"Counter-Strike 2" officially released in summer
The next version of the long-running multiplayer hit is official. "Counter-Strike 2" will remain free-to-play and all previous content will be transferred.
As soon as the last article on the "Counter-Strike 2" rumours was typed up, Valve got down to business. This summer will see the official second instalment of the successful multiplayer series after more than twenty years.
Most of the information from the leaks has been confirmed. "Counter-Strike 2" will be a free upgrade to "CS:GO". All skins and unlocked content will be carried over. Selected players will be able to test the new version today. The test phase will be gradually expanded.
New graphics, refreshed maps and more
"Counter-Strike 2" will utilise all the new tools and rendering functions of the Source 2 engine, Valve writes in the announcement. Smoke grenades now react dynamically to the environment, light and shots. Frag grenades, for example, can swirl up the smoke and create a brief window of visibility.
The improved graphics can also be seen in the maps. Valve divides the changes into three levels: refreshed, reworked and overhauled. The former includes "Dust II". Apart from more realistic lighting and the legibility of the characters, the map has hardly been touched. Revised maps such as "Nuke" rely entirely on the new lighting and physics effects from Source 2, while the overhauled maps have been rebuilt from scratch, as illustrated by the example of "Overpass".
Equipment, character models and weapon skins now also look much more stylish.
The sound has also been revised to reflect the environment and game states more accurately.
It was rumoured in advance that "CS:GO" would increase the tick rate from 64 to 128 and thus catch up with "Valorant". Tick rates are the time intervals in which the server calculates the
game world is calculated. According to the trailer, the server now recognises your actions in the game between ticks. Shots, movements and grenades are therefore calculated in real time.
Further details on "Counter-Strike 2", such as possible new maps or weapons, are to follow in the coming months.
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.