Summary
Valve has released a brand-newCounter-Strike 2update, bringing a host of important changes as well as the inclusion of the long-awaited left-hand viewmodel. This feature was previously featured inCS:GO, and it has finally made its way toCounter-Strike 2.
Last year’s announcement ofCounter-Strike2came as a shock to the gaming community. Rumors of a Source 2 upgrade forCounter-Strike: Global Offensivehad swirled for years, but Valve’s decision to rebrand the game showed a ton of confidence in what it was working on. Following up one of thebest multiplayer FPS games of all timewas always going to be a huge ask, but Valve has largely achieved that withCounter-Strike 2. While the game didn’t launch in the best state, Valve has remained committed to improving the game with frequent updates since its launch in September 2023.
Valve detailed the latestCounter-Strike 2update in a series ofpatch notes. One change stands out among all the others - the left-hand viewmodel previously featured inCounter-Strike: Global Offensivehas returned. This allows players to decide which side of the screen that their gun is on, with the ability to change on the fly. This was considered a strange omission from the launch ofCounter-Strike 2, considering its importance in high-level play. Still, it’s a great quality-of-life improvement to theguns inCounter-Strike 2, and an addition that will be welcomed by the game’s community.
However, the left-hand viewmodel is not the only big change here. TheCounter-Strike 2mapsare receiving a shake-up, with Dust 2 returning to the Active Duty map pool in place of Overpass. This means that Dust 2 will now be available to play in Premier mode, and will also replace Overpass in the professional scene, too. On top of these changes, improvements have been made to Inferno to make it more playable. Buy menu adjustments have also been made, and the Overwatch anti-cheat monitoring system seen inCS:GOis also back in the game. All in all, it’s a pretty huge update.
The originalCounter-Strikegame was released back in 2000, and it’s hard to believe how popular the series remains so many years into the future. Despite having so few releases in the series, Valve has perfected the tactical shooter formula, resulting in games that people come back to, time and time again. It remains one of the onlySteam games that had an all-time peak of over a million players, and the release ofCounter-Strike 2has only increased its popularity. It’s safe to say thatCounter-Strikeis here to stay, especially with more updates of this quality.
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Counter-Strike 2
WHERE TO PLAY
For over two decades, Counter-Strike has offered an elite competitive experience, one shaped by millions of players from across the globe. 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.
