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CS2 vs CSGO – what does the update change?
It's not just the engine that's changing, so what differences does CS2 bring compared to CS:GO?
Updated: Sep 28, 2023 7:57 am
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What has been the top contender for players in Steam’s ranks and a big title in Esports categories, Counter Strike Global Offensive has got a major overhaul. Bringing the game back to modern standards with an engine change, we see what that means for you, as we compare CS2 vs CSGO and most of the changes you can find with the new name.
CSGO was released over 10 years ago, in August in 2024. Since that time it grew and grew ever bigger and better, changing how it works and looks. But limited to its engine and function, we now are getting an overhaul and massive update. As CS2’s release brings a lot of changes with it, we look at what is it and what might you find different in the new game.
Name and engine
Obviously, the major update is the name of the game. Counter-Strike 2 isn’t just a new game, it is in fact a major update to CSGO. No longer will you have Global Offensive but rather just the 2, just like DOTA moved from Source 1 to 2 for its engine and so did its name. Now that’s what Valve is doing to CS. Moving to Source 2, it’s changing the fundamentals of how it works, from physics to looks.
That brings a whole lot of new performance issues to the table. As CSGO requirements were always known for being low down and rather simple, the new game is changing that. The CS2 system requirements are a bit more modern with the game no longer on DX 9, it brings it to a more modern standard and looks. Now requires a GPU with at least 1GB of VRAM and support for DX11.
A whole new lighting arrangement is rather exciting, but don’t worry, your 1080 Ti will still be able to run it, unlike other games that may require a couple of years old hardware. It still might require the choice of graphics settings to get the best performance out of it, as no longer will you be able to run hundreds of FPS no matter what, but the inclusion of FSR should offer a boost as to what you get.
With the engine update, some maps are getting complete makeovers too, with Inferno the big talk of the town in particular. Taking its time, it can change the meta of the game completely and you might have to adjust your gameplay and even the professionals will do too.
Loadouts and grenades
Another major gameplay change is how the loadout works. No longer are you limited to the radial wheel of guns, but a June patch introduced your choice of loadout. Now like in Valorant you can pick out of a menu what equipment to buy. This means you don’t have to pick between M4s but can have both equipped instead, even take out the scout and AWP if you’re not a sniping fan.
It also allows you to refund weapons, if you bought but the team decided to eco, you no longer have to be the odd one out and can send it all back. That also works for all the grenades and equipment. In particular, the grenades have had an overhaul too.
The biggest change is in the smokes, now being volumetric and filling the space rather than just a static sphere, it changes the gameplay a lot. Especially with their interaction with bullets and grenades, you can clear them away to do some cheeky plays.
Fires have gotten a lot cleaner, no longer are they a secondary smoke that you need to adjust your graphics settings to see behind them clearly without any adjustments, making it all the cleaner, even if the fire itself is harder to see. Flashes have also become a lot more powerful with a complete mute to your sound if they fully flash you. Giving you a lot more power to work with.
Matchmaking, ranks, and tick rate
When it comes to competitive, that’s where there are some more changes. CSGO matchmaking is used to run 64-tick servers, which means it checks for updates 64 times a second. But that was not enough for those really into the game, and the pros and competitive players all preferred 128-tick found at tournaments or Faceit, leaving the MM experience behind. Now CS2 is introducing a sub-tick that’s meant to improve the responsiveness and feel of the game by checking it without the intervals.
Competitive and matchmaking also get an overhaul. The game moves to an MR12 game instead of 15, which means it’s out of 12 rounds instead of 15, shortening the games overall, sitting in between the short and long matches CSGO offered.
The ranks are also going away, no longer will you have silvers and golds, just a number to go by. Sure the color might change but it’s a lot less hidden now as to how games affect your ELO without being hidden.
What the pros think
Plenty of CSGO pros have talked about their thoughts on if CS2 is ready for competitive. In the ESL video Norb3r7 from VP outright states it’s not ready. With fixing a lot of things with movement, delay on grenades, and server problems.
While others talk about the spray feeling off, or the movement feeling heavy. But that might be just the fact they have not had enough time with the game yet. With officials still on CSGO they haven’t had time or need to move over, but that just might be the state of the game to get used to.
CS2 vs CSGO final words
Overall there are quite a few things that are changing between the two versions of the game. You might need a new GPU or CPU for CS2 with even laptops requiring an upgrade. The overhaul brings a new engine and feel to the game with many changes. The meta will have to change and will give a fresh start to everyone even in the pro scene. It will be an exciting time as the game finally becomes more modern.
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