Counter-Strike 2 was released to a very critical community of CS:GO players that were skeptical of the “sequel” of sorts. While there are many visual and gameplay-related improvements, there have also been a lot of critical responses from both players that are nostalgic for CS:GO and those that are concerned with bugs and mechanics.
But perhaps nobody has been more outspoken than Counter-Strike pros. Now that the game is officially out, how do pros feel about the full game outside of the beta?
What Do Counter-Strike Pros Think Of CS2?
G2 – Neutral
Nikola “Niko” Kovac noted that Counter-Strike 2’s queue time has significantly improved although other pros have noted that it was 40 minutes-plus to get into a match. He said the game may not be in a perfect spot but it’s ready enough for pro play.
FaZe Clan – Positive (Maybe)
Helvijs “Broky” Saukants was quick to say that CS2 was better than CS:GO. Will he miss CS:GO?
“No, it’s a s—y game,” Broky said with a straight face.
ENCE – Very Negative
Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer didn’t even have any expectations for the rest of 2023, feeling that Counter-Strike 2 tournaments are “random” and will have “upsets” due to teams still practicing on the new game.
“It’s obviously not very optimized. For a lot of casual gamers, it’s hard to play the game. The movement is obviously terrible,” Snappi said at IEM Sydney. “In general, unless you have the best PC in the world, the mouse feeling is pretty bad. I need to go out and invest in a new PC and mine is only two years old. That’s a pretty big thing that not everyone can go out and do.”
Snappi was also frustrated with the game’s economy. He felt it was more complicated than changing prices of some weapons. For example, he voiced that Valve should decrease the amount you get for planting a bomb but increase the amount you get for diffusing to incentivize retakes.
“You can be brutal and keep the money bonus at 1400,” Snappi continued. “But one of the big issues CS2 has right now is that the money bonus is 800 when you plant, meaning T’s will get AKs if they get the bomb down and lose the pistol round. Then if they win that, the money bonus goes to 1400.
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“My idea is to put it to 1900 all the time or don’t decrease the money bonus from 1900 before a team strings together two rounds because the big issue right now is that if CT win the pistol then the T win the second round after the bomb plant and then the CT goes to 1400 you will go down 4-1. And you wouldn’t have a proper buy because you would maybe force. Then you would have 1900 then into 4300 and you still wouldn’t have a proper buy until it would be 6-1.”
He concluded: “The economy in this state is too brutal and too much emphasis on this second round.”
Snappi also noted that the amount of rounds also make the outcome more “random” and allow underdog teams to have a chance they wouldn’t have if the game was more balanced.
When a reporter asked him if IEM Sydney would give Valve a good “sample size” to see what changes need to be made, Snappi laughed and said there should be enough “common sense” to already know what needs to be fixed.
Cloud9 – Neutral
Dmitriy “Sh1ro” Sokolov echoed the concerns of his entire team by stating CS2 has potential but it may not be ready just yet. Abay “Hobbit” Khassenov agreed it’s not ready but felt the aim is easier, making it better for new Counter-Strike players to catch up.
“It’s difficult for me to see the smoke,” Hobbit said, adding that it’s “overpowered” to the point where Valve needs to do something. “Molotovs are too big. After some small fixes it should be fine.”
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Vitality – Neutral
Emil “Magisk” Reif felt that competitions would be “random” and have “upsets” at first since CS2 is a new game with a new meta. A lot of teams didn’t have a lot of time to play the new game since they were practicing for CS:GO events. The “fundamentals” will translate into Counter-Strike 2, however.
“There’s difference in the way that grenades work and interact, but that’s a minor update. In time, you’ll see that the top teams will still be the top teams. But you’ll see some upsets and some top teams struggling [early on],” Magisk predicted.
Vitality has been scrimming CS2 and feel it’s still very similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in many ways.
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NAVI – Neutral
Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen and Justinas “JL” Lekavicius felt that Counter-Strike 2 has made it tougher to hold angles. Aleksib said there’s a “slight peeker’s advantage” but you can still be outplayed if you know where a player is. It seems that if you practice the game and come to know it inside and out — like the pros did with CS:GO — you will be able to get the hang of the changes and remain on top.
The sound, however, has been a bit of a problem for teams right now.
Said Aleksib: “I’ve tried plenty of settings and I don’t think there’s a right one. But if you hear a slight sound, that’s the hardest. If someone is running, you can pinpoint constant noise. But if there’s a jumping or people landing, you can hear it from so far away… On Nuke, the sounds are really bad. You can get paranoid because you can’t pinpoint exactly where small noises are coming form.”
The sound traveling so far has made it harder for teams to rotate. But JL felt that you can still use insight and strategy to outplay teams despite the sound. The way the smoke works is also a bit offputting at first.
For now, pros are still getting used to Counter-Strike 2 and will have to grind a bit more before they have a true feel for the game and how they feel about it compared to CS:GO, a game they’ve been playing for over a decade.
At Abios, we recognise that in Counter-Strike 2 some of these issues might already be fixed at the time of writing and that others might be tended to as the game develops. While it is a released title, Counter-Strike 2 is still under development and we’re excited to see how it will evolve in the upcoming months.
If you want to know how Counter-Strike 2 impacts esports betting, Abios’ Trading Supervisor, Pavel Malinouski, outlines the changes in an article with Esportsinsider. Make sure to check it out!
