Counter-Strike 2 Is Now Available and Free-To-Play

Valve has officially launched Counter-Strike 2, the successor to the overly popular online shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Steam. The game simply replaces CS:GO with various improvements and map overhauls.

It’s a similar situation with Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 as all of your progress in CS:GO is carried over, making the successor feel more like a massive patch with drastic changes to gameplay and map design.

Counter-Strike 2 was only announced earlier this year as Valve hosted multiple limited technical tests with select players since March.

One of the biggest changes is the tick rate, as it will no longer matter when you shoot, move, or throw grenades. CS 2’s new sub-tick update architecture will be able to make servers know exactly when a shot is fired or when a grenade is thrown, making any result more accurate.

Another major change worth mentioning is that smoke grenades are now dynamic. The utility is no longer just a static effect that blocks line of sight as the effect will now interact with the environment and event react to lighting, gunfire, and explosions.

Here’s a rundown of the game’s features from Steam.

• All-new Counter-Strike Ratings with the updated Premier mode.

• Global and Regional leaderboards.

• Upgraded and overhauled maps.

• Game-changing dynamic smoke grenades.

• Tick-rate-independent gameplay.

• Redesigned visual effects and audio.

• All items from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive moving forward to Counter-Strike 2.

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