Valve, the company that created Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Steam, and the company has announced that Counter-Strike 2 will launch soon. The Counter-Strike 2 release date was first hinted at earlier in 2023, but even though the CS2 beta has been opened up to an increasing number of players, it is still unclear when Counter-Strike 2 will actually launch. However, it’s undoubtedly on the way and, from what it sounds like, might be accessible soon.
So, we already know plenty about Counter-Strike 2 ranks and ratings and also how to use the Counter-Strike 2 best binds. We’ve explored the revamped versions of classic arenas, tested out the new smoke grenades, and had confirmation that our CSGO inventories will indeed cross over to Counter-Strike 2. Initially, Valve said the shooter would arrive in “summer 2023.” Given it’s now Wednesday, September 13, that particular launch window is closing pretty fast. But the developer seemingly hasn’t forgotten about the original commitment.
In a lengthy post celebrating 20 years since the launch of Steam, Valve discusses some of its biggest releases and milestones over the past two decades. The company also recalls 2023 so far, which has seen the launch of a Steam client update and of course the Counter-Strike 2 beta itself. Valve then makes a little nod towards Counter-Strike 2’s coming arrival.
“The year isn’t quite over,” Valve says, “but so far we’ve released a huge Steam Client update, Counter-Strike 2 entered into beta (and launches soon) and there are now more than 11,000 titles verified or playable on Steam Deck.”
It’s only a small hint, but given the most recent CS2 update, which extended Counter-Strike 2 beta access to anyone with a CSGO Prime account (meaning they purchased the game before it went free to play), it seems likely that Counter-Strike 2 will arrive any day now. Here’s hoping.
In the meantime, find out everything you need to know about Counter-Strike 2 skin transfer, and how they’ll work and be valued in the coming sequel. Similarly, you’ll want to bag yourself all the best Counter-Strike 2 crosshairs to give your guns some much-welcome flair.