The long wait for Counter-Strike 2’s public launch is finally over. Valve has officially released the much-awaited FPS game for everyone after sharing a teaser last week. The new game is a direct successor and replacement of the popular and decade-old tactical FPS game CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive). It is based on the new Source 2 engine from Valve and brings numerous upgrades and improvements. The best part is it is a free upgrade for all CS:GO players.
How to Download Counter-Strike 2?
As mentioned earlier, Counter-Strike 2 is a direct replacement for the previous title CS:GO. It means if you already have CS:GO installed on your PC, you will see it changed to Counter-Strike 2 in your Steam library. You do not have to do anything else, simply go to the library listing and click the Install button to proceed.
New players can search for “Counter-Strike 2” in the Steam application or simply visit the product page to download. The game has a download size of about 28GB. It is a free-to-play game just like CS:GO but you can choose to spend money on in-game purchases to add different skins to your inventory. The good thing is all of your CS:GO inventory will move to Counter-Strike 2 for absolutely free.
Counter-Strike 2 System Requirements
As per the listing on Steam, here are the minimum PC requirements to run Counter-Strike 2:
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: 4 hardware CPU threads – Intel® Core™ i5 750 or higher
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Video card must be 1 GB or more and should be a DirectX 11-compatible with support for Shader Model 5.0
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 85 GB available space
If you are a Mac user, there is no official word on when and if Counter-Strike 2 will be released for macOS. A listing for the game on Steam for macOS was spotted earlier today but it was a mistake from Valve. This is the reason it has now been delisted from the store.
Counter-Strike 2 New Features
Steam says, “Counter-Strike 2 marks the largest technical leap in Counter-Strike’s history. Built on the Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike 2 is modernized with realistic physically-based rendering, state-of-the-art networking, and upgraded Community Workshop tools.”
Here is what is new in the title:
- New CS rating system to rate your performance that will affect your standing in global and regional leaderboards
- Smoke grenades will interact with the environment and react to lighting, gunfire, and explosions
- Tick rate will no longer matter for moving, shooting, or throwing
- Full overhaul of maps which are now cleaner and brighter. They will have more realistic materials, lighting, and reflections
- All game skins will look better with high-resolution models and Source 2 lighting
- VFX and UI enhancements and more accurate audio to level up your gameplay experience
