What is going on with Counter-Strike 2? Background

What is going on with Counter-Strike 2?

July 7, 2023
one minute read

Earlier this year, news broke that Counter-Strike 2 was in the works and would be released sometime in 2023. Time for a little look at the situation.

The development is in full swing!

Since the announcement of Counter-Strike 2, there has been an ongoing beta, but only very limited amounts of players have been allowed in so far. However, players who are not permitted to participate in the beta can regularly track the current status and new changes through patch notes published on Steam.

Valve also regularly publishes new dev blogs and info on major changes, such as most recently that the old "purchase wheel" is a thing of the past and has been replaced by a new interface. Personally, we like the new interface, but whether it will ultimately work as well as the old purchase wheel remains to be seen. What do you think about the new interface?

wheel.png

New sounds, graphics and revised maps

So far we don't know much about new content in Counter-Strike 2, but what we do know is that Valve is switching the game over to the Source Engine 2. All maps will be reworked, some of them will only be optimized a little bit, others will be reworked and adapted a lot more. Do you have a map from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that you would like to see reworked?

CS:GO was released over 10 years ago, so it's time to update the sound effects and graphics. We've already seen some screenshots from Counter-Strike 2, so we know that the graphics are taking a big step forward.

New lighting and shadows, completely reworked fog and smoke animations, making smoke grenades create an even more immersive environment. Of course, there are also new assets and textures for all maps, weapons and weapon skins.

Naturally, all these changes also mean that the hardware requirements for your PC will increase. We can't say how high the requirements will be at the moment, since there are no official details from Valve. But in view of the changes, there should be a noticeable jump. However, we think that Valve is still trying to keep these as low as possible so that as many players as possible can continue to play without any problems in the end.

What happens to my skins?

You don't have to worry about your skins. Valve has already confirmed that any weapon skins will be carried over. Due to the graphical overhaul, they may end up slightly different from the current look, but you'll basically keep all the skins.

When will Counter-Strike 2 be released?

When the beta phase started in March 2023, it was said that Counter-Strike 2 would be released in the summer of 2023. Currently, we are already in the middle of summer and there is no release date in sight. Personally, we don't think it will be this summer anymore. We will keep our eyes open for you and inform you as soon as there is more information about a release. It is quite possible that it will be 2023.

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Counter-Strike 2 is still a while off, but the classic CS:GO is a great way to pass the time until its release. Whether you are a complete beginner and jumping into CS:GO for the first time or you are already an old veteran who knows all the weapons and maps in their sleep, GPORTAL provides you with the appropriate servers so that you can play at the top.

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