CS:GO vs CS2: Global Updates in the New Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike 2 is on the edge of being officially released, and many players want to know what to expect from the renewed game. We’ve gathered all the latest updates and changes that await us soon, and the differences between CS:GO and CS2 are already known and approved.

With the broad Beta testing presented on September 1, 2023, many players were able to dive into the new game and try a new Source 2 engine. Many CS:GO professionals understand that an early turn to the new game will benefit them, just as it was with NiP in 2013. Of course, those who aim for the top tier should learn CS2 changes earlier than the rest of the pack, and becoming familiar with nuances can be vital in this transition.

What are the Main Disadvantages of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive?

Everyone who touched Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can make his list of complaints to the game. From the emotional ‘How could he hit that?’ to the philosophical ‘Why should I spend my time and emotions on this game anymore?’ Still, many gamers hope Counter-Strike 2 changes will bring innovations to the objective side at least, and touch the following:

1. Reduce drawbacks for 64-tick servers;
2. New engine will bring better physics and visuality;
3. Official matchmaking with equal opponents, avoiding cheaters and smurfs;
4. Overall improvements like opened skyboxes and better menu navigation.

The latter may sound unessential, but the game released in 2012 cannot stand on the same UI pillars for so long. Most players expected the new game passionately, and developers should do everything to make the questions like ‘What is better: CS2 or CS:GO?’ rhetorical. Let’s now review if Valve met long-awaited expectations.

What's New in CS2?

Finally, we came to the answer, ’Why is CS2 better than CS:GO?’ Here, we’ll review all the changes that arrived with the new game, why they occur, and how they can be used.

New Engine

The main reason why many Counter-Strike lovers waited for the game’s new version is to see a new engine in action — Source 2. Of course, the main reason is to see a visual upgrade of the first-person shooter, as the modern hardware allows one to enjoy both gameplay and perfect visualization.

However, the visual side isn’t the only direction that received upgrades with replacing the Source 1 engine. Many believe the problem with cheaters can also decrease with the new coding opportunities, so the CS2 differences from CS:GO will be not only demonstrative.

Textures, Light, and Shadows

Those who play something outside the Counter-Strike bubble will surely pay attention to the new graphics level and the dynamic that came with CS2. For instance, jumping in the dirty water became much more realistic as the circles and ripples on the water now drive away the dirt. Adding the ability to see your own shadow and legs only facilitates the impression of reality, which is missing in the game with fast scopes and other unreal things.

Overall, textures also became more realistic, while the surrounding world details and walls improved. All these also came with the new approach to light and its rendering, allowing us to finish the CS2 vs CS:GO comparison even now and name the winner.

Models & Blood

We don’t know why Valve decided that the CS:GO blood splashes weren’t good enough, but the shape of the red liquid in CS2 looks better. Even more critical is the blood’s ability to dry up, giving additional info about the time of the shooting. The detailing of player models was also upgraded alongside the exactness of their movement and their own shadow reflection.

Sub-Tick Rate

Being one of the key problems of CS:GO, the issue of tickrate finally got the needed attention. And while the network was waiting for the new 128-tick servers, Valve came from another side and offered a sub-tick update.

In short, this approach removes ticks that were in Global Offensive and relies on the precise time of every action, removing delays. However, old 64-tick servers will remain in action even in CS2, limiting the processing speed, but unlanded shots and unrealistic trajectories should disappear. Even after the broad beta test announcement, Valve made changes in this direction, so we expect even more upgrades in the CS:GO vs CS2 tick rate issue.

Glass Breaking

Nothing special and game-changing here, but now glass starts crashing from the point where it got a bullet, spreading to the opposing corners. With the upgraded sound and animation, it looks much more natural, and that is where a Source2 engine shows its advantages.

Maps

The cornerstone of any Counter-Strike version is a map, becoming not only a battlefield area but also a place for smart tactics with individual approaches. With all CS2 changes being pretty one-sided, Valve came to drawing maps with three diverse methods:

1. Touchstone maps (look similar to CS:GO with brighter vision, especially in dark zones);
2. Upgrades maps (also look pretty similar in terms of textures, but with a new light rendering system used during creation);
3. Overhaul maps (saved structure of the map, but most of the textures changed with the new approach to light applied, so they look different)

That is how the competitive map pool (and Dust2, of course) looks in CS2:

Touchstone

1. Dust 2

As you can see, the CS:GO version is much darker in terms of textures. In CS2, however, not only textures were brightened, as dark zones received extra lamps. Thus, Upper Tunnels, Long Box, and Lower Tunnels (can be seen in the bottom right corner of images) now don’t favor those playing there.

1. Mirage

Similarly to Dust 2, Mirage received brightness upgrades even in the zones that weren’t pretty dark (like inside B Site). Apartments, Underpass, and Palace positions received extra lightning and now don’t require setting your monitor to maximum brightness.

1. Vertigo

It’s pretty easy to see the difference in brightness on Vertigo between the Counter-Strike versions, made similarly to the previous two considered maps. Luckily, Valve didn’t forget to apply the new light approach to everything, including basic knife skin, which also looks better under natural light.

Upgrades

1. Nuke

Compared to Touchstone maps, ones like Nuke received Upgrades related to other rendering and light processing. Since it’s hard to see the difference between Touchstones and Upgrades, this is probably an element for developers to see the FPS difference or so.

1. Ancient

Ancient was the darkest map in CS:GO and required the most brightness adjustments. Luckily, the light in all the dark zones was facilitated, and even general textures under the natural light make it much more suitable for playing.

1. Anubis

With similar textures and colors on Dust2 and Mirage, we can see new light processing on Anubis. The Back Site seems to receive too much light, while the position between Heaven and A Connector has gotten extra lamps.

Overhauls

1. Overpass

Overhauls received many more upgrades compared to the previous two map categories, and that is how new Overpass textures and light work. Designers added and cut background textures to create a fresh impression but saved the overall structure and fighting points.

1. Inferno

Inferno Middle zone in CS2

Even more changes came to Inferno, where designers reworked the map from scratch, having the structure draft only. Of course, those who played this map in CS:GO won’t ramble to find Bomb Sites, but almost every angle now looks different because of totally new textures.

Grenade Physics

Reactive Smoke and Related Changes

With all the visual updates, if you ask game fans what's new in CS2, many will answer shortly — smokes. This grenade received the most attention from the developing team, and they’ve spent their time for good purposes. Thus, this universal nade became ‘reactive,’ which means that smokes now have much more reaction with the environment.

Overall, the new smoke looks more like a cloud, with its edges floating, having some new interaction opportunities. Aside from extinguishing the fire of Molotovs and Incendiaries, Smoke grenades received new features:

• Covers more space compared to CS:GO. Moreover, in closed areas like ventilation or narrow walkways, the new smoke starts to fill the free space to use the whole capacity it has. The CS2 vs CS:GO Smoke difference can be seen in the Dust 2 grenade usage on Cross, Mid Doors, or CT Spawn for split B tactics. Now, a single nade has the same effect, whereas two were required earlier to create the same coverage.

  

• Reaction on bullets that give visibility, especially closer to the edge of the smoke. Yes, now spamming Smoke makes much more sense as bullets give a small vision hole that can help to be more precise and detect sneaking opponents.

  

• One-ways and dissipating advantages are now absent because of new Smoke physics. Considering the floating nature on the edge and reaction to bullets, keeping your head just over the smoke is much more dangerous. Thus, a single bullet from a Glock-18 can easily expose your position and turn you from hunter to prey.

• Interaction with HE grenades is new, and the latter will now be used not to damage opponents but to disperse smoke for a second or so. If you use this feature with a partner’s flash — a few kills are much better than potential damage.

  

• CS2 Smoke doesn’t sneak through walls and doors, excluding outdated and unrealistic one-ways on Nuke, which could even extinguish Molotovs through partitions.
• Smoke traces on the players who just came out of it, which looks insane. The practical appliance of this feature is comparable to glass-breaking animation in CS2 vs CS:GO, but it is still pleasant to see an attentive approach to details.

Open Skyboxes

Continuing the smokes topic to some extent, Valve reduced to a common denominator the issue with skyboxes, opening them all on every map. Adding the new reactive Smokes to the equation, CS:GO vs Counter-Strike 2 tactic and strategy will significantly change.

Renewed Molotovs and Incendiaries

There were not as many changes as with smoke, but grenades with fire also received a few upgrades. Thus, both Incendiary Grenade and Molotov got a renewed animation, which is way more natural than in the CS:GO. The Terrorists’ firing nade also got a more transparent bottle with liquid seen inside.

Flashbang Longer Sounds

Independently, whether they are playing CS:GO or CS2, all the players buy Flashbangs to blind opponents. However, a flash bang in real life is a grenade that should blind and deafen people standing close to the explosion, at least for some period. In CS2, developers tried to make the Flashbang closer to a real-life grenade, and now it really ‘bangs’ and impacts not only eyes but also ears.

Inspection of Grenades

The appearance of the ‘Inspection’ button (usually, ‘F’) was a totally new feature in CS:GO and increased the skins’ usage in the game drastically. In CS2, developers went even further and added the ability to inspect grenades, adding a few interesting and even provocative (for Incendiary grenades) animations. What’s next, skins for CS2 grenades?

Interface

Although some visuals aren’t essential and have no impact on the gaming process, a new Home Screen and redesigned Buy Menu are worth a few words of attention.

New Home Screen

It’s pretty easy to compare CS2 with CS:GO Main Menus, as we receive a T or CT player model with an adjustable background. However, having a renewed CS2 Inferno looks much better compared to a simplified map background in CS:GO, showing interface changes from the first seconds. Another notable change is the move of the main control panel from the left side to the top, while the list of active friends remained on the right side.

New Buy Menu

A much more notable visualization change came with the Buying Menu, which is a single tab now that simplifies navigation. All the loadout is divided into 5 categories, three of which are weaponry.

Even a simple look at the screenshots shows all the differences between CS2 and CS:GO in terms of visuality — even the player’s character on the older game version is blurred. There is nothing to say about the same rifle and skin detailing, with the CS2 appearance being much more attractive.

New DemoUI

Another breath of fresh air is the renewed DemoUI tool for watching replays and DEMOs. The one used in CS:GO simply came from CS 1.6, and it was terrible if we call a spade a spade. The renewed one is simple enough, located in the lower part of the screen (just like in media players), and is much more responsible when we click its buttons. Finally!

New Functions

Weapon Loadout

Do you love to play with both Five-Seven and CZ75-Auto or have both M4s simultaneously? Finally, it’s possible without changing inventory settings each time, as players can now choose their weapon set. Of course, Counter-Terrorists cannot buy AK-47 or Galil, but the ability to choose the pistols you want is great. At the same time, you still have to choose only one basic pistol for each side.

However, the presence of Weapon Loadout brings some inconveniences. Thus, only three weapon types with five options for each means 15 guns at maximum. It brings discomfort in choice for rifles, where you should sacrifice one of the sniper guns or even two if you like both M4A1-S and M4A4. An even more difficult choice awaits you in the Mid-Tier, where Machine Guns, SMGs, and Shotguns all have received only five slots.

Weapon Refund

Despite plenty of drawbacks related to the recent Weapon Loadout menu, the ability to sell mistakenly bought equipment, grenades, or weapons is fantastic. Of course, you cannot sell a gun that came with you from the previous round (killing AWPer and selling his rifle could be a new economic meta, haha). However, if you have a few attentive teammates at the same time who are ready to drop you a gun without additional asking, it can be an excellent way to save a few thousand dollars spent accidentally.

Weapon Changes

Renewed Design of Weapons and Skins

While skins became a decisive feature in CS:GO and allowed the game to be relevant for over a decade, they became one of the biggest problems simultaneously. Thus, developers needed to redraw thousands of rifle paintings on the weapon and save skins for usage between the games, which slowed down the whole CS2 development.

If we make a CS:GO vs CS2 comparison regarding skins and their look, they become better in a newer version. At first sight, the difference isn’t huge, and it is true, but details matter. Simply look at the color balance and light mirroring, which is much more realistic in the CS2 version. Painting details like claws or scratches from them have much more graphical balance and look organic. The new skins should be even better as they can be developed with an understanding of the new textures and light processing.

Bullet Tracers (AWP)

Bullet tracers now matter when spamming Smoke, while developers decided to highlight AWP with a separate animation. It is probably because the AWP bullet is the most powerful and fast enough to leave a trace in the air, which looks pretty cool.

Spray Patterns

Spray patterns remained the same, and it can be hard to define which of the depicted ones belong to CS2 or CS:GO if you forget about overall map brightness. Still, one should adjust for the spray because of the different rifle sounds and sub-tick rate servers, which can affect spray control and perception.

MR12 Round System

One of the innovations in CS2 became the new round system, which is MR12 (12 per each side). The major idea behind it is to shorten the competitive matches as full Bo3 can be too long, and all the chances we can see it in the competitive Tier-S Counter-Strike.

However, it ruins the economy even if playing matchmaking, adding too much randomness and pistol-round impact on the overall result. We believe it will remain for some time, even with the start of official competitions, but changes to the economy will also occur.

Ranking and Matchmaking System

Having 18 ranks in CS:GO seems enough, but they aren’t working as they should. Everyone who has played CS:GO knows that playing against same-level opponents one day can be a truly competitive action, while other days, it’s a domination or disaster.

Even playing during the Beta Test period, it becomes obvious that opponents with similar Elo points are really of the same level. Maybe it’s because of the lower amount of cheaters and smurfs at the beginning, but we should see how it works at a distance. Still, the start is promising, and it’s great.

Sound

Without diving into the mechanics and coding of the reworked sounding, everyone noted changes in CS2. At first, it seems too loud and uncommon, but you quickly adjust and feel how the audio has become clearer and easier to understand. Applause to Valve: they didn’t ignore this element of the game during remastering.

Summary

What changes are in the new CS2? The answer to this question will change many times even after the official game release, as Valve will react to the community feedback and make improvements. Then, we’ll see a turn of the Professional scene to CS2 in early 2024, bringing another wave of changes. However, the game is finally around the corner, and we can talk about all the things we’ve received, but the journey is only at the beginning, so let’s have fun together.

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