The much-anticipated Counter-Strike 2 is right around the corner, and many players are wondering if they will still be able to play the older Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) game after the release of Counter-Strike 2. Will CS:GO be deleted after the CS2 launch? Here are all the details on whether Counter Strike 2 replaces CSGO on release.
The Future of CS:GO After Counter-Strike 2 Launch
We have reasons to believe that Counter-Strike 2 “will be replacing the older game” known as CS:GO. Currently, in the CS2 Beta, the game files are located within the CS:GO installation folder. On top of that, SteamDB lists Counter-Strike 2 with the app ID – 2279720, but it exists within a parent app with the ID 730, which is for CS:GO.
So, during the beta, the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test existed inside of CS:GO. When I got access to the CS2 beta, the Steam app asked me every time whether I wanted to launch Counter-Strike 2 or the older game, confirming the existence of both games in the same folder. Next, Valve has already confirmed some features of Counter-Strike 2 that point towards CS2 replacing CS:GO when the new game launches.
When the CS2 Limited Test was announced, Valve said that you “bring your entire CS:GO inventory with you to Counter-Strike 2.” Further, the developers went on to mention that every CS:GO item a player has collected and has been using over the years will “benefit from Source 2 lighting and materials.”
Moreover, the devs confirmed that the stock weapon models from CS:GO will be upgraded with high-resolution ones. Since I have the CS2 beta, find my inventory page attached below. As you can see here, a lot of my previous inventory items, including the 2015 service medal (issued seven years ago), are in my Counter-Strike 2 inventory.
In addition, Counter-Strike 2 uses many of the same assets from the older game. Yeah, the new game has new and evolved maps. But, there are also maps that simply received Source 2 lighting and graphics upgrades, and the textures still look the same as Global Offensive. Those maps look similar to the older game, just in the Source 2 engine. All of this points towards Counter-Strike 2 replacing CS:GO.
Can You Play CSGO After Counter-Strike 2 Comes Out?
Will there be any way to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) after the launch of CS2? Well, the answer is NO. You can no longer download CS:GO from Steam anymore. After the launch of Counter-Strike 2, this is what the official Counter-Strike lineup looks like when you search for it on the Steam store. In the below image, you can see that CS2 replaces CSGO on the CS lineup. Moreover, the CS:GO store link now redirects to the Counter-Strike 2 listing, thus, confirming that the game has been replaced.
People have used unofficial versions of Dota 2’s Source 1 engine (downloaded at the user’s discretion). Dota 2 also got the Source 2 engine update like Counter Strike 2 just did. And many have used this unofficial Dota 2 (Older, Source 1 version) to replay the older demos of really old ‘The International’ tournaments that were held in the Source 1 era of the game. So, to see GOTV demos in Counter Strike 2 for older tournaments, doing a similar workaround might be possible. Do keep in mind that Valve does not seem to officially distribute CSGO files anymore.
Valve has transitioned into Counter-Strike 2 officially. Older assets (including inventory items) from the older game will be used in the new one. There might be an unofficial version available of CS:GO on the internet. But, you won’t be able to play it online unless Valve or third-party servers exist. And even if you are, we recommend against it due to malware and other security concerns.
Previous Counter-Strike games exist, including Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike: Source, and more. But since Valve had such a massive economy in CS:GO, the best decision was to transition into the new game.
If Valve releases the legacy CS:GO version in a different Steam Store listing, we will update this section. One confirmed way to keep playing CS:GO is to play it on older consoles. Yes, this game did actually come out on the PS3 & Xbox 360. That version hasn’t been updated in a long time. If you own those gaming consoles and have CS:GO installed on them, technically, Valve can’t stop you from playing CSGO. There might be a way to use the original DVD for CS:GO (PC Version) to play the older game too.
With all that said, players will definitely miss the iconic era of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. What are your thoughts on CS2? Do you wish for Valve to give players a way to access CS:GO? Let us know in the comments below.
