the time of writing.
Where big launches like Baldur’s Gate 3 broke Steam earlier in the year, the platform remained stable in spite of the sudden influx.
CS:GO 2 includes new ratings and leaderboards, updated maps, and “dynamic” smoke effects. That last one sounds like a silly marketing point, but if the trailer is anything to go by, it looks like it actually changes the game quite a bit.
Your CS:GO items should have transferred over to CS:GO 2, so you won’t lose anything once you download the update.
CS:GO 2 is a free-to-play game and only requires a Steam account. You can pay $14.99 to get Prime status, though it’s not essential. Prime status means you can get matched with other Prime players and earn Prime-exclusive items, drops, and weapon cases. All the items are cosmetic, so aside from the matchmaking, you aren’t missing out on anything that would alter your experience with the game.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF