Counter-Strike 2 has been revealed ahead of a summer 2023 release

Valve has officially announced Counter-Strike 2 ahead of the game’s release this summer.

It will arrive as a free upgrade to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, allowing players to bring across their inventory from the current game.

“Counter-Strike 2 is the largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike’s history, ensuring new features and updates for years to come,” according to Valve.

“All of the game’s new features will be revealed when it officially launches this summer, but the road to Counter-Strike 2 begins today as a Limited Test for select CS:GO players. During this testing period, we’ll be evaluating a subset of features to shake out any issues before the worldwide release.”

A Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test FAQ is available here.

Valve said the game will be cleaner, brighter, and better looking. “Maps in Counter-Strike 2 are receiving upgrades and overhauls which leverage all of the new Source 2 tools and rendering features.”

It also claimed tick rate no longer matters for moving, shooting, or throwing.

“Sub-tick updates are the heart of Counter-Strike 2,” it said. “Previously, the server only evaluated the world in discrete time intervals (called ticks). Thanks to Counter-Strike 2’s sub-tick update architecture, servers know the exact instant that motion starts, a shot is fired, or a ‘nade is thrown.

“As a result, regardless of tick rate, your moving and shooting will be equally responsive and your grenades will always land the same way.”

Valve said smoke grenades are now dynamic volumetric objects that interact with the environment, and react to lighting, gunfire, and explosions.

“Counter-Strike 2 sounds have been reworked to better reflect the physical environment, be more distinct, and express more game state,” it added. “They have also been rebalanced for a more comfortable listening experience.”