Following countless hints and leaks, the floodgates have opened on speculation about a Source 2 update for 2012’s Counter-Strike. But is CSGO 2 real? And if there is a ‘Counter-Strike 2’, what would change? Here’s what we know so far.
CS:GO has had a handful of major updates over its decade-long history, but nothing akin to a true sequel. Over that time, the player count has grown year after year, thanks to the strong core mechanics, popular esports scene, and a thriving digital economy of in-game items.
For all of these reasons, a ‘sequel’ never seemed likely – why would Valve release a new version of such a successful and still-growing game? Nonetheless, when ‘CS:GO 2’ executable files were found in an NVIDIA driver update, the rumours reached fever-pitch.
CS:GO 2: Source 2 engine?
The most obvious change for any new version of Counter-Strike would be an upgrade to the Source 2 engine. CS:GO currently runs on the Source engine, which, although updated over time, dates back as far as 2004.
It’s very unlikely that this will be a “new game”. Rather, it will simply be CS:GO as we know it, but using the Source 2 engine. Think of it as a major update to the existing game.
Source 2 is Valve’s newest iteration of the engine. And is already in use for Dota2. Artefact, Dota Underlords, and Half-Life: Alyx.
The new engine will also reportedly improve graphical fidelity and optimization.
In regards to maps, countless leaks and data mining have shown that Valve is working on a Source 2 version of maps. So being tested as far back as 2020.
In July 2022, leakers confirmed the list of maps that had Source 2 versions so far. Shoots, Inferno, Lake, Overpass, Shortdust, Italy.
CSGO devs break silence & tease fans amid Source 2 leaks
CSGO devs have broken their silence in their cheeky way. Amidst the sea of Source 2 leaks and rumours, teasing fans with a possible release.
Also, there was hype for CSGO 2 that was infinite, to the point of meme-ing. But despite the jokes, there is a lot of evidence to back it up. From leaks in new NVIDIA drivers, reports from Richard Lewis, and even evidence showing files for Source 2 has been uploaded to the game’s pre-release branch. We’ve seen plenty that indicates a release is coming.
Of course, CSGO 2 is a misnomer. As it is just a port of CSGO into the Source 2 engine, and not a full sequel.
Counter-Strike 2: Everything we know about ‘CSGO 2’, Source 2 update
Following countless hints and leaks, the floodgates have opened on speculation about a Source 2 update for 2012’s Counter-Strike. But is CSGO 2 real? And if there is a ‘Counter-Strike 2’, what would change? Here’s what we know so far.
CS:GO has had a handful of major updates over its decade-long history, but nothing akin to a true sequel. Over that time, the player count has grown year after year. So, thanks to the strong core mechanics, popular esports scene, and a thriving digital economy of in-game items.
For all of these reasons, a ‘sequel’ never seemed likely. Why would Valve release a new version of such a successful and still-growing game? Nonetheless, when ‘CS:GO 2’ executable files were found in an NVIDIA driver update, the rumours reached fever-pitch.
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