Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Game-breaking bug makes CS2 cheat commands accessible to all
Fariha Bhatti
VAC may not be the best anti-cheat in the world, but Counter-Strike 2 cheats are expensive and hard to obtain. However, a new bug allows everyone to wallhack in CS2 using sv_cheats commands. CS2’s cheating problem is no breaking news. It’s as old as the game itself, and despite Valve’s efforts, it continues to deteriorate. In CSGO, cheaters ran rampant, so when CS2 was announced, players expected Valve to nip …
Counter-Strike
s1mple explains why CS2 Premier still “sucks”
Fariha Bhatti
After taking a break right after the release of Counter-Strike 2, legendary pro player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev has re-emerged with a not-so-hot-take regarding CS2. s1mple took a break from competitive gaming when CS2 was released. While some claimed it had to do with his statement regarding CS2 being unplayable, that wasn’t the case. However, his recent post on X leaves no doubt about how s1mple truly feels about CS2 — …
Counter-Strike
PashaBiceps is biking overseas to watch CS2 Copenhagen major
Fariha Bhatti
Keeping up with his tradition of traveling to Counter-Strike 2 majors in a unique style, former pro player Jarosław “PashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski is now pulling up to CS2 PGL Copenhagen 2024 on a water bike. PashaBiceps has proven his true love for CS2 and esports time and time again. While he has a stellar track record as a pro player, the fans adore him for his passion for the game. Last …
Counter-Strike
Is CS2 down? How to check CS2 server status
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike 2 undergoes regular maintenance every week. Here’s how to check the CS2 server status to find out why your game isn’t launching. Valve takes CS2 back to the shop each week to iron out bugs and ensure a quality gaming experience. This is called scheduled maintenance, but sometimes CS2 can go down for unscheduled maintenance as well. This often happens when game-breaking bugs need a hotfix. Scheduled maintenance takes …
Counter-Strike
Strange CS2 bug makes players miss easy jumps
Fariha Bhatti
Has your movement in CS2 become cluttered in the last month? You’re not alone. A bug is causing bad jumps even for the best players in CS2. In February, Valve rolled out a new game mode alongside some other updates for Counter-Strike 2. The Arms Race update was a pleasant addition but has left some bugs in its wake. During the last 30 days, players have complained about failing their …
Counter-Strike
CS2 players unhappy with Copenhagen Major 2024 stickers
Fariha Bhatti
Valve has just unveiled the latest stickers for PGL Copenhagen Major 2024. However, it seems that the designs and theme of the stickers have not quite hit the mark with some players. PGL Copenhagen Major 2024 kicks off on March 17. While esports fans remain eager to watch their favorite teams battle it out for the lion’s share of $1,250,000, the skin community, eagerly awaiting the release of new stickers, …
Counter-Strike
Here’s how to inspect CS2 skins that you don’t own
Fariha Bhatti
Before spending on gaming equipment or virtual skins, it’s best to examine each pricey item in real-time. But how do you inspect a CS2 skin when you haven’t yet purchased it? Counter-Strike 2 skins are worth their weight in gold, and only those who are truly passionate about virtual items would ever splurge on rare items. If you’re careful with your money but want to treat yourself to a pricey …
Counter-Strike
Rewind: Team Vitality’s triumph at BLAST Premier World Final 2023
William Davis
Counter-Strike is a game series that has been attracting new audiences for more than 2 decades. After all, its mechanics, fun gameplay, and competitiveness are beyond any other game in the genre. Speaking of competitiveness, there are tons of tournaments and leagues held for Counter-Strike each year. One of those leagues is the BLAST Premier League. For that reason, we rewind and see how the latest BLAST Premier World Final …
How to enable net graph in CS2
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Competitive players were disappointed when they discovered that CS2 would not include the net graph. Fortunately, it’s now possible to check ping and FPS in real-time. Even the most minor fluctuations in network digits in high-stakes games can change the outcome. For this reason, serious players in CS2 liked to keep their net graph turned on at all times. CS2 ping and FPS overlay is one of the most useful …
CS2 players are unhappy with Deathmatch spawns
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2 players are again upset at Valve, but it’s for a different reason – a refreshing change from the usual complaints about hacks. Players think CS2 Deathmatch needs another workshop visit for its broken spawns. DM mode is crucial in any shooter 5v5 game. Competitive players in CS2 used to look at community servers for their practice routines, but since Valve removed the 128 tick with sub tick, many …
Who is donk in CS2? All we know about the new rifler
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Who is the young star behind Team Spirit’s historic clean sweep against FaZe Clan at IEM Katowice 2024? Here’s what we know about the Russian superstar Danil “donk” Kryshkovets in CS2. The Russian squad beat the FAZE Clan legends at the Grand Finals, taking home $400,000 out of IEM Katowice 2024’s US$1 million prize pool. A young rifler helmed Team Spirit’s smooth win at IEM Katowice. Following Team Spirit’s triumph …
Here’s how to change your mic in CS2
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Communication is crucial in CS2, but new in-game settings are slightly complicated. If your mic isn’t picking audio in CS2, here’s what to do. Counter-Strike 2 is one of those FPS games that require constant communication and coordination among teammates. Without communication, you’re as good as dead. For that, you need a functioning microphone and headphones. Not just that, your mic should be crisp and clean. Otherwise, a simple misunderstanding …
Valorant map Haven is now playable in CS2 custom games
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Have you ever wondered how Valve would design Valorant maps? This map creator has reimagined Valorant maps in CS2 style. An indie map creator has brought Haven into Counter Strike 2 using the latest Source 2 Engine. According to the creator, the project took two months to complete. Most Valorant recreations in CS2 maintain Riot’s style and color palette. Vibrant greenery and vivid objects are typical among all Valorant maps …
Counter-Strike players spent $1 billion on cases in 2023
Olivia Richman
Counter-Strike
The amount of money Valve made in Counter-Strike case sales in 2023 will possibly blow your mind — or maybe you expect it from the CS2 community. Skins are a big component of the Counter-Strike community. When gamers are not grinding competitive matches or complaining about Counter-Strike 2, they are trading and buying weapon skins. It’s now been reported that Valve netted around $1 billion in sales on Counter-Strike cases …
Retired pro player Tarik greeted with wallhacks in CS2
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike 2.0 may be an upgraded, new game, but the hacking problems remain. But returning players like Tarik “Tarik” Celik don’t know that. Tarik, who rose to fame as the North American CS legend, now prefers Valorant. He has been playing and streaming Riot’s competitive shooter for more than two years, but the CS community still respects and idolizes him for his legacy. So, when Tarik announced he would give …
Twistzz returns to Team Liquid
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike’s golden boy Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken has returned to Team Liquid after spending three years in FaZe Clan. Dust2.us had earlier reported that Twistzz would be stepping down from FaZe Clan to return to his former team. On December 1, Twistzz made it official, announcing his departure from FaZe Clan. Now, the Canadian player has confirmed his return to Team Liquid. Twistzz will be joining the storied skipper Casper …
CS2 is raining Elo on players as Valve fixes rank
William Davis
Counter-Strike
Your CS2 rank may have gone up these past couple of weeks, and it’s not just due to your insane game sense and cracked aim. Ranking up was one of the best feelings in all of Global Offensive, but the new colored Rating system in CS2 doesn’t have quite the same impact. Still, seeing a number go up is one of gamers’ favorite activities, and Valve has acknowledged it. In …
Pro player s1mple praises underrated CS2 feature
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
It seems CS2 is finally growing on legendary player Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev as he finally praises an in-game feature. s1mple had a strong opinion about CS2 when it was released in September. He called it a “sh-t” game and asked players not to play it for at least three months. Soon after, he announced his competitive break, which many speculated had something to do with CS2 being poorly optimized. But …
Here’s how your CS Rating compares to the ranks in CSGO
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Valve has completely changed the rank progression in CS2 by introducing the CS Rating. If you’re still confused about how you stack up, this latest stat-based rank comparison may help. CS Rating is simple, but it’s tough to tell precisely what number is considered decent. For example, you may see questionable plays at 5K Rating games, which can be confusing since it doesn’t seem like a terrible number. This rank …
G2 reportedly set to bench jks on CS2 roster
Tokoni Uti
Counter-Strike
European organization G2 Esports is set to make a major change to the Counter-Strike 2 roster with Australian player Justin “jks” Savage set to be benched, according to a joint report by HLTV and 1ptv. The move comes just days after star player Nikola “NiKo” Kovač was reportedly set to be leaving the roster to join Saudi Team Falcons, which recently signed former Astralis coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen. But this …
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.
