Top 20 Counter Strike 2 Changes & Upgrades From CS:GO

Most gamers have grown up playing CS, and now that CS2 is releasing in 2023, the excitement has reached a feverish pitch. Gamers want to know what is changing and what remains the same.

In this post, I will cover over 20 CS2 changes & upgrades and try deciphering their impact on the gameplay.

1. New smokes

CS2 developers Valve have released a video that explicitly emphasizes response smokes. So, what are these responsive smokes?

Simply put, they now take into account the environment and the volume of air they can cover or fill up in the vicinity. Not only that, there are a few smokes that are color-coded according to the team.

Apart from considering the objects in the vicinity, they are now susceptible to dispersing smoke when bullets or grenades pass through them.

In a single sentence, the effect of smokes is now much more realistic.

Over the years, more and more game developers have attempted to make games more realistic, and Valve is also moving in the same direction.

2. Tick rate

If you have played original CS, you would know the server technology used can lead to glitches. That is because the server interprets the game developments at every tick (regular intervals). However, a lot can happen between those ticks in games like CS. Therefore, at times, the actions witnessed by the player might be different than the ones registered by the server.

More often than not, this can put the player at a disadvantage.

CS2 aims to solve this. According to an official video, the new server architecture will eliminate these discrepancies by taking into account the actions between those ticks. It means the match's outcome will entirely rely on the player's skills rather than being determined by some glitches, as happened earlier.

3. Map updates

Whenever new game versions are launched, there is palpable excitement about the maps. The same is true for CS2. CS2 map changes can be classified into 3 categories.

Overhauls:

The Overpass map has been remade. Therefore, it has undergone the maximum changes.

Upgrades:

Nuke map has received some upgrades. The main difference is in the lighting, and since that determines the visibility, the gameplay is now easier for both sides.

Some touches:

Dust II map is hugely popular and has received a few polishing touches. For example, you might notice new textures, lighting, and the ability to spot characters easily.

In the current testing phase, Dust II is the only available map.

More news around the maps is awaited, but so far, these changes are confirmed.

4. 24 maximum rounds

Currently, CS follows MR12, whereas CS:GO players are familiar with MR15. MR is an abbreviation for Max Rounds. MR12 means 12 maximum rounds for half the gameplay; after that, the teams switch sides.

However, CS2 takes a different approach. It will be MR24 now. Overtime has also been introduced. Developers are clear that this structure can be further modified depending on the feedback. One advantage of MR24 is that every round will be more or less equally important now.

That certainly raises the difficulty level of the game.

5. Introduction of "CS Rating"

Earlier, all you had was an in-game competitive rank. Now, Valve has gone ahead and introduced a CS Rating. Needless to say, it will be dependent on your performance. It will rank players on a regional and global level. When playing CS2 online, players will likely compete against other players with similar ranks. This increases the importance of every game and makes it easy to compete while playing online.

6. Ability to inspect grenades

To some, this change might seem gimmicky, but it indicates the journey of developers to introduce realism.

Now, there is an option to inspect the grenades in your hand. You can inspect:

Smoke

Decoy grenades

HE

Flash grenades

While inspecting, the features of the grenades will vary according to the law of physics. For example, gravity will affect the liquid while inspecting the Molotov grenade, and liquid inside moves accordingly.

In a nutshell, extremely accurate graphic details are being imbibed in the game, especially when it comes to grenades.

7. New loadout

Weapons are now divided into 3 categories which are:

Pistols

Mid-range weapons

Rifles

On the loadout page, you have 15 slots across these 3 categories, and you can customize the guns that appear in these blocks.


Besides a single page, the buy menu is now available to view all the weapons. Every weapon is listed with a brief description.

In a nutshell, the developers have tried to simplify the weapon-buying process and make it quicker.

8. Selling guns is now possible

Can you really sell guns in CS2?

The answer is Yes, but the capability to do so is limited. Let's say you made a mistake while buying and chose the wrong gun or grenade; you can then press the revert button to sell it again.

So, technically, you can't sell it to others, but you can get a refund if you choose the wrong one.

9. New anti-cheat system

Valve is known for its Valve Anti Cheat (VAC) mechanism. It is used for almost all of its multiplayer games. The mechanism is constantly updated to thwart the latest hacks and exploits. The aim is to keep the games fair for all.

CS2, however, has an updated anti-cheat system, which goes by the name of VAC Live. While very limited information is available about this system, one aspect that has been highlighted is that if a player is detected using wallhacks or aimbots, the player will be banned then and there, and the match will end.

Think of it like the kernel-level Vanguard system in Valorant. While VAC Live might not be as advanced as Vanguard, it is certainly a step in the right direction.

10. New environmental effects

For its era, CS not having much environment interaction was fine, but in today's gaming era, the environment needs to be interactive.

That is exactly what Valve has done in CS2.

To start with, as highlighted above, smokes will now work with respect to the environment and the space available.

Big boom is now similar to a mini nuke explosion, which certainly takes things to a new level.

Similarly, blood splatter effects are real as well. Even CS:GO had blood spatter effects, but the splatter is now even more realistic. Truth be told, most players won't notice it as they move to the next kill.

Sure enough, these are small touches, but it does move the game towards realism.

Read more in our: What is CS2 Boosting And How Does It Work?

11. Visual player indicator

Many games have toyed with introducing some indication when players move or make noise. In CS2, developers have introduced a visual audio indicator.

Whenever a player moves, there will be a circle around the player in the mini-map because of the noise of the footsteps.

The circle size indicates the area in which other players can hear you.

Thus, it helps you determine the risk involved in making any noise or moving around.

12. Better audio

Visual audio indicator isn't the only audio change Valve is bringing out. According to Valve, the entire audio engine has been updated.

What this means is that the sounds will be more distinctive and, therefore, real. Spatial audio in CS:GO was a huge upgrade as well. So, we can only wait eagerly for even better audio.

If game videos released so far are anything to go by, the sounds are much more realistic, whether those are the gun sounds or radio announcements. Apart from that, overall audio does appear rebalanced, which makes it better.

All in all, the audio enhancements are plenty.

13. Enhanced player perspective

Most changes I will speak about now aren't significant on a standalone basis, but combined, they certainly improve the game.

In CS2, when players look down, they can see their legs. If you have been a CS:GO player, you would realize that this wasn't possible. In CS:GO, when you looked down, it seemed like you were floating mid-air.


Whether it comes to climbing boxes or bunny hopping, movement is more realistic because of legs being visible. This might seem like an unnecessary change for older players, but it is worth mentioning.

Couple this with features like responsive smokes and realistic grenades; and it is easy to understand how this drives the gameplay towards realism.

14. New guns & skins

Game developers have repeatedly highlighted that the new game uses the Source 2 engine. The effect of this engine is pronounced on the guns and the skins. Especially the skins which have been brought over from CS:GO look a lot better now.

Numerous visual upgrades have been made as well. For example, the C4 bomb site, lighting within the game, and other objects in the game are now much clearer and easy to spot.

According to the developers, the weapons and skins available are now visible in high resolution in the game. In fact, the weapons are so realistic that you can even try and reflect sunlight off some weapons like knives.

Seems like the developers have indeed put a lot of effort into source 2 engine.

15. Two new knives

Above, I spoke about realism when it comes to knives. I would like to add that the developers have introduced 2 new knives as well.

The first one is Kukri, followed by Twinblade. Previously, the game offered 21 knives. However, it isn't confirmed whether all these knives will be available in CS2 or whether the 2 new knives will be replacing 2 older ones.

16. Improved bots

Bots have been an integral part of the game. However, truth be told, many of their actions made them a laughing stock. Still, when you don't have a team to play along with, they do come in handy.

The good news is that the bots in CS2 are better. It is now possible to call them to a location and also interact with them in new ways.

Before you get excited about this feature, keep in mind that there are a few glitches in this system; therefore, bots don't always work as expected. However, the developers are expected to iron out these glitches over time.

17. Advanced GUI

As mentioned above, the loadout menu has been revamped. However, that isn't the only change when it comes to GUI.

Numerous visual changes have been made like:

Changes while team selection

Better Match-end phase

Prominent display of kill count (Similar to Valorant)

Ace display when you get 5 kills

Thus, the GUI changes are not only limited to the menu but also to the in-game information.

18. More radio announcements

"Fire in the hole", "Go Go Go" are some iconic radio announcements of original CS. However, they still left a lot to be desired.

CS2 is likely to fix that because there will be new radio announcements and also new voice lines making things more exciting.

19. Real gun recoil

Multiple updates are being made in CS2 with respect to crosshairs and gun recoil. For starters, if you activate the setting, the crosshair will follow the gun spray pattern. This is in stark contrast with CS:GO, in which you need to just spray. It will be harder for such players to now aim right and continue firing.

Gun recoil is now more pronounced as well. It brings in realism but has not been well received by many players who want it gone. Truth be told, gun recoil does make things harder, but since it introduces realism, it makes sense for this feature to stay.

20. Smokes across the map

During the initial beta, you could throw the smokes wherever you want on the map. Some videos released on X, even show how smokes thrown from B site in Dust II landed on A Long. If you are familiar with CS, that is a long way away.

In response, Valve introduced a patch announcing sealing of certain rooftops. However, which rooftops have been sealed and which are open is still unclear. Because of this, it remains to be seen if this is a glitch or if the functionality of throwing smokes across the map has been reduced to a certain extent.

21. Jump shots are back

When SSG-08 was available in the game, you could easily kill enemies using jump shots. That was possible because it was a lightweight sniper. Ever since this mechanism became popular, the ability to do so was drastically reduced by developers as it provided an unfair advantage.

However, SSG-08 is now back. With that, the ability to kill enemies using jump shots is also back. According to feedback shared by players on X, the accuracy of jump shots is extremely high. Whether the developers nerf this feature again or let it be this time around remains to be seen.

For now, jump shots are back.

22. New workshop tools

Valve has also delivered multiple workshop tools besides changes within the game and the menus. These come in handy in customizing items. Whether you want to customize a sticker or a weapon finish, such tools offer you the ability to do that.

With the new features being covered, now is the time to shed some light on some common questions.

FAQs

Does CS2 have new guns?

While many current gun models have been updated, in the near future, it is expected that Valve will also bring in new guns, judging from the redesigning of the loadout menu.

Is CS2 a new game or just an update?

CS2 is an upgrade to CS:GO. However, with the sheer number of changes, things certainly will be exciting due to better gameplay.

Is Counter-Strike 2 free to play?

CS2 is a free upgrade to CS:GO. It is a free-to-play game that will expand the player base further.

Will CS2 replace CS:GO?

Eventually, it is expected that CS2 will replace CS:GO. However, when this will happen, isn't clear. From the looks of it, the developers will support both the games for now, but with the advanced gameplay most players will likely switch over to CS2.

Wrapping it up

With so many changes confirmed in CS2, it will surely be an exciting game. I, for one, believe that many of these changes were overdue; therefore, while they might not surprise me, I am happy that Valve is finally introducing them.

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