Rumours of a Counter-Strike 2 have been circulating for so many years that it’s become a recurring meme in the playerbase, almost veering into Half-Life 3 levels of wishful thinking. But rumblings of Counter-Strike 2 have gotten louder over the weekend due to a report from journalist Richard Lewis which states there’s “a new version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on its way” being made in the Source 2 engine, and it could release with the working title of Counter-Strike 2.
According to Lewis’s sources, a beta for this new version could be released “in this month of March with April 1st at the outside.” A recent NVIDIA leak backs up the report, as notable CS:GO leaker Gabe Follower 2 pointed out that two new executable files (csgos2.exe and cs2.exe) have been introduced and are apparently related to the upcoming version ahead of its beta launch.
The team working on this new version includes “members that have overseen development of previous iterations in the Counter-Strike franchise,” according to Lewis, which might explain why some CS:GO issues have been “largely unattended” for a while.
So, what does an actual Counter-Strike 2 look like? Lewis’s sources say the new version is being made in Source 2, will have improved matchmaking, and will have a 128 tick rate, “bringing it in line with rival title Valorant.” Gabefollower supported Lewis’s claims of a new version built in Source 2 but disagreed on the rebrand. On Twitter they claim that “it won’t be Counter-Strike 2, it won’t be even a rebrand, just CS:GO Source 2.” They also added that “your skins are fine, they will be available in [the] new version.”
Regardless of the name, it seems Counter-Strike fans are getting a Source 2 upgrade soon unless this is all an elaborate April Fools prank by Valve. Valve have yet to comment on the situation, but we only need to wait a month before finding out for sure.
The popularity of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive hasn’t wavered since its release in 2012 – it’s actually more popular than ever if Steam concurrent player numbers are any indication. It’s no surprise, as the tactical shooter is still one of the best multiplayer games in 2023.
