Counter-Strike, a prime first-person-shooter franchise, is a hot topic in the gaming community. Some recent leaks revealed that Valve has updated Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to include Source 2 as the developer’s pre-release branch. With that piece of information and “csgos2.exe” appearing after the Nvidia driver profile update, Counter-Strike 2 seems to be the next big thing.
A Twitter account named Gabe Follower has been updating the community about various findings of Counter Strike 2 from its database. What is massive about this development is that CS fans have been waiting for a new addition to the title and they may finally get one. From journalist Richard Lewis confirming the existence of Counter Strike 2 to Valve changing its Twitter banner, everything is hinting towards a new start.
Buckle up, as this article will cover all the speculation and leaks about the new Counter-Strike game that might be on its way.
News about Counter Strike 2, covering everything that is known so far
On February 27, 2023 Valve changed its banner on the CS: GO Twitter account, and what might seem like a minor change caught the community’s interest. Speculation and leaks surrounding a new Counter-Strike game started to surface from that point on.
Something weird just happened. Latest NVIDIA drivers introduced support for unknown app executables called "csgos2.exe" and "cs2.exe". Why project is called Counter-Strike 2 and what are you cooking @csgo? https://t.co/U9YKlAjwgy pic.twitter.com/PU8Op9uGLq
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 1, 2023
Earlier in March 2023, Gabe Follower tweeted stating that the Nvidia Driver update reflected executable files for Counter-Strike 2. The incident solidified the speculations of a potentially new version of the game on Source Engine 2.
The information was further supported by Richard Lewis, a well-known esports journalist. He clarified that an anonymous source revealed that Counter Strike 2 is under development. Valve has prioritized the game’s potential future as the beta is likely to be released by March.
The reason why this new installment was required has to do with the fact that the game has been unattended for a long time. It requires polishing, bug fixes, and a fresh start in the upgraded engine.
More information about Counter-Strike 2
I don't think CS:GO on Source 2 will introduce 128 tick rate, based on new strings in Dota 2 updates, devs are working on a new "tickless / subtick" system. pic.twitter.com/ExSSzYVgrX
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 7, 2023
It can be observed from the tweet, that the new Counter-Strike servers might not be of a 128 tickrate. However, “tickless / subtick” was highlighted in the Dota 2 database indicating that Valve is working on improving server responsiveness.
Reminder of possible Source 2 map pool based on our espionage on @CSGO devs.
de_overpass_s2 / de_shortdust_s2 / de_lake_s2 / de_inferno_s2 / ar_shoots_s2 / cs_italy_s2 / de_cbble_s2 pic.twitter.com/G5ZZzVRTwE
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 14, 2023
Here are some of the potential map pools that might be added to the Source 2 game. Map selection is an integral part of Counter-Strike tournaments. The game boasts an established esports scenario and it will be interesting to see how the new title lives up to it.
One of the CS:GO developers has been spotted playing on a future build of the game (perhaps using the DPR branch?) 👀
Current public version: 1.38.5.5
The version they're playing on: 1.38.7.0 pic.twitter.com/4e3x7HhJpA— Aquarius (@aquaismissing) March 14, 2023
Another leaker, Aquarius, posted a log on Twitter in which a developer was spotted testing Deathmatch for a future version of the game. From this post, it can be assumed that the potential version of the title is in the testing phase.
DEVS ACTUALLY ADDED CS2.EXE TO @CSGO CONFIGS???https://t.co/xjHk8jXnn7 pic.twitter.com/hc77gU8mNy
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 14, 2023
all this hype brought you by @thexpaw, creator of @SteamDB
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 14, 2023
Lastly, Gabe Follower shared how “cs2.exe” a new executable file was spotted in the developer’s pre-release configs. The logs were actively updated by Valve, which suggests that players might get an official announcement soon.
