Counter-Strike 2 officially announced: New changes, servers, and more

After a long wait, Valve finally announced Counter-Strike 2 or CS2 and will be completely overhauling CS:GO. The major takeaways of the upcoming Source 2-based shooter are 128-tick servers, volumetric smokes, and other visual improvements.

All these things are scheduled to release in Summer 2023, to improve the cult favorite competitive shooter. Here’s everything you need to know about all these features introduced with CS2.

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Counter-Strike 2 is real and is finally coming

The fact that Counter-Strike 2 is based on the Source 2 engine had been in talks for such a long time that it became a myth. However, that myth is indeed real and will bring changes that the community wished for a long time.

The main highlight of CS2 is the Source 2 engine, which had been used previously for Half-Life: Alyx. The new game engine showed major graphical improvements while keeping the core feel intact. All the classic maps in Counter-Strike 2 will feel exactly the same while introducing visual and gameplay impacts.

Talking of the core gameplay, the shooter will be introducing a dynamic smoke system that interacts with bullets and explosions. Thus, allowing players to see through the smokes when shooting at it or by throwing a grenade. Additionally, the new smoke system will use volumetrics, so it will simulate the smoke system when thrown in an environment.

Counter-Strike has been using 64-tick servers for for its 20 years of reign. With CS2, this will finally be changing to 128-tick servers, which are more responsive as seen with Valorant. With higher tick rates shooting and movement will be more responsive and reflect when playing online.

While these seem small, Counter-Strike 2 is only a major overhaul to CS:GO. So all the player-owned items will be staying with them while introducing more gameplay improvements. As of now, players can sign-up for a limited test to tryout the newly refreshed shooter.

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RELATED ARTICLE: Everything we know about Counter-Strike 2 so far: Potential new engine, expected release date, and more

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