Counter-Strike 2 celebrates muted first birthday

Counter-Strike 2 has officially turned one year old today, with the latest version of Valve's seminal FPS first releasing on September 27th, 2023. The launch of the sequel to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive followed a six-month beta period that lasted from March 22nd to September 27th.

The first birthday of Counter-Strike 2 has proven to be a somewhat muted affair. Valve failed to acknowledge the anniversary of the beloved but equally embattled entry to the Counter-Strike series.

The release of Counter-Strike 2 introduced a number of changes to the modern formula for the game established by CS:GO. The game introduced the MR12 match format, new animations, volumetric smokes, sub-tick game servers, and attempts at an improved matchmaking system and anti-cheat.

While the release of CS2 has undoubtedly helped breathe new life into the 25-year-old series, CS2's tenure has not been without a degree of well-deserved criticism, with fans and pros being quick to critique the anti-cheat, bugs, changes to mechanics, and the overall state of the game compared to the highly polished CS:GO.

As such, there has been a significant air of pessimism that has infected the Counter-Strike community, however as Counter-Strike 2 celebrates its first birthday it must be said that hundreds of thousands of players still enjoy and play the game daily while Valve's reforms to the tournament circuit heading into 2025 are seemingly set to reinvigorate the esports scene for many years to come.

Considering the bumpy first years of CS:GO that many have overlooked, Dust2.us is happy to celebrate CS2's birthday and is excited to see what comes next for our favorite FPS in its second year!