Counter-Strike 2 has been under limited test beta for quite a long time and is approaching its final release. Developers teased that the game might get a worldwide release this Wednesday, September 27, 2023.
Competitive first-person shooter Counter-Strike 2 is an upgrade to its predecessor CSGO, on all levels. The new title is based on the Source 2 engine which was used for Half-Life Alyx. The title even includes gameplay changes and improvements over its predecessor like the addition of dynamic smokes, sub-tick detection, and more.
CS2 was announced almost 6 months ago and was set to release in Summer 2023. With players desperate since to get their hands on the game, the long wait might finally be over. Here’s everything you should know about the upcoming release of the competitive shooter.
Developers teases the upcoming release of Counter-Strike 2
Earlier this September many existing players were invited for the limited test beta programme for Counter-Strike 2. However, the conditions were, that these players must have an active competitive rank and prime membership to access it. Thus, non-prime players didn’t get the chance to try out the game.
What are you doing next Wednesday?
— CS2 (@CounterStrike) September 20, 2023
With the upcoming final release of the game, both prime and non-prime users will be able to play the game. However, the non-prime users will not get the benefits of prime membership like obtaining skill groups or receiving weekly item drops like cases, skins, and stickers. Leaving these aside, prime and non-prime players will have the same experience with Counter-Strike 2.
Even though Counter-Strike 2 is a new game, it will act as an upgrade to CSGO. If players have any item in their inventory, all those things will be directly transferred to the fresh title. Moreover, skins in CS2 will use the new Source 2 lighting and material engine, which creates improved visuals during gameplay.
One of the major features in CS2 is the newly introduced dynamic smoke which reacts to projectiles like frag grenades, and bullets. The smoke system will also react to the environment and simulate lighting accordingly. While this feature looks clean in CS2, it does have downsides like impacting performance or creating advantageous one-ways.
However, the Source 2 engine is optimized enough to handle such instances with minimal loss in performance. Players will not face many issues when running the game on their system. Additionally, the new engine also adds reactive water physics to make the gameplay more realistic.
Other than visual changes, the rest of the game has faced several gunplay tweaks like changes to sound and recoil pattern. While this change seems brutal, it is natural to find changes as Counter-Strike 2 is using a new engine.
The buy menu is also seeing changes with the new title and now uses a box-like menu similar to Valorant. Players can only take a pre-determined loadout, which cannot be changed mid-game, allowing players to be strategic with their approach. However, one positive feature is the addition of a refund system, which allows players to correct incorrect purchases.
Can you run Counter-Strike 2 on your system?
As mentioned earlier, Counter-Strike 2 uses the Source 2 engine for its core gameplay. Thus, the system requirements for running the title have seen some tweaks as well. This change happened during the shift from CS: Source to CSGO in the past, which impacted many players. Here is a list of hardware requirements for every graphics preset:
Minimum requirements for Low 720p (30 FPS)
- CPU: Intel Core i5 2400/ AMD Ryzen 3 2200
- RAM: 8 GB
- Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 950/ Radeon R7 265
- VRAM: 2 GB
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit/ Windows 11 64-bit
- Storage: 67 GB
Recommended requirements for Low 1080p (60 FPS)
- CPU: Intel Core i5 7500/ AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- RAM: 8 GB
- Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 1060/ Radeon RX 580
- VRAM: 4 GB
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit/ Windows 11 64-bit
- Storage: 67 GB
Recommended requirements for Medium 1080p (120 FPS)
- CPU: Intel Core i5 9600K/ AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- RAM: 16 GB
- Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 2060S/ Radeon RX 580
- VRAM: 6 GB
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit/ Windows 11 64-bit
- Storage: 67 GB
If you meet the above-mentioned criteria, you will be able to run Counter-Strike 2 on your system. However, do keep in mind, that you can always turn down graphics details to get a smooth experience. Additionally, you can also use MSI Afterburner or other boosting software to overclock your system and run the title.
That concludes everything you need to know about the upcoming release of Counter-Strike 2 and its requirements. If you liked our content do give us a follow to get on-time updates on CS2. Alternatively, you can also visit our main hub by clicking here in order to read similar articles.
