On Wednesday, Valve announced that Counter-Strike 2 will arrive this summer and is currently being play-tested by select CS:GO players. Counter-Strike 2 is a free upgrade for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that allows the game to leverage the power of Valve’s Source 2 engine, making it the “largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike’s history, ensuring new features and updates for years to come.”
Counter-Strike 2 is expected to release in Summer 2023 and will bring a variety of changes to CS:GO, with more features to be announced at launch. Some of the new features outlined in today’s announcement include overhauled maps, dynamic smoke grenades, and revamped visuals and audio. Player inventory will also carry over from CS:GO into CS2, with some added polish thanks to Source 2’s enhanced lighting and materials. More details on the upcoming changes can be found on the official CS2 website.
According to Valve, Counter-Strike 2 is currently available in Limited Testing for certain CS:GO players. “During this testing period, we’ll be evaluating a subset of features to shake out any issues before the worldwide release.” Players who are chosen to participate in the limited test will be notified within the CS:GO main menu. Those looking to find out more about the limited playtest can head over to the official Counter-Strike 2 FAQ on Steam.