CS2 loses 18% of its players in a historic decline

Fariha Bhatti Published 31/10/2023

Counter-Strike 2 is off to a rocky start as it loses more than 18% of the players in the first month of release.

After years of teasing and months in testing, CS2 came out of the beta in September. Community figures harbored doubts about CS2’s readiness for release, but Valve rolled it out anyway. Now, it seems like the pro players were right all along.

In the first month of release, CS2 has lost more than 18.82% players, the highest percentage lost since October 2012. Earlier in July, the game’s popularity plunged, but the player loss was still 18.81%, slightly less than October’s decline, according to Steam Charts.

CS2’s official release was highly anticipated, but the release day was underwhelming. In September, the game had average 976,138 players, 183,723 of which it lost in October. This is by far the biggest drop in the game’s history, raising questions whether Valve released a game that still needed more work.

CS2 loses a massive chunk of its players

Before the official launch, players like Kenny “kennyS” Schrub had concerns regarding CS2 and that it’s not yet ready for pro play or even regular competition. Soon after release, s1mple also chipped in, advising players to refrain from playing the game until Valve has delivered all necessary updates. The AWP maestro called it “sh-t,” and took a break from the game.

• Related: s1mple says CS2 is a “s— game” in its current state

Now, regular players have also started to log off. However, CS losing players isn’t really breaking news. In the last decade, the game has hit rock bottom and regained a million count multiple times. This time, the community believes that CS2 was released prematurely, and they would return once it is a complete game, like CSGO.

It’s uncertain whether the script will remain unchanged for CS2 or if this decline will only worsen over time. Nevertheless, the game continues to enjoy strong popularity among players.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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