Counter-Strike 2 replaced CS:GO on 27 September 2023. This page covers what plays differently, the changes since then that break old habits, and how the map pool moved. Valve release notes through Nov 2026.
These arrived with Counter-Strike 2 and have been there ever since.
Smokes are 3D clouds that fill rooms and spill through doorways. An HE grenade blows a hole you can see through for a few seconds, and gunfire punches smaller gaps. In CS:GO bullets went through a smoke but you never saw through it. Expect many old lineups to land differently. Smoke Grenade history
The server records the moment you shoot or move, instead of rounding it to the next tick. The 64 against 128 tick question from CS:GO no longer applies.
Competitive and Premier play 12-round halves, first to 13, instead of 15-round halves and first to 16. Each round weighs more on the economy.
Premier is the main ranked mode, with a visible CS Rating, leaderboards and seasons. Teams ban maps before each match. Competitive keeps a separate rank for each map.
Before a match you choose what fills your buy menu: a starting pistol plus four more pistols, five mid-tier weapons and five rifles for each side. Anything bought this round and not yet used can be refunded.
The game moved to the Source 2 engine, with new lighting, and the maps were rebuilt or updated. Danger Zone did not carry over.
Since CS:GO, Overpass and Vertigo have left the Active Duty pool, and Cache and Dust II have come in. Maps that moved are marked. If you left before September 2023, the maps page shows the pool for your month.
Smaller updates since launch, but each one changes something you would do without thinking.
Reloading a magazine-fed gun discards the rounds left in it and takes a full magazine from your reserve, which is now counted in magazines for most guns. Reloading after every spray, a CS:GO habit, now costs you ammo.
Hold the reload key for a slower reload that makes no sound. Since 28 October you can set it to toggle instead of hold.
Crosshair settings moved to a new Crosshair/Scopes tab, crosshairs no longer change with screen resolution, and the default is now a dynamic style that shows how accurate your next shot is. The share code format changed too, so check your crosshair before your first match.
Jumping and landing no longer cost stamina, and the slowdown on landing depends only on how long you were in the air. Bunnyhopping works within a short timing window around landing.
C4 damage on official maps follows values worked out for each map, and the blast spreads outward from the bomb instead of landing everywhere at once. A spot that was safe in CS:GO may not be now.
Competitive and Retakes have built-in map guides for the first five rounds of each half, with starter guides for every Active Duty map. A grenade line-up reticle arrived in April 2024, and since September 2026 you can hold a grenade during freeze time to line up an early smoke.
