Valve officially releases Counter-Strike 2: Free upgrade from CS:GO

After weeks of rumours, Valve has officially announced Counter-Strike 2, a new version of the hugely popular multiplayer team-based first-person shooter. The developer is now launching a limited beta of the game ahead of its official launch later this summer. This summer, CSGO will have a smooth transition with a free upgrade to Counter-Strike 2, developed using the Origin 2 engine.

Valve is only revealing some of Counter-Strike 2's features right now. One of them will be improvements in the Smoke Grenade effects. It stated:

Smoke Grenades are now dynamic volumetric objects that interact with the environment, and react to lighting, gunfire, and explosions.

The game's maps will also be getting a facelift with new textures and more upgrades.

Also, the game will get some improvements in terms of tick rates: Valve says:

Sub-tick updates are the heart of Counter-Strike 2. 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.

All items owned by players in CSGO will be transferred to Counter-Strike 2, while mapmakers will be able to use Source 2 tools to create new maps and there will be a Source 2 Item Workshop in the near future. If you would like to be considered for the limited beta of Counter-Strike 2.

Read more about the features of the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Beta here: https://counter-strike.net/cs2

Official Counter-Strike 2 Limited Beta FAQ: https://steamcommunity.com/faqs/steam-help/view/5ED2-ED8E-81F4-0C18