Counter-Strike 2 - Limited Test
Counter-Strike 2 is real and will arrive as a free upgrade to CS:GO this Summer (in the northern hemisphere that is). So queue the jokes, Valve still can't count to three.
Counter-Strike 2 is described as the largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike's history.
The road to Counter-Strike 2 starts with a limited test for select CS:GO players. To gain access to the limited tests various factors deemed important by the development to will be prioritised, such as, recent playtime on Valve official servers, trust factor, and Steam account standing. New players will be invited over time. All CS:GO inventory items will be usable in Counter-Strike 2 but you will not be able to modify any items. Streamers and content creators will be free to stream and create videos of Counter-Strike 2. For now the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test will only be available on Windows.
Smoke grenades will interact with the environment, lighting, gunfire, and explosions, this will create interesting opportunities such as grenades being used to temporarily clear sightlines. Smoke will seep out of open doorways, broken windows, and expand along corridors.
Moving and shooting should be equally responsive now while grenades should always land the same way now that the game does not depend on tickrate. You'll still need to play well, theres now less things to blame. Sub-ticks are Counter-Strike 2's new thing, servers will know the exact instant that motion starts, a shot is fired, or a ‘nade is thrown.
Maps have been overhauled and rebuilt from the ground up using the new Source 2 tools and rendering features. Community creators will be able to use Source 2 to create maps while the Source 2 Item Workshop will be available later on during the Limited Test.
Audio has not been abandoned. Sounds have been reworked and rebalanced to reflect the environment, be more distinct, and express the game state.
Selected players will receive a notification in the main CS:GO menu.
More details of whats new are expected in the coming months. Let us know in the comments if you get selected to test Counter-Strike 2.