Counter-Strike 2 Is a Thing and We Are Hyped

ICYMI: Counter-Strike 2 officially launched on September 27th. Here is the Twitter announcement:

Original Post (18/4/2023)

We’re heckin’ excited about Counter-Strike 2 and have scoured high and low for every tasty bit of information, rumours, or hints about gameplay. All of which we’ve compiled into this one blog post. 

Next-Gen FPS Action:

Counter-Strike 2 promises huge leaps in nail-biting FPS action. As such, Valve have made some hefty upgrades to the gameplay. This includes responsive smokes, improved tick rates, and some much-needed world enhancements. 

Responsive Smokes:

Smoke grenades are the perfect way to push your enemies out of confined spaces, and the new responsiveness upgrade makes them a complete game-changer. They are now completely dynamic, with the ability to interact and change with the environment, lighting, gunfire, and even explosions. 

Improved Tick Rates:

Imagine an action-packed battle field with no moving, shooting, or throwing tick rates. 

Now in Counter-Strike 2, the servers will know exactly when and where a shot is fired or a grenade is thrown, for superior, ultra-fast response times and accuracy.  

An Enhanced World:  

With these enhancements to gameplay, comes improved maps and visuals. Each of the iconic CS:GO maps have been completely overhauled to now include realistic reflections, lighting, and even materials, for greater immersion.

To enhance this one step further, the audio has been completely reworked to offer more realistic soundscapes that better reflect the environment and fighting around you. 

In addition to all of this, classic CS:GO visuals have been reimagined with a brand-new look. Must-have features, such as bullet impacts, can now be easily viewed at a distance, whilst the directional blood impacts, which fade over time, will offer distinct strategic advantages about enemy locations and much more.  

Limited-Test:

If you can’t wait to get your hands on Counter-Strike 2, there is a limited beta test currently running. However, since it is an invite-only beta test, there are a few requirements you must meet. 

Your eligibility depends on: 

• Your playtime on official Valve servers  
• Trust factor 
• Steam account standing  

If you are one of the lucky ones who gets selected for the limited beta test, you’ll receive an in-game notification in CS:GO, inviting you to take part.  

Any Hints at PC Specification?

There is no official information about the PC specification for Counter-Strike 2, but we can expect it to be slightly higher than CS:GO, due to the new Source 2 engine, along with all of the world and visual enhancements. 

Counter-Strike 2 is going to be available to play for free to all existing CS:GO players, so chances are if your PC is running Counter-Strike: Global Offenses with smooth frame rates and ultra-fast response times, you probably won’t need to worry about purchasing a big hefty upgrade. However, we’ll just have to try and be patient whilst we wait for Valve to announce the PC specification (hopefully it’s sooner rather than later). 

We’ve included the PC specification of CS:GO down below, just to remind you.  

Our Top PCs for Counter-Strike 2:

If you do want to spoil yourself with a system upgrade to ensure you’ll have everything you need and more to play Counter-Strike 2, we’ve included a few of our top PC recommendations down below.  

OcUK Gaming Tanto Configurable PC: 

Small yet mighty, the OcUK Gaming Tanto comes armed with everything you need to enjoy powerful performance in all your favourite FPS titles. This includes an Intel 12^th Gen CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. Utilise the hybrid P- and E-core architecture for seamless multitasking and ultra-fast speeds, all of which is backed up by the built-in Intel Thread Director. Plus, with support for enhanced Real-Time Ray Tracing and AI DLSS, enjoy stunning photo-realistic visuals with silky-smooth frame rates, for an optimised immersive gaming experience.  

As a configurable gaming PC, you can make adjustments to the base hardware specification to better suit your individual preferences, gameplay style, and favourite games. This includes opting for more storage space and a Wi-Fi adapter card. 

OcUK Gaming Tanto

• Configurable gaming PC
• Intel i3 12100F CPU
• NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU
• 16GB of DDR4 RAM
• Flexible storage options available

Buy Now

Refract Gaming Jade Pre-Built PC:

Built by PC experts, the Refract Gaming Jade has been fine-tuned for mid-tier gaming and budding content creators. Take advantage of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU, with its intelligent Zen 4 architecture and optimised gaming platform, for ultra-fast processing speeds and effortless multitasking, that is perfect for both work and play! Plus, with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM, you won’t have to worry about pesky slow loading times and input lag, slowing down your performance.  

What’s more, thanks to the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti GPU, render all your favourite games in stunning quality with realistic lighting and shadows, for greater immersion. 

Refract Gaming Jade

• Pre-built gaming PC
• Designed for mid-tier gaming and budding content creators
• AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU
• NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti GPU
• 32GB of DDR5 RAM

Buy Now

You can find more of our PC recommendations for Counter-Strike 2 by clicking the button down below. 

Are You Just as Hyped as We Are?

Are you just as excited as us? Be sure to leave your thoughts about Counter-Strike 2 and any speculations you have about gameplay in the comments down below. Plus, we’d love to hear whether or not you’ve signed up for the limited test beta!  

PC specs are subject to change.