When is the next Counter-Strike 2 beta access wave?

Counter-Strike 2 beta players eagerly await the second wave of access after being left high and dry as empty servers resemble ghost towns.

Counter-Strike 2 beta access - first person view of a player setting a bomb timer

Wondering when the next Counter-Strike 2 beta access wave will be? Noob friendly CS2, with its new smokes and polished maps, is finally playable, but most players are still waiting for their lucky day. According to Leetify, only 3% of CS players had the Counter-Strike 2 banner appear on their main menu screens early in April.

The announcement posts of players receiving access have also been few and far between, suggesting Valve may have pulled the plug on its FPS game‘s beta access. Fortunately, a new wave of Counter-Strike 2 beta tests will likely begin soon, handing out the keys to a broader player base.

Why is CS2 beta access so slow?

Valve may have intentionally limited access to CS2’s beta testing due to the game’s numerous bugs, but the exact reason for slowed access remains unknown. It’s possible they only allowed experienced players to test the barebones version of the game. But seasoned players have a wild theory backed with hearsay evidence.

Valve Corporation takes its employees on annual vacation in Hawaii, according to Glassdoors. Now, this vacation typically happens in the summer, and players have flimsy evidence to believe that Valve left for holidays after starting the first wave of beta access. A player named ‘Lanclos’ claimed to have found a pin with “Valve 2023” scribbled on it at Hawaii Beach.

A Valve pin was found on a vacation by a Reddit user wondering about the Counter-strike 2 beta access

This could be the possible reason behind the slowed access, but it shouldn’t be taken as gospel despite the visual evidence, however flimsy it may be.

When is the next CS2 beta access?

If speculations are to be believed, Valve employees are likely on rest and relaxation breaks and will begin handing out access once they return.
The next CS2 beta access, however, should begin later in May, at least a month before the official release. Since the first wave struck on March 22, players should try logging back in on May 22 with their fingers crossed.

It’s also unknown if Valve would completely shut down the CS2 beta before rolling out the second wave to iron out reported bugs and introduce new updates. If that’s the case, then CS2 beta access could be closer than expected since many have reported having their access revoked in the past few days. The first wave culminating could mean that Valve is preparing for a much cleaner second public beta.

In any case, there has to be a second wave considering only a tiny chunk have tried CS2 so far, which some play testers have said was exceedingly dull. Some have complained of sitting in queue for over 3 hours. Currently, the CS2 beta is extremely bland since only one playable map has scarce updates, but the second wave might change that.

The second wave of CS2 beta testing could roll out soon

How to get CS2 beta access in the second wave?

Valve has yet to confirm if there will be a second wave, but it’s worth preparing for it. So far, the requirement for CS2 beta access is simple: you must have a good amount of playtime on Valve servers and a clean history. So, players may want to bid farewell to Faceit for a short while and start grinding MM to stack up hours in time for the second wave.

It’s also worth noting that idling won’t get you access. In order to shortlist beta testers, Valve only tallies server playtime. So it’s crucial to partake in the ranked queue to qualify for CS2 beta, even if the new game will be more friendly to newbies.

So, here’s everything you need to know about the second CS2 beta access wave and how to be a part of it. Even if Valve shuts down access completely, fret not, the Counter-Strike 2 release date isn’t far. For now, you can prepare by learning how Counter-Strike 2 smokes are best used in the sequel.