It has already been a month since the highly anticipated release of Counter-Strike 2, the sequel to the popular CSGO, and while Valve has been diligently providing updates, the game seems to be facing some challenges in retaining its player base. Despite the efforts of the development team, the player count for CS2 has seen a significant drop of nearly 20% since its launch. Additionally, if we take into account the reviews from players on Steam, they have been described as ‘mixed’ since the game’s release.
After much anticipation and a limited beta test access, the highly awaited Counter-Strike 2 was officially released on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. As the sequel to one of the best FPS games ever, and a longstanding favorite on Steam’s most played charts, the launch of Counter-Strike 2 promised an exciting future. However, initial reception has been somewhat mixed, despite Valve’s continued efforts to update the game.
Within 24 hours of its launch, on Thursday, September 28, Counter-Strike 2 reached an impressive peak of 1,471,730 concurrent players. While this falls short of the peak of its predecessor, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), which reached 1,818,773 concurrent players on Thursday, April 27, 2023, it is worth noting that Counter-Strike 2 is a more demanding game, making it difficult for players with older PCs to run at its highest settings.
However, one month after its release, Counter-Strike 2’s peak player count in the last week dropped to 1,185,158 on Saturday, October 28. This is a significant decline of 19.47% from its launch, reflecting a decrease of 286,572 concurrent players. In comparison to CSGO’s all-time high in April, the number has decreased by a staggering 34.84%.
While it’s important to keep in mind that the comparison to CSGO’s peak is unfair due to the differences in gameplay and system requirements, the 20% drop from Counter-Strike 2’s launch is still concerning. Despite Valve’s efforts to improve hit detection, performance, and introduce workshop maps, user reviews have continued to reflect this downward trend.
As of now, the 101,000 reviews for Counter-Strike 2 over the last 30 days are ‘mixed,’ with only 64% positive reviews since the game’s release. One top-rated Steam review from the past month describes the game as “disappointing,” citing issues with the anti-cheat system, lack of custom game modes, and subpar hit registration and interpolation.
Fortunately for those who prefer the original game, CSGO is still available on Steam as the “CSGO Legacy Version.” By switching to this version through the betas menu in Counter-Strike 2’s Steam properties, players can continue to enjoy the game until Valve ends its official matchmaking support on Monday, January 1, 2024. After that, players will rely on community servers to continue playing.
As the creators of Steam, Valve is unlikely to let Counter-Strike 2 languish without improvements. They continue to release regular updates, sometimes multiple times per week, and missing game modes may be reintroduced over time. However, if the downward trend in player numbers persists, we may soon witness a significant drop in Counter-Strike concurrent players, falling below 1 million consistently for the first time since July 2022.
If you’re willing to give Counter-Strike 2 another chance, we’ve got you covered with the best CS2 binds, a breakdown of the maps you’ll encounter in competitive and casual play, and even the best CS2 crosshair codes to help you play like a pro.
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