Latest CS2 update adds major rounds change that will have huge impact

CS2 is changing the landscape.

Two players shooting each other on Ancient in Counter-Strike 2.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Valve shipped yet another update to Counter-Strike 2 on Aug. 17, this time adding some significant changes that could have an enormous impact on the game.

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The developers changed the number of rounds per half in competitive play to 12, switching to MR12. This is a major change that could impact the economy and how the game is played.

With three rounds fewer per half, Valve will likely revamp the economy to compensate. A lower number of rounds will almost certainly impact some weapons’ usability. For example, buying an AWP will now come with a much bigger risk and investment.

CS2 is still in its beta, so it’s possible Valve is just testing these changes and seeing how they fare. There’s even a possibility two competitive game modes will launch with the game, one with MR12 and one with the original MR15.

With CS:GO‘s anniversary coming up on Aug. 21, and the latest CS2 update introducing yet more changes, fans expect the game’s release to be right around the corner. If that’s the case, there may be little to no time left to test these round changes.

That said, the game is supposed to be coming this summer, which is slowly but surely coming to an end. Now could be the perfect time to finally launch.

Related: CS:GO players agree Valve needs to fix one ‘fundamentally flawed’ game mode for CS2

Author
Image of Mateusz Miter
Mateusz Miter
Freelance Writer at Dot Esports. Mateusz previously worked for numerous outlets and gaming-adjacent companies, including ESL. League of Legends or CS:GO? He loves them both. In fact, he wonders which game he loves more every day. He wanted to go pro years ago, but somewhere along the way decided journalism was the more sensible option—and he was right.