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Counter-Strike 2 now available

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A screenshot of Counter-Strike 2 showing lighter, brighter environments than CS:GO.
Image credit: Valve

Valve has launched its revamp of Counter-Strike, which it calls Counter-Strike 2.

Based on the company's newer Source 2 graphical engine, Valve says the new release is "the largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike's history".

Valve says CS2 includes improved lighting, textures and mapmaking tools, "overhauled" and "updated" maps, new visual effects, reworked audio, a "tickless" server and a new in-game ranking system.

Valve's Counter-Strike 2 launch trailer.Watch on YouTube

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or CS:GO, has now been fully replaced, after a testing phase where some players were able to try CS2 over the past few months. The update was first announced back in March, for launch this "summer".

Player inventories from CS:GO have been carried over, however. And, of course, CS2 remains free-to-play.

At launch, CS2 will include the following maps: Mirage, Overpass, Vertigo, Ancient, Inferno, Nuke, Anubis, Dust 2, Office and Italy.

As you'd expect, you can now nab Counter-Strike 2 from Steam. Fancy giving it a go?

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