How to play CS:GO after CS2's release

Upon the release of the highly successful online multiplayer first-person shooter title Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was seemingly removed from Steam's games library, leaving gamers to ponder about whether the game is still somehow accessible. The good news is that despite the game being replaced on Steam, there are still means to play it through official channels without violating any terms and conditions.

This guide explains how to access and download the game on Steam. It must be noted that there are no official servers in the game since CS2 has been launched globally. However, players can tweak the game and its multiple community servers to have some fun.

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How to play CS:GO now after CS2's release

Playing CS:GO after the release of CS2 (Image via Valve)

Playing CS:GO after the release of CS2 is relatively easy. Although the game has been replaced entirely by Counter-Strike 2 in Steam's Library section, players can follow the steps below to unlock and play the previous iteration of Counter-Strike:

1. Download Counter-Strike 2 on Steam.
2. Go to the Steam Library.
3. Navigate to Counter-Strike 2 and open 'Properties.'
4. In the 'Betas' tab, select "csgo_legacy: Legacy Version of CS:GO" from the drop-down menu provided with the said option.
5. Upon doing so, the Legacy beta branch for CS:GO will start downloading.

After the download completes, launching CS2 will prompt players with an option to either access 'Counter-Strike 2' or 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.' Players can run the latter without any hiccups.

The game still features numerous community-run servers, ranging from Free-for game modes, PvE modes, surfing, and so on. Considering the massive fan following the game has had over the decade, we can safely assume that a few players' community servers will still be functional and running despite the release of its sequel.

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How big is the CS:GO Legacy version on Steam?

The size of the Legacy version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 12 GB. By following the aforementioned steps, players will receive a prompt after which they must download and install the frozen version of the game.

Players must note that Competitive and other public servers for the title have been shut down entirely and redirected to Counter-Strike 2. The only features available to use include Workshop maps, Community Servers, and offline practice modes.

Furthermore, upon running the game, players will receive an update stating that all functional support for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will end on January 1, 2024.

However, this doesn't stray from the fact that players can still play the game. The official Valve blog post states that this merely means that the game will lose some of its functionalities that rely on compatibility with the Game Coordinator. In a nutshell, gameplay will not be hindered by any means.

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Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for more Counter-Strike news.