In recent weeks, rumors about a successor to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have been increasing. CS2 or CS:GO 2 are the names circulating. But what exactly is behind it and what leaks are there? We at MeinMMO have gathered everything.
Steam: Counter-Strike 2 is real and testing begins today – Valve confirms it officially
You can read the leaks and rumors that have existed in the past weeks here:
What kind of game is it? That is still not clear at all. Currently, there are three rumors, all of which sound plausible:
- It could be a direct successor to Global Offensive – thus CS:GO 2.
- It could be Counter-Strike 2, a completely new game in the shooter universe.
- It could merely be a port of CS:GO to the Source-2 engine. Because Source 2 was already released in 2014, and other titles from Valve, including Dota 2, have moved to this engine.
Update: Insider Gabe Follower examined some lines of code and an exe file that are currently circulating. He confirmed their authenticity on Twitter. He also says that it is “only” an upgrade to the Source Engine 2. That is also what a leaker says, who additionally lowers the general expectations a bit.
How is Counter-Strike 2 even coming up now? At the beginning of March, there was a leak in a new Nvidia driver (via GameStar). A new control panel named “Counter-Strike 2” was added. There were also two new files named csgo2.exe and cs2.exe.
Subsequently, Richard Lewis, a British e-sports journalist, commented on the leak (via RichardLewis). He claims the game is real and is supposed to launch in March 2023. Other insiders say that it is only an upgrade, but also indicate March for that.
For more new shooters expected to be released in 2023, you can find in this video:
New server, new matchmaking, and new engine?
This is what Lewis says about Counter-Strike 2: According to the journalist, the new game has supposedly been in development at Valve for some time now. A large part of the developers is reportedly working on it, while the rest of the team is taking care of the continued development of CS:GO.
The following details were mentioned for Counter-Strike 2:
- The game is supposed to rely on 128 tick servers, as is already the case with Valorant and was demanded by many fans.
- There is supposed to be a new matchmaking system.
- The game is supposed to have been developed in the Source-2 engine, providing graphically significant improvements.
According to Lewis, Counter-Strike 2 is supposed to start a beta this month. However, he could not specify a concrete date.
How likely is that? That is difficult to say. Some sources on Twitter support the statement that a completely new game is released. But there are also indications that Counter-Strike 2 will not be something standalone.
The clues come among others from Gabe Follower, a content creator for CS:GO. He claims that it is merely Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in the new Source-2 engine. There will be no new game, no rebrand, and your skins should not be in danger.
According to Gabe Follower, Valve has reportedly been testing the new Source-2 version since December.
Also, the CS:GO player Aquarius expects an upgrade to the new engine. He claims that it will be free and could appear “any day” (via Twitter).
What does this mean for CS2? What exactly is hidden behind Counter-Strike 2 is currently unclear. We have to wait until Valve speaks up. However, at the moment it is most likely that CS:GO will be moving to the Source-2 engine.
New information is expected from everyone in March. We will update the article accordingly.
What do you hope for from the leaks and rumors? Would you like a completely new Counter-Strike or is a modified version in the new engine enough for you? Feel free to write it in the comments.
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