How to join the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test

Everything you need to know about the coming video game release

Video game developer Valve has announced that Counter-Strike 2 will be out this summer. Photo: Valve

Valve has announced that Counter-Strike 2, the successor to the popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, will be out this summer. The game will be free for all current Global Offensive players and will introduce a sweeping set of updates to the competitive first-person shooter in what Valve is calling "the largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike’s history". Here’s everything we know so far:

What is Counter-Strike?

Counter-Strike is a series of competitive first-person shooter games. Since the first game was released in 1999, it has grown into one of the world's most popular esports titles. According to recent Steam Charts data, the average active player base for the past month is more than 815,000.

The stakes are high — at the Blast Premier World Final 2022 held in Abu Dhabi, the winning team G2 walked away with $500,000, out of a prize pool of $1 million.

Players are assigned to one of two teams — Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists — and engage in a series of objective-based engagements, from hostage rescues to bomb defuses. The game features a variety of game modes, such as deathmatches and battle royales, although it is most renowned for its emphasis on tactics and high skill levels.

When is Counter-Strike 2 coming out?

Counter-Strike 2 will be coming out this summer. While Valve has not yet announced a specific date, it has already launched a beta-testing phase of the game, which includes Deathmatch and Unranked Competitive matches on the map, Dust II. The limited test is currently only available on Windows.

How do I join the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test?

At the moment, there is no way to manually opt into the test. Players are being selected based on a variety of undisclosed factors by Valve.

Once gamers are chosen, they will receive a notification at the top of their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive main menu. After receiving an invitation to enrol, they can download and launch the game.

What’s new?

Valve has unveiled a sweeping set of updates, which range from cosmetic to core gameplay details.

The developer released a video showcasing how it has overhauled the smoke grenade system with a new set of physics, which means smoke responds in a more dynamic way to the environment, and to player actions — allowing gamers to strategically clear out smoke using their weapons.

It has also revised the discrete time interval "tick-rate" system. This essentially aims to address how quickly the server refreshes within a certain time period, and how well it tracks gamers' actions, by streamlining this for all gamers.

Previously, players with lower or inconsistent tick rates might lose out on crucial milliseconds, which at a high level in Counter-Strike can be the difference between winning and losing hugely important games.

While classic maps are being given major cosmetic upgrades, some are being completely overhauled. Asides from several other visual updates, the developers have also reworked the audio system, to create a more immersive experience — crucial to players listening out for enemy movements.

Will I keep my customisable skins and upgrades?

Counter-Strike players are notoriously passionate about unlockable upgrades, or skins — which allow them to create customised weapons and items. This obsession has spawned an entire online economy, with one customised AK-47 recently selling for $160,000.

While some were worried their hard work might all be lost during the move to Counter-Strike 2, Valve has confirmed gamers will retain all their custom items.

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