With little greater than a slight tease beforehand, Valve simply launched Counter-Strike 2 on Steam.

Counter-Strike is Valve’s long-running aggressive multiplayer shooter collection. Counter-Strike: World Offensive has stayed close to the highest of Steam’s participant depend charts ever because it launched in 2012. After over a decade of dominance, Valve first introduced Counter-Strike 2 as a free, sequel-level improve to World Offensive earlier this yr. After some slight teases earlier within the month, Valve lastly determined to shock launch the sport on September 27.

Counter-Strike 2 builds upon World Offensive in Valve’s newer Supply 2 recreation engine. Exterior of the plain visible upgrades that change brings, Counter-Strike 2 provides to its predecessor with a brand new CS Ranking system, overhauled maps, and tweaks to core mechanics like smoke grenades and the tick fee at which the first-person shooter operates. Valve additionally guarantees that the sport options “upgraded Neighborhood Workshop instruments,” so we should always get some entertaining Counter-Strike 2 mods.

Valve intends for gamers to easily transition from World Offensive to Counter-Strike 2 as the sport has merely up to date to make the transition, and all gadgets gamers obtained within the former work within the latter. Hopefully, this method works out higher for Valve than it did for Blizzard with Overwatch 2 final yr. 

Counter-Strike 2 is out there now on PC by way of Steam. It’s a free-to-play recreation, though gamers should purchase a Prime Standing Improve for $15 that grants consumers the titular moniker. Having Prime Standing grants unique gadgets, merchandise drops, and weapon instances and makes the sport extra more likely to matchmake you with different Prime Standing Counter-Strike 2 gamers.

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