CSGO records sudden drop in players as Valorant beta goes live
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive recorded its first drop in players since October 2019, according to Steam tracking website SteamCharts.
The drop in players lines up almost exactly with the release of Valorant, Riot Games’ debut entry into the first-person shooter genre and a direct competitor to CSGO.
There isn’t necessarily a reason for CSGO fans to panic. Counter-Strike is still pulling in over one million active players per day nearly nine years after its release. The game has exploded in popularity in recent months, with CSGO breaking the long-time second-place record for most players in-game at once originally held by Dota 2. But there’s no denying that Valorant has already made an impact on CSGO.
Valorant steals CSGO players, but summit1g is done with it
Valorant’s popularity has been growing, especially since developers announced that the game will move from a “closed beta” phase to a full release on June 2. The game has already had a large effect on Counter-Strike, especially in the pro scene. The past several weeks have seen many lower-tier pro CSGO players announce that they are making the switch to Riot Games’ new shooter.
Valorant is meant to be a cross between Overwatch and CSGO. Players compete in a five-versus-five game mode that requires one team to plant a bomb at a bomb site while the other team defends.
Valorant hasn’t been without its detractors however, especially when it comes to the game’s early maps. An excellent breakdown on the shooter’s play spaces was recently commented on by streamer a Twitch personality Jaryd “summit1g” Lazar as he explained why he lost interest in Valorant.
Another reason why CSGO might have lost some players is fans’ renewed interest in Dota 2. Valve’s MOBA just released the 2020 Battle Pass for TI10, and people are flocking back to the game in droves. Readers can check out our coverage on the newest version of the
Dota 2 battle pass here.
M Alzamora
About M Alzamora
There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.
View full profile
Read Also
Esports Betting
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it
Michael Hassall
The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the ...
Counter-Strike
CS2 at the EWC 2026 Preview: Odds, Details, Predictions and More
Owen Harsono
Top-tier Counter-Strike action returns at the Esports World Cup, as 32 of the best teams will take the trip to Paris to compete for millions of dollars. If you’re looking to watch the event, here’s everything you need to know and which teams to keep an eye on. The Esports World Cup is one of the largest CS2 events if we’re looking at prize pools, as $2,000,000 will be distributed ...
News
Opinion: Is Esports Tracing the Same Evolutionary Path As Traditional Sports?
Cecilia Ciocchetti
What happens when an industry compresses centuries of sporting evolution into less than a decade or two? Communities become global audiences overnight, rivalries spread through social media within minutes, and tournaments turn into entertainment products faster than ever before. And so what took traditional sports centuries to build has taken esports a fraction of that. From local communities to sold out arenas, and from informal matches to Olympic-style events, the ...
Counter-Strike
BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-final predictions: who’s making it to the grand final?
Owen Harsono
The top four teams we’re seeing at the BLAST Bounty 2026 semi-finals are far from what anyone would expect before the tournament began, but here we are. We’re only three matches from crowning a winner, so let’s take a look at the best BLAST Bounty semi-final predictions for both upcoming matchups. Starting the semi-finals off is a banger of a series between FaZe Clan and Team Spirit, which is one ...
Counter-Strike
We Ranked The Top 5 Most Hated CS2 Maps
Owen Harsono
If you’re a Counter-Strike player, you probably have that one map you always ban first in every Premier game — and you're not alone as almost everyone has one too. Below, we’ll take a look at the most hated maps in Counter-Strike history and explain why they are disliked by the community at large. Anubis is one of the newer releases in the Counter-Strike 2 map pool, but it has ...
Counter-Strike
The Top 10 Best Clutches in Counter-Strike History Ranked
Owen Harsono
Pulling off an impossible clutch is one of the greatest hits of dopamine any Counter-Strike 2 player can ever feel. However, pulling them off at the highest level can be a little tricky since everyone is so coordinated. That’s exactly why mind-blowing clutches are remembered forever. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the 10 best clutches in Counter-Strike history. We’re opening the list with former mousesports ...
Counter-Strike
Is the CS2 Esports Nations Cup Going To Be a Huge Disappointment?
Owen Harsono
The Esports World Cup recently rolled out a new tournament series called the Esports Nations Cup, where participants can only compete under their country’s flag — just like the FIFA World Cup. 2026 is going to be the first time the Esports Nations Cup plays out, and though there was a lot of hype surrounding it, there are concerns it might fall short of expectations. The qualifiers for the CS2 ...
