The evolution of Counter-Strike has arrived

Valve’s popular first-person shooter CS:GO was upgraded to Counter-Strike 2 on Steam last week, writes JASON BANNIER.

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) replaced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) on Steam last week. Built on the Source 2 engine, the hugely popular first-person shooter has undergone a significant update, introducing modernisations such as realistic physically based rendering, state of the art networking capabilities, and upgraded Community Workshop tools.

For more than two decades, Counter-Strike (CS) has provided an exceptional competitive gaming experience, influenced and honed by countless players from around the world.

“Similar to how CS:GO was in the beginning, CS2 has some minor bugs that need fixing. However, in time I think it will be as great of a game”, says Josh Saunders (bLazE), CS professional gamer for Nixuh. “The graphics look insane, and the game feels smooth”.

Some features that one can expect from CS2 include:

• All-new CS Ratings with the updated Premier mode
• Global and Regional leaderboards
• Upgraded and overhauled maps
• Game-changing dynamic smoke grenades
• Tick-rate-independent gameplay
• Redesigned visual effects and audio
• All items from CS:GO moving forward to CS2

CS2 is free to play, however one can purchase the Prime Status Upgrade. Prime Status players are matched with other Prime Status players and are eligible to receive Prime-exclusive souvenir items, item drops, and weapon cases.