Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
New smoke trick in CS2 creates a jaw-dropping one-way
Fariha Bhatti
The new Counter-Strike 2 smokes are volumetric objects, meaning they no longer rotate randomly. But it’s still possible to do one-way smokes. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, smokes were lighter at the edges, rotating in a way that created a one-way window at the corner. Players had created proper lineups to pop heads through the smokes, and it was tactically incredible. But, in CS2, the infamous one-way mechanic no longer works …
Counter-Strike
CS2 testers are calling for an open beta, here’s why
William Davis
The limited beta test for Counter-Strike 2 is insanely exclusive, which has led to calls for an earlier open beta. The most exciting part of the CS2 announcement was the beta test, with all Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players hoping to get into the extremely exclusive affair. However, the lucky few who got in are now decrying the beta for its limited player count. Now, fans want Valve to switch CS2 …
Counter-Strike
Pros are suspicious of CS2 subtick servers, here’s why
William Davis
Subtick is supposed to be one of the most advanced gameplay changes coming in Counter-Strike 2, but the future CS2 pro community has its doubts. The few players who managed to get into the CS2 limited beta test have now had time to evaluate the new gameplay changes, including the flashy new subtick servers. However, the reception has been mixed, with some pros claiming that 128 tick will remain the …
Counter-Strike
New Counter-Strike 2 update proves Valve is finally listening to the players
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike fans are hard to please, but recent release notes received positive feedback from players after Valve added a new feature over fans’ requests. Counter-Strike 2 was released with three significant changes alongside numerous tiny upgrades. Keen players have been discussing new changes in social media threads, providing valuable feedback for Valve. But no one was expecting that Valve would deliver the upgrades right away. Besides unique smokes, CS2 also …
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 has a legal command that lets you wallhack
Fariha Bhatti
Since Counter-Strike 2 is still in beta, it is reasonable to anticipate minor bugs. But there’s a whole wallhack command in Counter-Strike 2 — and Valve is aware. Counter-Strike has always had a cheating problem, but players had high hopes from the latest Source 2 port. While Valve is tight-lipped about the anti-cheat updates, fans had expected that the cheating issue would somehow mitigate in the new game. But, not …
Counter-Strike
All the CSGO skins guides you’ll ever need are here
William Davis
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is all about drip. If you’re looking for guides to the wide world of CSGO skins, WIN.gg has you covered. At times, it can seem like CSGO players care more about the skins than the actual game. For many, this is literally true, with investors putting hundreds of thousands, if not millions, into the market. However, even casual fans can get joy out of humble skins. If …
Counter-Strike
Valve is toying with the idea of colorful Counter-Strike 2 smokes
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike 2 smokes are slightly tinted for each side, but leakers claim Valve could go all out with smoke colors in the future. If you haven’t noticed, smokes in Counter-Strike 2 are different for CTs and Ts. For the CT side, the smoke is slightly bluish, whereas the T smokes are dustier. Clearly, Valve is open to the idea of tinted smokes, so Gabe Follower’s new findings don’t sound that …
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 has an insane new Follow Recoil setting
Fariha Bhatti
Gunplay is at the heart of Counter-Strike 2, and Valve has made a secret modification that’ll help players shoot better. Here’s what Follow Recoil means in Counter-Strike 2. CSGO and all Counter-Strike games take inspiration from real-life shooting mechanics, and in reality, a weapon doesn’t shoot a dozen bullets in a straight line. Instead, there’s recoil and spread, which is why new CSGO players spend months getting the hang of …
VAC will get an insane new feature in Counter-Strike 2
William Davis
Counter-Strike
VAC is getting a massive upgrade in Counter-Strike 2, including a highly-requested feature that will save everyone valuable time. Running into a cheater is the fastest way to cut your Counter-Strike: Global Offensive session short. While Valve has made big steps to fix the problem, including massive ban waves, an engine swap is the perfect time to implement new solutions. According to players in the limited beta test, VAC is …
Counter-Strike 2 just gave Valorant players an idea for next agent
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Counter-Strike 2 hype is also getting to Valorant, as players come up with an agent idea inspired by Source 2 smokes. Counter-Strike 2 has new smokes that react with the environment and let bullets pass through. If you’re committed to exploiting the new feature, you can even defuse the smoke entirely for a few seconds using HE or Negev. While this game-changing feature sounds exceedingly annoying, it also encourages gunplay. …
Will CSGO still be playable during Counter-Strike 2?
William Davis
Counter-Strike
It may seem silly to keep playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive when Counter-Strike 2 drops this summer, but there are plenty of valid reasons to keep it around. Counter-Strike 2 has the CSGO community popping off with every new detail, announcement, and bug. However, the limited beta test still isn’t playable for the majority of fans, leaving them stuck in CSGO. While everyone is clamoring to test the new maps and …
Valve announces first major tournament for Counter-Strike 2
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive had a good run, but Valve has already confirmed a Counter-Strike 2 major before the game has even released. Pro and casual players alike are loving the new features in Counter-Strike 2. From reactive smokes to subtick servers, community response has been almost entirely positive. This is great news for the game’s esports scene, which will take full advantage of the new tricks possible in Source 2. …
How to get Counter-Strike 2 — Release date, beta access
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 beta has begun, with select lucky players getting early access. But the rest of us won’t have to wait for long as Counter-Strike 2 release date draws closer. Valve peeled the curtains of the hotly-anticipated Counter-Strike 2 on March 23, opening limited beta access soon after the announcement. Unfortunately, there’s no way to apply for access. Instead, Valve’s system would randomly pick active CSGO players. Those who didn’t …
Even Neymar is begging for Counter-Strike 2 access
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 has entered an extremely exclusive limited beta test, and star Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar da Silva Santos, Jr. isn’t happy about it. Valve has laid out its criteria for how to join the CS2 limited beta test, and, at first glance, it seems fairly easy to get in. All players have to do is have an account in good standing and some recent hours on Valve servers. However, …
Counter-Strike 2 fans upset as Valorant streamers get beta test first
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Although Counter-Strike 2 beta was open to accounts selected randomly by the system, fans are expressing anger that Valorant streamers received beta test access ahead of veteran and celebrated CSGO players. Valve opened beta access to keenly awaited Counter-Strike 2 on March 22, sending shockwaves across the FPS community. Naturally, players instantly tried to apply for the beta key, but Valve poured cold water over their enthusiasm, announcing that the …
Counter-Strike 2 copied this feature from Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Valorant has Counter-Strike have a lot in common, but it was always the former taking inspiration from Valve’s FPS. This time, Counter-Strike has copied a small feature from Valorant. Counter-Strike 2 is not a totally new game. The maps and mechanics are the same, with a new sub-tick system, smoke dynamics, Source 2 lightning, and minor tweaks here and there. All the changes are devised to enhance the competitive environment. …
Counter-Strike 2 has confirmed these maps for the new engine
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 will completely revamp the game’s maps, setting a new standard for the tactical shooter. Maps are everything in Counter-Strike, whether it’s 2 or Global Offensive. Valve knows this very well, as the reveal of CS2 confirmed the inclusion of several iconic venues. However, while some will keep the exact same layout, others will get special treatment with major gameplay changes. Here are all the confirmed maps in Counter-Strike …
Counter-Strike 2 will have meta-shaking smokes and a sub-tick system
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 will make major adjustments to the standard tactical gameplay, with smokes and a new sub-tick server system being the biggest change of them all. March 22, 2023, will be one of the most important dates in Counter-Strike history. Valve has revealed a ton of details about the secret new project, including massive changes to maps and rendering. However, CSGO grinders are most likely excited about the changes to …
How to join the Counter-Strike 2 limited beta test
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Valve is hosting a limited beta test for Counter-Strike 2, but getting in isn’t as easy as many fans had hoped. Valve has finally spilled the beans on Counter-Strike 2 with a slew of major announcements on March 22, 2023. In the middle of all the exciting smoke grenades and rendering changes, the developer also revealed that the new game version will come with a special testing period before its …
Counter-Strike 2 is officially here
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 has officially been announced, and it looks like a dream. Valve has lifted the curtain on Counter-Strike 2, and the community can’t keep calm. The new Source 2 game looks clean, sleek, and smooth. The Counter-Strike 2 visuals are eye-catching, but that’s not what stands out the most. Instead, Valve has announced jaw-dropping updates that will rope all FPS players back to Counter-Strike. The game’s new features will …
Counter-Strike has long been among the biggest titles in esports and competitive gaming, even going back to esports’ deepest roots from decades past. What’s more, the game continues going strong today, with developer and publisher Valve releasing the latest iteration of the franchise in 2023. The newest version, Counter-Strike 2, has not been without its issues. But its popularity continues the enduring prominence of the Counter-Strike series, signaling that the venerated franchise is likely here to stay for many years yet to come.
But how did the franchise come be to so prominent in the esports space, and role does CS2 have to play in the industry moving forward?
Counter-Strike has roots in the beginnings of esports
Counter-Strike was unquestionably one of the biggest drivers of what we would today consider to be early professional esports movement. It was far from alone, and it wasn’t the most advanced. That likely was StarCraft: Brood War, a real-time strategy game from famed developer Blizzard that caught on in South Korea and led to a professional scene in the country well ahead of any examples of esports industry elsewhere in the world.
But outside of Korea, Counter-Strike quickly became the driving force behind competitive gaming and esports. First released in 1999 as a modification for popular first-person shooter Half-Life, the game was easy to pick up and play for many gamers. Half-Life was borderline ubiquitous software for gamers with a PC, and adding a mod to it was as simple as downloading and applying said mod. So it was that Counter-Strike began to catch fire and spread across the world.
As it spread, so too did its competitive play. Early competitions often centered around online play, most prominently including the Cyberathlete Amateur League (CAL) in North America and the Clanbase Eurocup in Europe. But live, in-person tournaments, similar to those enjoyed by StarCraft players and fans in Korea, were also rising in prominence.
Within just a few years, there were a number of major annual tournaments being held for the original version of Counter-Strike. Notable international tournament organizers included the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) in the United States, the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in France, and the World Cyber Games (WCG) in Korea. This was in addition to many other regional tournaments through which teams could test their mettle and battle over smaller prizes.
But even at bigger tournaments, prizes weren’t what they are today, and in general there was far less money available to professional Counter-Strike players than there is in today’s thriving esports industry which sees many players and teams playing at the full-time pro level. That’s a far cry from a time when perhaps a small handful of players were able to make a true living through playing CS alone, and even them, it was often a modest one.
Counter-Strike 2 at the fore of a bigger esports scene than ever before
Counter-Strike 2 was released to a far different esports space than that which the original Counter-Strike occupied. But what exactly is it that has changed the scene so much, besides the accrual of years?
Esports betting is at the top of the list. The sports betting industry is growing and expanding around the world each and every year, and esports has absolutely been a part of that. As esports betting continues to grow and thrive, it brings its benefits to the games that are being bet on. And Counter-Strike 2 is at the top of that list.
These benefits have arrived through a myriad of means. Fan interest in tournaments has gone up and become more consistent with betting markets available for each and every game played, which further incentivizes tournament organizers and their sponsoring partners. But those partners are also now more likely to work with the pro teams and players themselves. Betting operators are among the most common and most generous sponsors in the pro CS2 space, showing how esports betting’s rise has contributed to Counter-Strike’s continued prominence in esports and competitive gaming as a whole.
