Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) fans have been scouring every Steam update for more information since it was said that Counter-Strike 2 might release this month. Now that looks to have paid off, as the dev team appears to be testing the Source 2 version of Counter-Strike, which usually signals a release is just days away.
Online investigators have been poring over each server update and line of code, even in updates for other games like the unimpressive most recent Dota 2 patch, to see what they can learn about Counter-Strike 2, and yesterday they struck gold.
It appears that references to Source 2 have been added in an update to the pre-release developer branch of CS: GO, basically the version of Counter-Strike where they test any new content or features. This suggests the team is preparing to release the Source 2 update very soon.
Aquaris shared a tweet about Counter Strike 2: “SOURCE 2 HAS BEEN ADDED TO DEVELOPER PRE-RELEASE BRANCH!”
SOURCE 2 HAS BEEN ADDED TO DEVELOPER PRE-RELEASE BRANCH!https://t.co/Fv33DwsGvP pic.twitter.com/6mLteY2FoU
— Aquarius (@aquaismissing) March 14, 2023
Given the size of this change, it would not be surprising if it took longer to ensure that everything functions as intended. Usually, updates at this test branch are added to the live game within a day or two.
Although there is no assurance, it is a promising sign that Counter-Strike 2 will be released within the coming week. Updates to CS:GO typically appears towards the end of the week, but as with anything involving Valve, past performance is not always a reliable predictor of future behavior.
Other investigators have found some maps that, at the very least, appear to have been updated for the new engine, which could turn out to be the new map pool in CS2.
They include current favorites such as Inferno and Overpass, returning maps such as Cobble, and others such as Italy, Short Dust, and Lake. These may be the updated CS2 maps, and the current active duty maps not mentioned will be ported over in their current state, which would still make for an unusual competitive map pool.
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We still don’t have any definitive information on CS2, so there is a chance this may all be an elaborate scam, but with all the leaks and reports at this point, it looks pretty nailed on that it is accurate and slated to launch very soon.
Counter-Strike 2 needs to make a lot of improvements, but right now, anticipation is at an all-time high, and this might be the perfect storm for Valve that propels Counter-Strike to a new level of popularity.