As we approach the twilight of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with the impending release of its successor, Counter-Strike 2, the developers at Valve have been more active than ever in adding updates to the CS2 Limited Test Beta. There have been rotations in the map pool, and game features are being put to the test as we approach the release of what is being called – “The CS:GO killer”.
After the first few updates to the game, which included maps like Dust II (de_dust2) and Mirage (de_mirage), on July 18, we got our first look at a completely re-done map in the form of Overpass (de_overpass). Going forward, Valve has rotated maps in and out of game modes. So far, we have received Vertigo (de_vertigo), Anubis (de_anubis), and Ancient (de_ancient) being rotated in between game modes.
The latest update to the CS2 Limited Test Beta came with our first look at a hostage rescue map, an all-time favourite of the players, Italy (cs_italy). Italy replaced Anubis and Ancient in the map pool. This map is also a part of the ‘overhauled’ map pool and has received a lot of love from the community after its release. As a part of the August 15 update, Competitive and Private Matchmaking has been disabled in the Limited Test Beta. Other improvements include sticker sizes on the M4A4, audio mixing, multiple team introduction variants, and updated hostage models.
https://twitter.com/CounterStrike/status/1691589728007770158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
With every release of an update, there are some files that data miners also hunt down to get some “hidden” information about potential updates to the game in the coming days. So far, there have been leaked screenshots of the much-awaited map, Inferno (de_inferno), and more such items. In the most recent update, we got leaks about a potential remake of another fan-favourite map, Cobblestone (de_cbble). An acclaimed leaker in the CS community, Gabe Follower, put out a Tweet from his latest data scraping exercise after the update. Here’s a look at what he posted –
https://twitter.com/gabefollower/status/1691651456590397754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Before Gabe Follower, another CS data miner, Aquarius, had also put out a Tweet pointing out the presence of game files hinting towards a remake of de_cbble. Not only this, the August 15 update has also brought to the surface a change to the maximum number of rounds that would be potentially played in future games of competitive Counter-Strike. If Aquarius’s findings are anything to go by, then as pointed out by them in their Tweet, matches in the Competitive game mode of Counter-Strike will be won by the team that is the first to reach 13 rounds, Short matches in the Competitive game mode could be on their way out, and several tweaks to Premier matchmaking, including overtime.
https://twitter.com/aquaismissing/status/1691661912637907210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test Beta was announced on Mar 22, 2023. After a period of slow updates to the game, which brought along a sense of pessimism in the community, the developers have been way more active in pushing out updates to the game, with the gap between the two updates being around a week. And, with more and more game modes, models, maps, and other crucial gameplay elements seemingly taking their final form, the release looks to be on track. At the time of the announcement, Valve had committed to a deadline of Summer 2023. As of now, it seems that we will be getting the game's final version within the announced time frame. Or who knows, the infamous Vave Time comes into play, and the game might get delayed slightly… Here’s to hoping for the best!
If you have access to the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test Beta, please feel free to reach out to editor@skoar.in, and we would love to know how has your experience been like so far!