Counter Strike 2 is now available for free
After undergoing limited testing since March, Counter-Strike 2 has officially launched for all Steam players. The game is now available for Windows users, as well as those on SteamOS and Linux.
CS2 is set to replace CS:GO with this update. Counter-Strike 2 is a complimentary upgrade for players who already own Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a title that has been free on Steam for several years.
Unlike its predecessor, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which relied on an aging Source, CS2 has received significant updates. The game engine has been overhauled to Valve’s Source 2 engine, resulting in better graphics, smoother animations, and enhanced sound quality.
The launch follows an extensive testing period spanning several months, during which both professional gamers and casual enthusiasts had the opportunity to playtest and provide feedback on the new game. Throughout this time, Valve consistently released updates and bug fixes.
Counter Strike 2, Source: Steam
For those interested in playing Counter-Strike 2 on Linux, the system requirements include Windows 10 or Ubuntu 20.04 or a similar and newer version, at least a quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU or a more powerful processor, a minimum of 8GB of RAM, and a graphics card supporting Shader Model 5.0 and DirectX 11 on Windows or being part of the AMD GCN+ or NVIDIA Kepler+ architectures.
Worth adding that AMD’s latest driver already offers optimizations for the game.
Counter Strike 2 was added to 23.9.3 release, Source: AMD
The game features NVIDIA Reflex technology, reducing the latency by up to 35%. NVIDIA is providing the following benchmarks for this game based on their latest and older architectures:
Counter Strike 2 performance with GeForce GPUs, Source: NVIDIA
CS2:
- All-new CS Ratings with the updated Premier mode
- Global and Regional leaderboards
- Upgraded and overhauled maps
- Game-changing dynamic smoke grenades
- Tick-rate-independent gameplay
- Redesigned visual effects and audio
- All items from CS:GO moving forward to CS2
Source: Steam
