CS2 finally went live all around the world as a free upgrade to CS:GO on Sept. 27 following seven months of closed beta testing. The game is now officially Counter-Strike 2 on Steam and an update is available for download.
The community has been anticipating the CS2 launch for months, but the rumors intensified after Valve teased it for Sept. 27. While a lot of players thought Valve was just pulling another prank, the developer delivered the goods. Now, everyone with a Steam account will be able to download CS2 and start trying out the changes that were implemented during the beta: dynamic smoke grenades, interchangeable loadouts, and all the upgraded maps.
To download CS2, you’ll need to have Steam downloaded on your PC and either log into your account or create a new one. From there, here’s what you need to do:
- If you already have CS:GO downloaded on your computer, Steam will automatically download the CS2 update and upgrade your CS:GO to CS2.
- If you don’t have CS:GO installed, look up CS2 in the search box located on Steam’s Store page and access its page to start the download.
- After CS2 is downloaded, click “play” to launch it.
The best part about CS2 is that anyone with a Steam account is able to play for free. There’s no payment required, and you can simply download the CS2 update and be on your way. You can, however, upgrade your CS2 to Prime and get some extra features, like playing with Prime-only players. This is a step that diminishes the odds of playing against smurfs or cheaters on the official servers.
Whichever route you ultimately decide to take, a new era of Counter-Strike is here.
