Last night, Counter-Strike 2 had a huge update containing eight gigabytes of content. It includes: Premier Season Four, reworked return of Anubis, price and gameplay changes of MP7 and PP-19 Bizon, new limited-edition Armory Pass item, and new skin collections: Achroma and Harlequin. CS.MONEY Blog provides a detailed overview of all the changes in the newest CS2 patch.
New CS2 Update Overview & Most Important Changes
Here is the full list of changes for the latest CS2 patch (January 22, 2026):
- Premier Mode Seaon Four went LIVE
- Anubis returns to the map pool, Train removed
- Sale: 70% off StarLadder Budapest Major sticker capsules
- Two new skin collections: Acrhoma and Harlequin
- New limited-edition item for The Armory Pass: AK-47 Aphrodite
- MP7 and MP5-SD fixes: damage increased, price reduced. PP-Bizon price also reduced
- Jumping and bunnyhop mechanics reworked, while jumping no longer affects character stamina
- Base ranks for maps updated, old ranks temporarily hidden
- Sv_legacy_jump command added for private servers only (surfers, you happy?)
- Improved knife and weapon sounds
- Knife strikes now differ in attack type and direction
- Background sounds no longer restart when changing zones
Now, we’ll go over the most important changes of the update separately and talk about them in more detail.
Anubis Changes and New Map Pool
Anubis has undergone some subtle but significant changes: the mid and A site now look different.
- Anubis Mid Changes
- Anubis A Site Changes
Rotating from the center of the map between the plants will now be more difficult, and mid fights will no longer be so frequent and decisive. Plant A, however, has become easier to defend.
- Bridge is now closer to mid doors
- Mid doors have been repositioned
- Now there’s a hole between E-box and B Site
- Plant A crates moved up the steps onto the walkway
- Scaffolding added to the pillars at Plant A
Additionally, Valve removed some maps from the game: Golden, Palacio, Agency, and Rooftop. They were replaced by Warden, Stronghold, and Alpine (Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch), as well as Sanctum and Poseidon (Wingman).
New Skin Collections: Achroma and Harlequin
CS2 developers have rotated the skin collections in CS2: new Achroma and Harlequin have been added, while the Safehouse, Dust 2, Nuke 2018, and Inferno 2018 Collections have been removed. Below are the skins from the new collections, Achroma and Harlequin:
The Achroma Collection in CS2 features black and white skins, including the new AK, AWP, Glock, USP, and many others. This collection’s distinctive feature is its minimalist, two-tone design. The Harlequin Collection, on the other hand, is quite the opposite: bright, colorful skins, befitting the collection’s name, referencing the circus theme. Skins from the new collections are now available as weekly drops.
All skins from the new collections are available for purchase on CS.MONEY. Hop on and refresh your inventory!
New Limited Edition Skin in the Armory Pass: AK-47 Aphrodite
A new limited-edition skin has also been added to the game. It can be purchased for 125 Armory Stars. It’s AK-47 Aphrodite, which is available for purchase on CS.MONEY.
Unlike previous Armory Pass Limited Edition Items, this skin doesn’t have any unique patterns. Only the wear pattern (float) changes.
New Sounds in CS2 (video)
Valve also added a bunch of new sounds to CS2, including audios for knives and weapons.
Player Movement Before vs After Update
Also, there are changes to player models movement. As many report, now the game feels smoother and better. You can see the changes in the post below:
Is there a new operation released in the CS2 update?
Unfortunately, there was no new operation in CS2 this time. Even though the patch is eight gigabytes and fixes many issues, including model movement, it still didn’t provide the community with the first-ever CS2 operation. Never mind, maybe next time!
