The rumor-laden “Counter-Strike 2” will likely not be a standalone game, but rather an update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. A leaker now explains why you should temper your expectations.
In early March, files appeared in a driver update from Nvidia that had a name reference to Counter-Strike. The rumors surrounding “Counter-Strike 2” were born, and more leaks emerged.
The British eSports journalist Richard Lewis claimed shortly thereafter that Counter-Strike 2 is real and would be released in March 2023.
What new information is there? On Tuesday, March 14, the data miner Aquarius wrote on Twitter that “Source 2” is listed in a pre-release list of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Aquarius was also the one who discovered the files in the Nvidia driver update,
Source 2 is the engine that DOTA 2 runs on and the successor to CS:GO’s Source engine. From the information provided by the data miner, it can be concluded that Counter-Strike 2 is not a new game but an engine update to Source 2.
Leaker explains what the “Source 2” update means for CS:GO
Who is involved? The Twitter user “Gabe Follower” is a leaker for CS:GO. On March 7, he summarized in a thread on Twitter all the “Counter-Strike 2” hints found in a DOTA 2 update.
What does the leaker say now about Counter-Strike 2? Gabe Follower explains in a post on Twitter what the “Source 2” update means.
According to him, such an engine update is “not supposed to make the game look or play better.” An engine update aims to “make the game work better and facilitate the development of new content,” according to the leaker.
He also tempers the high expectations of CS:GO players, stating: “Expect nothing unrealistic like a ‘CS:GO Source 2 Ultra Deluxe Director’s Cut Edition’ with 4K RTX and 256-tick [servers].”
How exactly the possible “Source 2” update for CS:GO could look, what it contains, and whether it will actually be released in March as insiders claim is still uncertain.
Nevertheless, an update of the engine could still bring a significant player boost to the already extremely popular and still frequently played tactical shooter.
Even in 2023, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive still ranks among the 10 best free-to-play shooters.
