The Counter-Strike 2 release date is officially coming, as Valve launches the CS2 limited test, and brings its new FPS game to Source 2. With new weapons, skins, mechanics, and maps coming to the Counter-Strike sequel, CSGO nevertheless continues to thrive – in fact, the Counter-Strike 2 announcement has sent the iconic shooter to new heights on Steam.
Judging by all the Counter-Strike 2 changes, Valve has totally revitalised its flagship shooter, rebuilding maps from the ground up and improving every facet of technical performance. Anticipation is naturally high – with the CS2 limited test available only to select players, Counter-Strike fans are showing their love for the multiplayer game by logging into CSGO in droves.
On February 19, CSGO hit an all-time concurrent player record of 1,324,000. At the time, it seemed unbeatable. But with the news that CS2 is actually happening, all of a sudden, anything seems possible – CSGO players just blew the latest Steam record out of the water.
On March 25, a gigantic 1,507,212 people logged on to play CSGO at the same time. It puts Counter-Strike Global Offensive comfortably above MMO Lost Ark as the second most concurrently played game on Steam ever, behind only battle royale PUBG, which saw a massive 3,257,248 players log on simultaneously in 2018 – though that number has since dropped to around 400,000.
The record comes as datamines of CS2 potentially reveal a new form of Valve Anti-Cheat, which may automatically cancel matches if a cheating player is detected. There is also the possibility of new knife skins and both male and female announcers.
With Counter-Strike 2 on its way, make sure you have the best CSGO crosshairs, since all your items will carry over. You can also try some of the other best free Steam games available now.