RELEASED

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is Valve’s free-to-play tactical shooter, built around team economy, precise gunplay, utility, bomb defusal, Competitive map ranks, and Premier CS Rating.

Shooter

Release Date SEP 27, 2023

Media

A Counter-Strike 2 player fires a rifle toward an opponent near a bombsite.

Counter-Strike 2 Premier match result showing points added to a visible CS Rating.

Counter-Strike 2 loadout screen displaying Counter-Terrorist and Terrorist weapon choices.

Game Overview

Platforms

Made by

Developed · Valve

Counter-Strike 2 is Valve’s free-to-play tactical first-person shooter and the Source 2 successor to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists compete in objective rounds where money, weapons, armor, grenades, positioning, and communication carry from one round into the next.

Read full overview

Competitive matchmaking assigns a separate Skill Group to each map. Premier uses an Active Duty pick-ban phase and one visible CS Rating; it requires Prime Status and Profile Level 10. Prime also provides Prime matchmaking, XP, weekly care packages, Competitive Skill Groups, and CS Rating.

Premier Season Five began July 8, 2026, adding Cache to the Active Duty pool and removing Overpass. Valve continues to update maps, gameplay, security, and stability.

Round-based tactical gunplay with team economy Premier pick-ban matchmaking and visible CS Rating Competitive Skill Groups calibrated separately for each map Dynamic volumetric smoke grenades affected by bullets and explosions Source 2 rendering, Workshop tools, and sub-tick updates

Guides

Read guide

Guides