When is Counter-Strike 2 releasing? Everything known so far from Valve's announcement

Counter-Strike 2 was recently announced on an official level. Valve has released a few teasers discussing various upcoming features for the upcoming first-person shooter (FPS) on YouTube. The game will be released as a sequel to the popular esports title Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

Counter-Strike 2 will be available to a few select players for a limited-testing period. This will act as a preview of the upcoming title and present all its new features and upgraded environmental interactions. The game is reportedly scheduled to go live in the summer of 2023 alongside several map reworks and competitive playlists.

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Counter-Strike 2: All new changes and game features

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the biggest Valve creations in the entire FPS genre. It has a long-running legacy and caters to a massive community. It has a distinguished presence in the esports scene; Counter-Strike 2 will be introduced as a sequel to CS:GO’s more than a decade-long success story. The publishers have reworked various elements of the original game to provide players with an improved gameplay experience.

Game changer

The developers have completely reworked the way smoke grenades will work in Counter Strike 2. The new title will feature realistic smoke that can interact with its environment and nearby events. It will now occupy volumetric spaces and react to gunfire, explosions, and lighting.

The new design of smoke and grenades that produce it will also enable the former to travel to open spaces. For instance, it will be able to spread through windows and go in all directions. The unified lighting system in the upcoming game will affect its appearance and create diverse gunfight scenarios.

Players can shoot through the smoke to clear out a part of the cloud and gain a temporary line of sight on enemies. However, it will also leave the player out in the open and can be used to punish aggressive peeks.

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Sub-tick architecture

Counter-Strike 2 will operate on a tickless server with the help of a sub-tick update architecture. This will enable smoother gameplay as the servers will be able to discern the exact moment a player triggers a specific function. This change can be expected to remove sluggish movement and hit-registry errors, as all inputs will be instantly recorded as well as reflected in matches.

The publishers have developed this feature to remove tick rates from official matchmaking servers.

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Map updates

The developers have divided all current maps into different categories: Touchstone, Upgrade, and Full Overhaul. These categories denote the different levels of rework, or touch-ups, every map will receive in Counter-Strike 2.

Touchstone maps will gain minor changes involving lighting, which will make player models more visible. The Upgrade maps, developed using the Source 2 engine, will see more improvements. This will help in the creation of realistic materials and reflections.

The Full Overhaul category will contain maps that are built fresh in the Source 2 engine and showcase the results of full utilization of new tools and rendering capabilities.

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Visuals

The entire title will be released with a high-definition VFX update that affects different aspects of the game, like blood splatters from gunshots. Players will be able to recognize their shots being hit from longer distances as character models will feature directional blood spills.

Animations related to grenades, incendiary utilities, C4-induced explosions, and more will receive a significant upgrade to increase visual fidelity and leverage the Source 2 engine. The UI of Valve’s upcoming FPS title will also provide improved elements and offer important match data at a quick glance.

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Audio engine

The audio system of Counter-Strike 2 has reportedly been reworked to deliver a more comfortable listening experience. The sound cues will be more distinct and offer accurate information on the state of the match.

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Weapons and skins

Players can rest assured as their entire inventory will remain usable in the sequel. All the cosmetics will be able to take advantage of the new Source 2 engine lighting system and produce stunning visuals. The developers have also replaced the existing default weapon models with new high-resolution ones.