We had a solid 11 years with the trusty Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to play at our leisure, all for them to cull it completely in replace of the newly launched Counter-Strike 2. Yes, we know launches are inevitable in the eyes of online gaming, but that doesn’t mean the predecessor gets removed the moment it launches. Sadly, in this instance, it did. CS2 was launched on the 27th of September 2023, after having a Beta testing prior, which came with a plethora of faults and bugs.

Though most of these faults are still in play, the game does have huge differences from the CS:GO version, therefore it is a no-brainer why this beloved game has amassed a huge 1 million concurrent players at any one time. CS:GO was one of the biggest games of our generation and had esports organizations play it across the world, whether you’re a pro or just like to play casual, we’re sure you’ve sat down at the PC and had a dabble on the all-new version.

Now that CS:GO has been squashed and moved to the abyss, we must move on to the technologically advanced newer version, and dive into the core differences it may have. Though there are good points to this game, which we’ll move onto shortly, we can’t get our heads around the growing list of bugs. So far it is been reported that people are having glitched hitboxes, false banning issues, and some wild peak issues… i.e. the Michael Jackson lean, that is seeing players sneak up on their competitors. We know that updates are being completed  by Valve every day, and it will take some fine-tuning to make it perfect, which is why we’ve got high hopes for this game being as big as CS:GO. So, what are the core differences?

1) The world of betting

This new era of CS2 has evolved into the world of Counter Strike betting as we know it. Make sure to strategize on every game before you place your bets, learn all the new tips, tricks and ways of the game, and get ready to win big in the new era of Counter Strike. But how will betting on this version differ from the old CS:GO?

With new models of technology comes new tournaments, new players and a new kind of game, so you’ll be in with a chance of winning like you never have before. 2024 will see all Counter-strike 2 betting with Bitcoin opportunities double, as the game will have a new found era of gamers around the world. People will want to take a look at the evolution of counterstrike, and you can profit from this due to the remake of this historical game. eSports betting will grow tenfold due to the advancement in CS2, as younger players who saw gamers shoot to fame via CS:GO, will want to follow them and make a mark in the world of online gaming.

2) All-new smoke grenades

One of the new features that Valve has incorporated into CS2 is the fancy smoke grenades. Unlike in CS:GO where they stay in a stagnant space and you as the opposition can see around them, the new grenade fills the entire space with smoke. With this, it means that the physics in the background has created your bullets so that you can create a shot hole throughout it. This is all thanks to the velocity of the weapon and bullet, which is amplified by the high-definition visuals that you get from this new version. The shots through the smoke also create new visuals for the player, so you can shoot away to gain visibility.

This new adaptation of smoke grenades won’t just affect single players but will be great for tournaments everywhere, as teammates can work together to stay hidden, whilst throwing grenades to impair others’ vision. A brilliant move for any esports game, now CS will be bigger than ever before. And that’s not it! The smoke doesn’t just fill your space either, it now expands to fill spaces on the map, so that all players in the game observe and experience the same effect. On CS:GO the player could create one-way smokes, allowing some people to see, however, this has been changed for the new version.

3) New buy menu

The largest change to the CS2 game is by far the new fancy smoke grenades, but the buy menu is by far the most universally enjoyed change. CS:GO only had six primary weapon categories in the menu, those were SMGs, Rifles, Grenades, Gear, and Heavy, and you had to select either M4 or M4A1-S for each match, instead of whilst in the game. Now, however. You can now set your buy menu up so that you can choose from your full selection throughout the game.

The previous navigation method was a struggle, especially for any newbies, and with the numerical shortcuts, mistakes were often made, and issues happened. Now the menu is designed in a much more streamlined way so that it has a flat design, and you can view everything in an orderly fashion. Along with this, you can buy as soon as you open the menu, which means it’s easier whilst being a single player. Having two M4s available during your game is crucial for anyone playing solo, as you never know where you’ll position yourself next.

Customize your menu before all your first games and ensure that your new weapons are available and ready.

4) Map Differences

One thing that you should know with any gaming update, is the change of maps is a crucial element to the advance in technology. Just like Fortnite, Warzone, and other battle royale games, you should always do an offline tour of the map before getting yourself involved in the CS2 Premier matchmaking. Most of the improvements are only minor, like lighting differences, but the iconic new Inferno map is a completely new world. Make sure to either play in offline mode or a couple of casual single-player games to try out these new environments, otherwise you could risk damaging the ever-important CS Rating – which you never had to worry about with CS:GO.

There are a lot of new changes, but ultimately those elements we know, and love are still there. With the constant bug fixes and evolutions, we can see this game becoming one of the greats, just like the original.