After multiple circulating rumours, Valve announced earlier this morning that Counter-Strike 2 is officially on the way. Touted as a free upgrade for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, this sequel will look to overhaul most major systems, while utilising the latest version of the Source 2 engine.
As a result, Counter-Strike 2 will feature newer and cleaner textures, and even an overhaul to smoke grenades, which will now act as a 3D volumetric asset within the environment. Maps will also be receiving fresh lighting and rendering. The tick rate will also be addressed with sub-tick updates, meaning servers can now update information faster to track player movement and interactivity, meaning gameplay will look to feel more responsive than ever.
Valve provided a look at some of these features, which we’ve included for your convenience below:
Valve will also be offering a limited test to a select group of CS: GO players to be able to test some of these features, of which more information can be accessed via this Steam support page. With no official release date as of yet, Valve has confirmed that Counter-Strike 2 will be launching sometime in mid-2023.