Table of Contents
Announcement and general information
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First, gameplay videos appeared on the company’s YouTube channel, and after Valve made an announcement on its Twitter and website.
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Counter-Strike 2 was developed on the Source 2 engine.
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Valve called Counter-Strike 2 “the biggest technical leap in the history of the series.”
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Counter-Strike 2 will be a free CS:GO upgrade.
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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.
Maps
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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.
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The developers have redone old maps from scratch using the Source 2 tools that Valve will also make available to the modding community.
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The company emphasized that they improved the lighting and readability of models on classic maps, but retained their basic structure and features.
Smoke grenades
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Smoke grenades in Counter-Strike 2 use dynamic volumetric particles that interact with the environment and react to light, gunshots, and explosions.
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Bullets and grenades disperse the smoke, expanding the veil or briefly scattering it. This opens up additional scope for tactics, Valve said.
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Smoke naturally fills space in Counter-Strike 2, coming in through open doors and shattered windows, or going up and down stairs.
Subteak structure
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Movement, shooting and throwing grenades in Counter-Strike 2 are independent of the server refresh rate.
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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.
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Due to this, shooting and movement became more responsive, and grenades always fly along the same trajectory.
Updated visuals
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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.
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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.
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The developers have completely updated the interface.
Testing
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Valve has announced that they will launch limited testing of Counter-Strike 2 on March 22.
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Only some players will get access to testing – they will receive appropriate notifications from Valve.
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The company has posted answers to frequently asked questions about limited testing on its website.
Screenshots

