Rumor has it that the release of the highly anticipated Counter-Strike 2 is right around the corner. When Valve revealed that CS2 was on the way earlier this year, they gave it a Summer 2023 release timeframe. Well, we’re getting awfully close to Fall, meaning players are anxiously wondering: When exactly is the Counter-Strike 2 release time? As a reminder, CS2 is replacing CS:GO, meaning everyone with CS:GO will update to the new FPS for free.
Latest update about Counter-Strike 2 release: *UPDATE*: A 4:40 p.m. ET the @CounterStrike Twitter tweeted out a minute-long video going over the history of Counter-Strike ending with the screen: Available Now Free to Play. Some players are reporting CS:GO has automatically updated to Counter-Strike 2 in their Steam Library. Others say it has not yet changed over. Either way, it appears Counter-Strike 2 is officially here.
As of 3 p.m. ET, the Counter-Strike 2 Alpha and CS:GO servers are down, which may mean the transition to CS2 is on the way.
When does Counter-Strike 2 release?
Valve has not yet given an official release date or time, however, many are speculating that Counter-Strike 2 will be released on September 27. On September 26, @CounterStrike on Twitter changed its banner to a popular meme from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Specifically, the banner simply says: “Dawn of the Final Day.” Also, once the 27th hit, the Twitter account replied to several tweets saying goodbye to CS:GO including one from the official ESL account.
Another reason players seem to think CS2 will release on September 27 is because several popular content creators have claimed the FPS will drop then. While this alone isn’t any sort of confirmation, it definitely does help build the case for the possibility.
Finally, the CS:GO 360 Stats subscription that keeps track of your statistics in CS:GO abruptly came to an end on September 27. Counter-Strike 2 will be replacing CS:GO so it would make sense for the service to no longer be active once CS2 releases. Perhaps a new subscription to track stats for CS2 will be releasing as well.
Will Valve announce a release date for Counter-Strike 2?
Probably not. Valve has a history of just releasing things when they are ready to do so, whether than announcing or hyping them up. Typically the unexpected release creates more than enough buzz, so it’s smart on their end.
Back in 2018 at the height of the Battle Royale genre Valve released the Danger Zone BR mode on CS:GO without any sort of heads up beforehand.
Valve hasn’t confirmed an exact release date or time for Counter-Strike 2, but several indicators pointing towards September 27. We will update this article as soon as we have confirmation that CS2 has released.
