Is Counter-Strike 2 finally happening? Solid evidence says yes

Counter-Strike 2 is all that FPS fans can talk about right now because solid evidence has emerged that points to a whole new version of the popular shooter game. 

Valve’s labor of love, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, is having a stellar year. Hitting new records and continuing to rope in more players, 2023 has turned out to be excellent for CSGO. It seems that the rising popularity has also convinced the developers to take the hotly-anticipated Source 2 port more seriously. 

A hint from NVIDIA suggests something bigger than Source 2 could happen behind the scenes as players spot executable files carrying “csgo2” tags in the driver. 

Counter-Strike 2 rumors are hot

It’s not entirely fair to say that there are rumors since solid evidence points to a sequel for the first time in years. Credible CSGO data miner Gabe Follower shared screenshots of the driver with executable “csgo2” files. The fun part is everyone who uses the latest NVIDIA version can see for themselves. 

Previously, leakers and data miners have spotted many hints in CS’ spaghetti code that point towards a CSGO Source 2 port, but nothing ever came to fruition. Valve often flirts with new ideas but discards them during the development process. It has been nearly five years since players first heard about CSGO Source 2, and it almost feels like a fleeting dream.

Something weird just happened. Latest NVIDIA drivers introduced support for unknown app executables called "csgos2.exe" and "cs2.exe". Why project is called Counter-Strike 2 and what are you cooking @csgo? https://t.co/U9YKlAjwgy pic.twitter.com/PU8Op9uGLq

— ‎Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 1, 2023

However, Counter-Strike 2 is something never seen before. Players have been so focused on an engine update that they entirely wrote off the possibility of a brand-new CSGO. But, again, these are speculations based on the files.

Whatever the case, CSGO players are excited and hoping that it’s not just another bait. A new Counter-Strike game is not entirely off the table, but CSGO’s healthy state, popularity, and lucrative market suggest that, business-wise, a new game isn’t precisely a good idea. But players are definitely ready for a big update or a facelift to freshen up the game.