When Does Counter-Strike 2 Release

Valve has been very quiet about the official release date of Counter-Strike 2 since March when CS2 Limited Test was first launched. Since then, players have been able to play a beta version of CS2, and we even got a confirmation that the next Major – PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 – will be played on Counter-Strike 2, yet still, Valve has not confirmed when the game will officially launch.

When CS2 was first revealed, Valve confirmed that the game would officially release in the summer 2023, but that was a fairly broad timeframe of three months. However, we’re already a couple of weeks into September, and CS2 has not launched, which suggests that it could go live any day, considering Summer ends on September 23.

Since Valve has still not said much about Counter-Strike 2, some started to speculate whether the summer release date is meant for the southern hemisphere, in which case the game would launch between December and February. Knowing that Valve has its headquarters in Seattle, a launch by September 23 seems more likely.

While we wait for Valve to give CS2 a green light, the players can test out the game in the open beta, available for anyone who owns Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and has a matchmaking rank. The CS2 beta is still experiencing some minor issues, which are regularly getting updated, with Valve also releasing smaller updates based on the players’ feedback.

So, while Valve is hard at work to get Counter-Strike 2 ready for the official release, the actual release date still remains a mystery. Still, if Valve keeps its promise and launches the game in the summer, then we’re, in the worst-case scenario, just 11 days away from playing the official version of CS:GO’s successor.

With the release of Counter-Strike 2, the CS:GO scene will transition fully to CS2 and leave CS:GO behind. Even though there are still several Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments scheduled for September and later in the year, the tournament organisers have already confirmed CS2 events, including Roobet Cup 2023 (October 25- November 2) and later Thunderpick World Championship 2023 ( October 27 – November 3).