Following rampant rumors and speculation, earlier this week Valve finally revealed Counter-Strike 2, a new version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive built on the Source 2 engine. Counter-Strike 2, which is in the midst of limited testing now, doesn’t really bring any new content to the table – it’s mostly about updating the existing CS:GO experience with improved visuals, “sub-tick” responsiveness, and more. That said, dataminers are already delving into CS2’s code, and it seems Valve has some more plans for the future.
Most of this information comes courtesy of well-known dataminer Gabe Follower, who has found references to several new weapons in Counter-Strike 2’s code. These include a bear trap, a fire grenade activated by a tripwire, and something simply labeled “pipe.” This could be exactly what it sounds like – a new pipe melee weapon — or perhaps it could be a pipe bomb. It’s likely most of these weapons are destined for the Danger Zone battle royale/sandbox mode, as Valve tends to be very careful about adding weapons and potentially upsetting the balance of their core modes.
New fire grenade called “Tripwire” for Danger Zone. Looks like it’ll activate itself after player will step on the wire @CounterStrike pic.twitter.com/D34yl0dLCV
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 23, 2023
New “Bear Trap” weapon for Danger Zone, mentions of it leaked few years ago, but we finally got actual model for it @CounterStrike pic.twitter.com/n7iQztS9SF
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 23, 2023
Mention of a new @CounterStrike weapon called “Pipe” (currently has an empty icon file). It could be a melee weapon for a future Danger Zone update or a new type of grenade, like the pipe bomb from L4D2 🤔
Images below are not official, just visual references. pic.twitter.com/C2TQ2Yybsc
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 23, 2023
In addition to the new weapons, a reference to “mobile” has been found in the game’s files, raising the possibility of a mobile Counter-Strike 2 port. Of course, there is a possibility the “mobile” reference is simply a bit of leftover code from another game, but it’s unlikely. Per our dataminer, similar references can be found in games like Artifact and Dota Underlords that were released on mobile. Source 2 is actually more compatible with mobile platforms than its predecessor, so there’s nothing technical holding Valve back from doing it.
About a year there was a rumor that @CounterStrike developers are considering making versions for other platforms. So CS2 Mobile actually happening? https://t.co/EEodpH8HpG pic.twitter.com/KVvrOve0VK
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 23, 2023
A new anti-cheat measure that will cancel matches if any skullduggery is detected may also be in the works.
Looks like some sort of new anti-cheat measure is in the works for Counter-Strike 2 called “VAC Live”.
If a cheater gets detected during a match, the match will be cancelled! pic.twitter.com/PQY88sBlMl
— Aquarius (@aquaismissing) March 23, 2023
Finally, it seems like a new Operation (Counter-Strike’s name for seasonal-style content) featuring plenty of new weapon skins, cosmetics, and more in on the way.
Huh? @CounterStrike beta just came out and devs already working on a new operation? Cause there’s a lot of stuff related to OP12. Things like 3 new weapon collections: Counter-Strike, Pop Comic, Myth & Monsters. New pins (were teased in official CS2 video). New cosmetic item… pic.twitter.com/FBXrbOthmO
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 24, 2023
Of course, as always with datamining, don’t get too attached to anything that’s been leaked, as plans change and there’s no guarantee any of this will actually be released. That said, it definitely seems like Valve will be ramping up their rollout of new content following the release of Counter-Strike 2.
As mentioned, Counter-Strike 2 is currently in limited testing, with Valve selecting which players are allowed to participate. That said, the game files for CS2 have already leaked, allowing your to play the game offline (playing online with others will still require you to be invited to the beta).
Counter-Strike 2 is set to launch on PC sometime this summer.
