CS2 - Valve introduce new Counter-Strike Summer 2023

Table of Contents

Announcement and general information

First, gameplay videos appeared on the company’s YouTube channel, and after Valve made an announcement on its Twitter and website.
Counter-Strike 2 was developed on the Source 2 engine.
Valve called Counter-Strike 2 “the biggest technical leap in the history of the series.”
Counter-Strike 2 will be a free CS:GO upgrade.
All items from CS:GO will not only remain available in Counter-Strike 2, but will also “become more beautiful” due to the Source 2 engine, Valve said.

Valve said that due to the Source 2 engine, they improved the lighting on the maps and implemented a physically accurate rendering system that creates realistic textures, light and reflections.
The developers have redone old maps from scratch using the Source 2 tools that Valve will also make available to the modding community.
The company emphasized that they improved the lighting and readability of models on classic maps, but retained their basic structure and features.

Smoke grenades in Counter-Strike 2 use dynamic volumetric particles that interact with the environment and react to light, gunshots, and explosions.
Bullets and grenades disperse the smoke, expanding the veil or briefly scattering it. This opens up additional scope for tactics, Valve said.
Smoke naturally fills space in Counter-Strike 2, coming in through open doors and shattered windows, or going up and down stairs.

Movement, shooting and throwing grenades in Counter-Strike 2 are independent of the server refresh rate.
Valve implemented a sub-tick structure for the game, which allows the Counter-Strike 2 server to instantly record when a player has taken a step, fired a shot, or thrown a grenade without tying the action to the tick rate.
Due to this, shooting and movement became more responsive, and grenades always fly along the same trajectory.

In Counter-Strike 2, the developers have improved all the visual effects, including those from explosions, fire, flashes from a shot, hits, and bullets cutting through the air.
Valve said that the bloodstains in the updated game coincide with the direction of the shot and dry out over time, and bullet hit points can be seen from afar.
The developers have completely updated the interface.

Valve has announced that they will launch limited testing of Counter-Strike 2 on March 22.
Only some players will get access to testing – they will receive appropriate notifications from Valve.
The company has posted answers to frequently asked questions about limited testing on its website.