Source 2 conspiracy theorists may be finally getting what they want if rumors surrounding Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are true.
Counter-Strike is one of the oldest esports, and even starting the story at Global Offensive still gives it more than a decade of history. Changes for the game are few and far between, but Valve may be cooking up the biggest update in the game’s history for later this year. Source 2 CSGO has been a hot topic for the game’s community ever since Dota 2 received an engine port in 2015.
With more hints than ever that Source 2 is coming soon, here are all your burning questions about the highly-anticipated new version of CSGO.
It’s important to note that Valve is an extremely secretive company, which has led to dozens of fake rumors surrounding its titles in the past. All information is subject to change at a moment’s notice, assuming they were ever true in the first place. This article is largely speculation based on established leakers and insiders.
If leaks are accurate, a Source 2 update for CSGO is likely to come out very soon, possibly within the month of March.
The biggest hint is a rumor that Valve is flying in community figures to test the new version. Alexandre “Gaules” Borba is one such tester, and the Brazilian streaming star recently posted a cryptic tweet implying that he recently traveled to Seattle, Washington. That lines up with reports that the game was being tested at Valve headquarters in Bellevue just a few miles away.
If so, a Source 2 version is already in a very playable state and is likely to release within the next couple of months in 2023.
Valve will attempt to keep CSGO gameplay in Source 2 as close as possible to the original, but there will likely still be some changes.
The game’s two most important traits, movement and gunplay, are likely top priorities for Valve. The company is unlikely to release an update that breaks either element. Still, the Source engine and its various quirks have become a core part of CSGO gameplay, and the sudden shift will probably feel at least a little different.Â
In fact, some community game modes that rely on the Source engine to function may break after the switch. The most likely victim is surfing, which takes advantage of several tweaked Source engine features to even function.Â
However, there are elements outside of the game itself that could vastly improve with the switch. Some of the rumors suggest that Valve will introduce a new “tickless” server system for matchmaking, and others suggest that third-party matchmakers like FACEIT may be in trouble after the update. Valve Anti-Cheat may also get a big buff with a new engine to work with. If true, the casual CSGO experience is very likely to improve with the transition to Source 2.
Considering their current value, CSGO skins will likely stay the exact same in Source 2.
Valve has devoted a ton of resources to making CSGO skins as desirable as possible, and the company won’t throw them away due to an engine change. Dota 2 skins were kept entirely intact after the Source 2 update, setting a strong precedent for CSGO skins.
In fact, the nearly guaranteed rush of new and returning players will likely drive skin prices even higher.
However, some cosmetics could break during the transition. When Dota 2 transitioned to Source 2 in 2015, it rolled back a lot of visual polish including ambient creatures, waving grass, and crumbling towers. Several hero sets also broke, with some clipping and texture bugs that persist to this day.
These were all added back to the game over the course of several years, and Valve has had even more time to perfect the engine. Still, some glitches affecting cosmetics should be expected in the new engine.
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