Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
A sequel to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been one the worst kept secrets in gaming this last month, but now Valve has finally confirmed it. Counter-Strike 2 is officially a real thing and it’s coming this year. Strangely enough, Valve chose to officially announce the game not with a reveal trailer, but with a series of developer diaries showing behind-the-scenes details on how CS2 is being improved over CSGO. It was also confirmed that CS2 will launch as a free upgrade to CSGO.
Valve dropped these Counter-Strike 2 videos on its YouTube channel alongside an official Twitter announcement on March 22, 2023. While the sudden volley of videos might be confusing at first, the team went on to share more concrete details as well. Counter-Strike 2 will launch in summer 2023. What’s more, it will be a free upgrade to CSGO. Limited tests of early builds of the game are expected to run in the months ahead.
Counter-Strike 2 had been all-but officially confirmed and revealed up to this point. It began with rumors circulating about an announcement and closed testing launching at the end of March or early April. Files for CS2 were also discovered in a recent Nvidia software update. It was then discovered that Valve had also filed new trademarks for CS2, further fueling the rumors.
The idea of Counter-Strike 2 replacing CSGO is a very odd one, but not without precedent. It’s similar to Blizzard swapping out the original Overwatch with Overwatch 2, for better or worse. Even so, it looks like Valve is going out of its way to upgrade and improve Counter-Strike for a new generation of players. Be sure to stay tuned for more details and updates as they become available.