Counter-Strike 2

Cover-Credits: 

Counter-Strike 2 “Leaked” Once Again in Dota 2’s Patch Notes

Abhimannu Das
Updated On: 
Highlights
Dota 2 received a new update that had files hinting at Counter-Strike 2's release.
The next Counter-Strike game is expected to arrive by the end of March.
Valve is yet to make an official announcement so players should take all leaks with a grain of salt.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is very likely getting a sequel and the existence of the game is now being hinted at by Valve. The newest Dota 2 Dead Reckoning update files contained data about Counter-Strike 2. Fans are expecting Counter-Strike to transition to the Source 2 engine which should offer better graphics and performance for players.

Here’s everything we know about Counter-Strike 2 so far

Along with the balance changes in Dota 2, players also discovered files in the patch that do not belong to the game. It references CS:GO maps, skins, and keys. The list of changes revealed, “These deprecated APIs are listed on the Source 2 Developer Community Wiki.”

In a recent NVIDIA driver update, fans noticed that there are Counter-Strike 2 game profiles that were added in February. It explicitly states “Counter-Strike 2” so it’s not some fans taking the letters “csgo” out of context. There are two specific executable files that the game profiles referenced - “csgo2.exe” and “csgo.exe”.

We also have reports stating that Counter-Strike 2 is real and is expected to arrive very soon. Valve’s team has been prioritizing the game in recent times and the team that is working on the new Counter-Strike game contains members who have worked on previous iterations of the Counter-Strike franchise.

The biggest change coming to Counter-Strike is, of course, the Source 2 engine which should improve optimization and graphics for players. However, if you are using a low-end PC, the game may not offer the same performance you get with CS:GO. The game is allegedly “ready to go” so all we need to do is wait for an official announcement.

Just like Overwatch 2., it is possible that Counter-Strike 2 will completely replace CS:GO, which might be a good move as it will transition the entire competitive ecosystem with it, without bifurcating the playerbase into two.

Counter-Strike 2 release date

The new game is expected to release or be announced by the end of March so if the rumors are true we should expect official information about the game in three weeks. With a possible release date of 1st April according to some reports, fans are hoping that this is not some elaborate April Fool’s joke by Valve.


Published On: 
author profile picture
Abhimannu is a PC esports writer at AFK Gaming. With over seven years of experience in esports journalism, he has worked on a myriad of games and their ecosystems including Valorant, Overwatch and Apex Legends.

Follow us on social media

facebook-logotwitter-logoinstagram-logodiscord-logolinkedin-logo
google-news-logo

Others Also Read