The first official major event for Counter-Strike 2 will take place in Copenhagen. After hundreds of teams from all around the world fought, there are now just 24 teams left, and they will compete against one another in Copenhagen, the Danish capital.

Fans are understandably very excited to witness the first major of Counter-Strike 2. And to make the event more memorable, Valve will, like always, release stickers, souvenirs, and PickEm challenges.

More Related: Counter-Strike 2’s New Telemetry Settings will Give you All the Benefits from CS:GO’s Net_graph 1

PGL Copenhagen Major Stickers Preview

The CS2 Copenhagen 2024 major will feature teams and player signatures in paper, holo, and gold sticker formats. Like before, this tournament will not release any major stickers.

Here are the sticker formats without backgrounds:

PGL Copenhagen Souvenir package and PickEm Tokens

You can buy the viewer pass + 3 souvenir tokens to earn 3 souvenir packages during the Copenhagen major. Playing with an active viewer pass can grant you extra souvenir tokens, which you can use to get more souvenir packages.

Unlike previous majors, you don’t need an active viewer pass to play the PickEm challenge. Anyone with the Prime status can play PickEm. However, to get the rewards and upgrades in each stage, you need an active viewer pass.

More Related: Counter-Strike 2 Premier Rank Distribution [Updated Rating]

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Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev is considered the GOAT Counter-Strike. He has been playing for NAVI since 2016. With this team, he had some notable performances in CS:GO and even won PGL Major Stockholm in 2021.

s1mple played his last tournament in IEM Katowice 2023. Since then, he has been on a break from professional Counter-Strike. Now, after so many months of being inactive, s1mple has signed a deal with Saudi Arabian professional esports organization Team Falcons. This might finally make the 26-year-old Ukrainian player debut in Counter-Strike 2.

Read More: Counter-Strike 2’s New Telemetry Settings will Give you All the Benefits from CS:GO’s Net_graph 1

s1mple Returns to Competitive CS

Team Falcons, a Saudi Arabian professional esports organization, has announced their loan deal of s1mple from NaVi. As of now, the loan deal is for one month. In his new team, s1mple will be replacing Mohammad “BOROS” Malhas, who has just been benched after Team Falcons failed to qualify for the PGL Copenhagen Major.

With this deal signed, Team Falcons will now be ready to compete in BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown. This will finally mark s1mple’s return to CS2. However, this doesn’t remove the possibility of s1mple coming back to NAVI after the loan period. As of now, neither the organization nor the player has said anything about this. Whatever the outcome might be, s1mple fans will surely be delighted to have their favorite superstar coming back to CS2.

Read More: How to Remove Bullet Tracers in Counter-Strike 2

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Valve was silent for a suspicious amount of time after their last update. Counter-Strike 2 had been released in a sort of testing phase, as major updates only seemed to be fixing gameplay issues instead of adding features. So, when Valve finally dropped their first biggest update, there was reason to celebrate. The ability to customize your weapons freely with stickers in Counter-Strike 2 is something we didn’t know we needed.

However, as with everything these days, there seems to be some issue regarding this, especially if you are an AMD GPU user. While Valve is finally adding new features and old forgotten modes, it is still disappointing to see such errors in-game.

Read More: Counter-Strike 2 Releases its First Weapon Case Named “Kilowatt” Since Release

Moving Stickers in Counter-Strike 2

The latest update, “A Call to Arms,” introduced a completely new customization feature. Stickers have been in the game since skins themselves came out back in the Arms Deal update. The latest feature allows a player to apply anywhere they please on the weapon. Previously, there were only 4 or 5 set places to apply the sticker. Now, there is complete freedom, with all weapons having 5 slots.

However, a significant portion of the community is unable to access this feature. Comments on Reddit have pointed out that AMD GPUs are still unable to access this. To solve this, you will need to launch the game with the Vulcum API.

How to move stickers while applying on AMD GPU
byu/apepenkov inGlobalOffensive

How to Run Counter-Strike 2 with Vulcun

• Go to your Steam library and right-click on CS2 to access properties.

• In the General Tab, under launch options, add “-vulcun”

Read More: Why is Counter-Strike 2’s New Operation Taking so Long to Release?

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Counter-Strike 2 is the latest addition to the Counter-Strike franchise. It has been more than 10 months since Valve announced CS2 and 4 months since it got released. The game came with the long-awaited Source 2 engine upgrade alongside many exciting features.

As it was a brand-new game, the community expected Valve to push cintinous new content just after the release. However, the game had many bigger issues to solve, which Valve thought they needed to fix first before releasing new content. So, for more than 4 months, the community saw no major update apart from gameplay improvements.

Fortunately, Valve has finally awakened and announced its first major update since its release. On February 6, 2024, Valve released the release note for the latest patch. This patch includes the Arms Race game mode, sticker placement update, gameplay improvements, and, most importantly, the brand-new Kilowatt case.

Read More: Arsenal Star Gabriel Jesus VAC Banned in Counter-Strike 2?

CS2 Kilowatt Weapon Case

Kilowatt case is Counter-Strike 2’s first-ever weapon case. Although the majority of the community was expecting an Operation, for now, it looks like we’ll have to make do with the case instead. The reportedly leaked Kukri knife also finally made its entry into the game with this case. Here are all the 17 community-designed weapon finishes and the all-new Kukri knife released with the Kilowatt weapon case officially revealed by Valve:

Kukri Knife

Inheritance

Chrome Cannon

Jawbreaker

Olympus

Black Lotus

Analog Input

Just Smile

Hybrid

Etch Lord

Block-18

Irezumi

Motorized

Slag

Dezastre

Dark Sigil

Light Box

Hideout

Read More: Why is Counter-Strike 2’s New Operation Taking so Long to Release?

Although many players are still upset with Counter-Strike 2’s shaky release, it looks like Valve is trying its best to give players something to retain its player base for now. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait 4 more months again to get more and better CS2 content.

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Counter-Strike has a long-standing issue with cheaters ruining the game. With the addition of Valve Anti-Cheat or VAC into Steam games back in 2002, it aimed to tackle the ongoing cheating issues. Since then, the game has evolved, become a leading Esports, and also garnered the attention of superstars like Sergio Agüero, Neymar JR, and even the current Arsenal number 9, Gabriel Jesus. So it’s surprising to see that Gabriel Jesus has reported getting VAC banned.

The Brazillian national joins a star-studded list of athletes who are venturing into gaming and esports. Gaming has been an escape for most people for a while now. Even if you are a professional footballer, gaming gives everyone a safe space.

Read More: CS:GO vs CS2 – What We Left Behind

Did Gabriel Jesus get VAC Banned?

u/Mahoganychicken on r/gunners posted that he got queued up with Gabriel Jesus in a FaceIT pick-up game. The results are just as you’d expect. The striker likes to queue up with friends during the off-season or during holiday breaks, as any other guy would.

However, on 22 January, Jesus posted on Twitter that he had received a VAC ban and reached out to the Counter-Strike Twitter account for support.

The notion that Gabriel Jesus could be VAC Banned is a wild one even for the CS community. On closer inspection, the ban is a game ban, not a VAC ban. However, even this is odd considering game bans are given via Overwatch, the community cheat detection system. So far, in CS2, Overwatch is not accessible. Therefore, the ban is an automated ban from Valve.

Is the Game Ban Permanent?

The ban system is automated, and according to Steam Support, a game ban is not removable, and the reason is also not disclosed to the user. There are many criteria for a game ban, ranging from botting and cheating to manipulation of the matchmaking system or game servers. It is hard to assume Gabby would even consider such infringements, considering he only plays casually and his inventory is quite loaded. Nevertheless, we all know that Valve works in mysterious ways.

Read More: Why is Counter-Strike 2’s New Operation Taking so Long to Release?

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The release of Counter-Strike 2 was hyped but it resulted in being very underwhelming. The switch to a new engine gave players a lot of hope that new content would be pushed frequently. However, after almost 4 months, there is less content than there was in CS:GO.

The lack of updates has the community worried. The major content drops in Counter-Strike are given through Operations. The last operation was Operation Riptide, back in September 2021. So, for almost 3 years now, there has been no news of new content. More importantly, there is no CS2 Operation to be heard till now. So, where is it?

Read More: Best Counter-Strike 2 HUD Settings to Use in 2024

The Issues With a CS2 Operation, Updates, and Content

Valve has worked on the Source 2 port for almost 3 years. The release of CS2 was a result of lots of labor and love from the developers. After a long period of beta testing, CS2 was released as a free upgrade to CS:GO. However, there were a lot of issues from the start. From net code issues to the infamous Micheal Jackson peek, there were a lot of issues with the state of the game. As a result, the developers had to focus on fixing the game.

However, it’s been months and the game is mostly in a playable state now. The updates, however, have slowly died down. What was once almost daily updates started to die down. Even the latest update to the game had a singular patch note, fixing a geometry error in Vertigo.

Will There Be A Major CS2 Update Soon?

While Valve works in mysterious ways, some on-lookers try to spot any changes in the game engine and what is being updated on SteamDB. After the latest vertigo patch, there was a new CS branch added to the engine, spotted on Steam DB.

This doesn’t necessarily prove that there is an update coming, but the signs are pointing towards something big. The Counter-Strike 2 Major is almost here, and people are speculating that a new update as well as a map pool change is on the horizon. However, these are all just speculation. Valve has been particularly quiet with their updates, making only the necessary changes to keep the game running smoothly.

Read More: All Useful Console Commands for Counter-Strike 2

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The long-awaited move to source 2 for Global Offensive created a lot of hype. Counter-Strike was already one of the most popular FPS franchises in the industry. People expected a new era with updates and innovation, but instead, we got a game with more missing features in Counter-Strike 2.

With a heavier focus on the game’s competitive side, the casual player base fears that they are being left behind. The current game state is more focused on making the perfect Esport, rather than onboarding newer players. Valve has implied that these features will be returning once the base game has been ironed out.

Read More: Is Counter-Strike 2 Esports Ready Yet?

The Missing Features in Counter-Strike 2

It’s surprising that a sequel to a game as huge as CS:GO will ship with fewer available gameplay features. Some of these can be considered as Valve changing the landscape, while others are just perplexing. The entire player base is affected as missing links from CS:GO range from the very casual base to the competitive elite.

Danger Zone

This is the most surprising exclusion of them all. An entire game mode with its own dedicated fanbase is seemingly gone. Danger Zone was Valve’s answer to the Battle Royale hype. It was a unique experience and deviated heavily from the usual CS experience.

 A fast-paced battle royale game mode built on CS:GO’s tactical gameplay where players use their wits, skill, and resources to fight to the finish. Play solo, or work together as a squad of two or three!”

Factions

An underrated part of the game is the flavor surrounding the maps and environment. Each map in CS:GO had its own relevant faction, tying the little lore the game had into something palpable. From the Balkan Faction on Train to the very iconic Elite Crew, opposing SEAL Team 6, GSG-9, and many other factions going head to head. Something the community feels will not be returning to the game anytime soon.

Flying Scoutsman & Arms Race

More commonly known as “scoutzknivez”, this was a popular casual game mode for players. You only get a scout, a Zeus, and a vertically open map with extremely low gravity and high accuracy. Arms Race was Counter-Strike’s gun game. Spawn with a particular weapon and get frags to move yourself up the tiers. You win by getting a kill with the golden knife. A variant of the even more forgotten Demolition mode.

The initial gameplay trailers of CS2 showed baggage which is an arms race map. So, it is confusing why the game shipped without the playable game modes.

Left Hand and bob

These two commands only affected the player’s POV. These weren’t exactly gameplay-altering and only served to customize the experience for the individual. So, Valve removing them was unexpected.

Will the Missing Features in Counter-Strike 2 Return?

Valve isn’t known to be the type of company to communicate directly. However, it is impossible to think Counter-Strike will thrive in its current state. There are a lot more features we have left out that are still missing in the game. However, it also cannot be denied that the game had some glaring issues, namely the net code and anti-cheat, that required immediate attention from Valve.

You also have to remember that Valve is actively trying to make the game more accessible to new players. The removal of launch commands from Steam indicates that they are keen to remove the gameplay features locked behind console commands. So, features like cl_bob might not return at all.

Read More: Best Counter-Strike 2 Crosshair Settings & Codes

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SkyEsports is one of the largest Esports tournament organizers in South Asia, recognized for staging significant competitions spanning numerous game titles. After the immense success of their last tournament, “SkyEsports Masters 2023,” which was the first Indian first-ever franchised Esports league, they geared up for 2024 with a full-fledged Counter-Strike 2 roadmap consisting of six tournaments with a total prize pool of 1 Million USD, which is close to 8.5 Crore Indian Rupees.

Three of these tournaments will be held locally, with the best of the best competing in India to promote and inspire the country’s aspiring gamers. The remaining three events will take place in Colombo, Bangkok, Thailand, and Abu Dhabi. All of the competitions will be LAN events with both Indian and International Teams taking the spotlight. The events begin in March 2024 and continue throughout the year.

Read More: Best Famas Skins in Counter-Strike 2: All Skins Ranked from Worst to Best

CS2 Roadmap by SkyEsports

SkyEsports has announced the whole list of competitions and their information, which are detailed below.

This initiative by SkyEsports will spark the growth and development of Counter-Strike in not only India but also Asia as a whole, as the region is behind the NA and EU scene. SkyEsports intends to position itself as the dominant esports tournament organizer using this roadmap. The Skyesports Masters, India’s first franchised esports league with 8 teams, was held earlier this year at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, India.

Get ready for an exciting year ahead with heavyweights like AMD backing the series and Loco, the premier Indian streaming platform covering the series. It’s shaping up to be a great year for Counter-Strike 2 in India!

Read More: Best Counter-Strike 2 Crosshair Settings & Codes

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Released at the end of summer 2023, Counter-Strike 2 wasn’t as well received as most people would’ve hoped. Now, more than a month has passed, and there is a lot of skepticism about whether the game was fully prepared to be released or not.

Valve gave themselves a deadline with the reveal trailers, and maybe they felt pressured to follow through with their promise. Nevertheless, the game was released in a barebones state, with constant updates that are constantly polishing it. However, there are still concerns about whether the game is Esports-ready right now or not.

Read More: Counter-Strike 2 New Rating Changes

Valve’s Early Release of Counter-Strike 2

Work started on Counter-Strike 2 back in 2020. The biggest reason to upgrade was the port from Source to Source 2, Valve’s preferred game engine going forward. Developers can easily update the game if it is moved to a new engine, and with that, the successor to Global Offensive started its development.

Developers for Counter-Strike 2 gave an exclusive interview on PCGamer about the state of the release and the future of the game. The reasoning behind the release can be well understood from their statements in the interview.

For sure, there are some features that would have been included in CS2 at launch if we had a longer beta. But over time, it’s not clear what the priorities should be when you have an ever-shrinking and self-selecting subset of the community participating. And without everyone playing the same game, we couldn’t make much progress on the most critical systems like networking, performance, and core gameplay. “

CS Dev Team via PCGamer

This hints towards the game not being fully ready to launch with all the features of Global Offensive. However, the game needed massive public feedback in order to iron out any errors and issues. This can be one of the reasons why the release felt very basic.

Is Counter-Strike 2 Esports Ready?

The primary game modes that the game released were the premier mode, the competitive game mode, and the casual. Mostly, the game favored the competitive side more than the casual player base. The game is being polished every week with constant updates. Despite that, players have reported issues with hit registration and animations that hamper the game experience.

The CS2 Developers are aware of such instances, and they have also stated in the interview that these are not.

They show a different bug (an animation-hitbox mismatch when looking down), but the important thing is that those clips helped us isolate the specific bug and ship the fix to customers quickly. Bugs like that are unfortunate but detailed community feedback is incredibly helpful.”

CS Dev Team via PCGamer

Counter-Strike 2 Esports

For Esports, we only have to take a look at the most recent large-scale LAN event. IEM Sydney 2023 gave us the first taste of what Esports will look like in this version of the game. While viewer-wise, it is difficult to gauge what happens on the server, some of the players have given their piece about the game. Ropz has posted in a comment that “there is barely a difference LAN vs Online.”

While professional players have expressed concerns about the state of the game, it has not even been two months since the full release. So, there is ample time for the developers to fix any potential issues. The landscape is only going to get better as the first Major in Copenhagen draws near.

Read More: How Long Does a Counter-Strike 2 Match Last?

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IEM Sydney returns after a 4-year break and has the honor of crowning the first Tier-1 champion in Counter-Strike 2. The event started with 16 teams in a group stage format, with 6 teams moving into the playoffs.

Both FaZe Clan and Complexity had to fight their way through the lower brackets of the group stages. The Playoffs saw both of them dominating their opponents, with the FaZe clan dealing the first 13-0 in a Tier-1 event to ENCE in the Quarter Final. The Grand Final was set to be a massive slugfest between two in-form teams.

Read More: Viewer’s Guide to IEM Sydney 2023 Finals: CS2’s First LAN Tournament

FaZe Wins Sydney after a Grueling Affair

The North American outfit got off to a dreamy start on the first map, Overpass. Complexity’s map pick was challenged to the very end by the European Superteam. In a heroic performance from JT and NA’s own rock, Elige saw Complexity slightly edge out FaZe on their defense, where they got 8 rounds to win 13-11.

Map 2 was Nuke, and the first half was closely contested. However, once the sides swapped, FaZe was under a lot of pressure, and it felt like Complexity could take it home in two. A force-buy round with a scout and some pistols pulled a round back for FaZe. Complexity’s fate was sealed after a failed upper rush shifted the momentum to the defense, and FaZe closed it in 10.

The final map took us to Ancient. The map showed its previous CT bias as FaZe went up 9-3. NA’s last hope seemed lost once they also lost the pistol afterward. From 10-3 down, Elige took matters into his own hands, with Hallzerk securing an ace on A site with the rifle. This propelled the team to a 6-round streak to bring it back to a 1-round game.

Complexity took clutch after clutch and finally pushed it into overtime. The first overtime was as close as the final stretch of regulation. It took a flawless CT side from FaZe on the second overtime that finally broke Complexity’s resolve. FaZe finally closed it out 19–16.

With the end of the first Counter-Strike 2 event down under, the competition seems tighter than ever at the top as teams keep improving on the changing landscape of the game.

Read More: Best USP-S Skins in Counter-Strike 2: All Skins Ranked from Worst to Best

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