Updated: Mar 6, 2023 4:58 pm
When it comes to fan favorite shooters, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive sits comfortably around the top of the pile. That’s why reports of a Counter-Strike sequel being released very soon is such exciting news.
Counter Strike 2 has been announced for a supposed launch in beta this March prior to the official release. This report follows a mysterious ‘cs2.exe’ file found within NVIDIA ‘s latest driver update.
Learn more about it right here.
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Counter-Strike 2 release date rumours
Counter-Strike has been at the forefront of PC gaming for as long as many of us can remember, especially for first person shooters. This news comes from a NVIDIA’s latest driver update, and has been investigated by journalist Richard Lewis. According to sources, a beta is on the way, and releasing sometime in March. However, Valve is yet to even officially confirm the game is in the works.
This all stemmed from two new executables have been uncovered by an NVIDIA Driver update:
These are listed under the Game Profile ‘Counter-strike 2’.
Journalist Richard Lewis claimed to have been told of the sequel by anonymous sources with knowledge of development, and that a beta was planned for March.
Lewis’ sources have stated Counter-Strike 2 is “about ready to go.” Subsequently, after testing from professional CS:GO players, the sequel is “almost certainly” ready for launch.
Along with improved matchmaking, the report claimed Counter-Strike 2 will also move the shooter to Valve‘s Source 2 engine for better visuals and general performance.
Counter-Strike 2 Source 2 Engine
CS:GO currently runs on the original Source engine, which, although updated over time, dates back as far as 2004. The most dramatic change we will probably see in Counter-Strike 2 is the upgrade to the Source 2 engine.
This is Valve’s newest iteration, and would bring Counter Strike up to speed.
In July 2022, leakers confirmed the list of maps that had Source 2 versions so far: Shoots, Inferno, Lake, Overpass, Shortdust, Italy.
We’re not quite sure of the implications of a Source 2 engine for CS:GO 2, but it’s safe to say visual and matchmaking improvements will be made.
Will Counter-Strike skins be deleted in Counter-Strike 2?
Skins are a highly lucrative part of CS:GO, and are extremely valuable in and out of game. We can’t imagine that your skins will be in jeopardy, but just in case, ‘Gabefollower’, who has been following the development of Counter-Strike 2 for a while, says “your skins will be fine” and everything you own will be available in the new version.
Good news for those that hold on to marble fades and what not.
