When will CS2 be released? [Updated September]
The much-anticipated successor to CS:GO is just around the corner.
[Updated - 1st of September, 2023]
Valve just announced last night, that they are beginning to invite "as many eligible players as possible to the Limited Test. To be eligible, players must have CS:GO Prime Status, an active Competitive Skill Group, and play the majority of their official matchmaking games in one of the regions where the Limited Test is available".
You can read more about the latest update here.
Counter-Strike 2 or CS2 is set to replace one of the most popular games in history. CS:GO has been a keystone in the world of competitive esports since its inception in 2012.
On the 22nd of March 2023, the game developer Valve announced the successor to CS:GO. Counter-Strike 2 was announced to be released in the summer of 2023. The official definition of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is June to August, so according to this, we should expect the release of CS2 anytime soon. In the CS2 limited test, we are also very close to having seen all of the competitive maps. We are still to see Inferno being deployed, which could indicate, that we are still a few weeks away from the release.
Valve has already made it clear, that the Copenhagen Major in March 2024 will be played on CS2, which also indicates, that the game is close to a release date. Valve will undoubtedly want to have the game released at least a half year before the Major to fix all bugs, and to allow the teams to practice and play official matches in Counter-Strike 2 to have the optimal conditions to deliver a good first CS2 Major.
When do the experts think, that CS2 will be released?
While a lot of fans have their hopes up high for a release in August, several of the experts and talents around the Counter-Strike scene do not seem to share the same optimism.
After the CS2 showmatch at Gamers8, Jason "moses" O'Toole and Janko "YNk" Paunović both hinted at a full release of the game in October.
It would not be the first time in history, that Valve has delayed the release of either a new game or hardware, as we saw with the delayed release of the Steam Deck.
How will CS2 be released?
In 2012 CS:GO was released on August 21. Here an open beta was released a month before the full game was made available, which could be the same procedure for CS2. The game will of course be released on Valve’s own platform, Steam.
CS2 will also be free to play like CS:GO.
You can read all about the new changes in CS2 in the article below.
