Today marks the one-year anniversary of Counter-Strike 2! Exactly 366 days ago, Valve officially released the game, retiring Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Over this past year, the company has rolled out 76 updates, ranging from minor changes to significant patches, transforming the game. In this blog post, CS.MONEY takes a look back at how Counter-Strike 2 looked a year ago and how it has evolved over the past 12 months.
Valve won’t abandon the project, so there are still many hours of gameplay ahead. Cool skins will help to brighten things up even more, and you can buy them quickly, easily and cheaply on CS.MONEY!
Content Still Lacking, But It’s Getting Better
When we first shared our impressions of the Counter-Strike 2 release, one of the main complaints was the lack of content. At the time, we only had the core map pool (+Dust 2) and four Wingman maps. There was no workshop, no Arms Race, and no new maps. Essentially, CS2 was just the competitive backbone.
Since then, things have improved, but not by much. We’ve received Arms Race mode; Valve has added five community maps, including Pool Day, and most importantly, the workshop has been integrated into CS2. This helps fill the content gap, as there are plenty of high-quality maps from developers. However, when it comes to “official” in-game content, it’s still fair to say there’s not enough.
More Bugs, Worse Netcode
If maps and modes can be judged without joining the servers, the feel of the gameplay is something only those who actively played back then (sorry, s1mple) can compare. First, CS2’s netcode at launch was less balanced. It gave a huge advantage to players peeking corners, which contributed to donk dominating the competitive scene in the first six months with record-breaking performances. While this situation has improved, many pros are still dissatisfied with the sub-tick system.
There were also plenty of bugs. The bug that ruined boosts was only recently fixed, and there were numerous issues with the audio. Let’s not even mention the infamous Michael Jackson bug, which spawned an endless number of memes. The current state of the game is better, but it’s still far from perfect.
Quality of Life Improvements, But Grenades Are Still Tricky
One of the most significant changes to the game was the removal of jump-throw binds. This happened after keyboard manufacturers introduced features that allowed for more efficient counter-strafing. Valve was one of the first to ban this function, introducing a limitation on simultaneous key presses to monitor the use of snap-tap on their servers. Unfortunately, a side effect of this was the ban on jump-throw binds. However, Valve made some improvements to make grenade throwing easier.
Previously, aiming accurately while throwing grenades was challenging because there weren’t many reference points when looking up. Valve adopted an idea from ropz, and now, when you hold a grenade, your crosshair expands across the entire screen. Additionally, you hear a unique sound when you successfully throw a grenade while jumping. It’s not an autopilot for perfect smokes, but it’s a step forward from Valve.
For months, Counter-Strike 2 also lacked the option to hold your weapon in the left hand. For some players, this was a habit that started back in Counter-Strike 1.6. It wasn’t until April of this year that developers reintroduced the cl_righthand 0 option. This may have been related to skins and their display, but we’ll talk about that next.
Skins and Stickers! Five slots!
First, let’s note that CS2 has already introduced its first case—the Kilowatt case, which features the first skin for the Zeus x27, as well as popular skins like M4A1-S Black Lotus, AK-47 Inheritance and AWP Chrome Cannon. Secondly, this case also introduced the option to rent skins, although it doesn’t seem to have taken off.
We won’t even go into how skins used to look bugged, as Valve quickly fixed most of these issues. However, the biggest change is that you can now apply five stickers to your weapons, and you can place them anywhere, not just in pre-designated slots. This has led to a surge in amazing crafts, many of which we share on our social media — check them out for all the coolest content from the world of Counter-Strike.
If you have a great idea for a craft, you can buy skins and stickers at an affordable price on CS.MONEY, the easiest way to refresh your inventory!
What Are We Expecting from CS2 in the near future?
It’s clear that the developers aren’t planning to abandon the game anytime soon, which means we can look forward to major updates in the future. Let’s try to imagine what might come in the near future.
First, a new case. The developers understand very well what drives the game (and their profits), so new skins aren’t going anywhere. Second, people are eagerly awaiting a new operation. The last one was released three years ago, but the community’s faith remains strong. It’s entirely possible that this new operation could bring something fresh—maybe a new mode, maps, or even weapon charms, which fans have been hoping for.
We also hope that FMPONE will eventually finish working on Cache for Source 2, and that this map will make its return to CS2, and later to the competitive map pool. A release after the major in Shanghai would be perfect timing, but we won’t rush the mapmaker.
Lastly (though this is more of a wish than an expectation), it would be great to see KZ or Surf modes supported in CS2. These modes have their own dedicated communities, and making them more accessible could expand their player base. For now, however, we’ll just have to wait for news from Valve.
Happy Birthday, Counter-Strike 2!
