Valve finally put the rumors to rest and announced Counter-Strike 2, a replacement to the critically acclaimed tactical FPS shooter CS:GO that refuses to die. Thanks to the Counter-Strike 2 hype, even more people are playing CS:GO now. You can learn everything about Counter Strike 2 here, including release date details & new features. Here, we go over how to play CS2 beta and tips on how to increase your chances of getting a CS2 Beta invite. With that said, here are steps on how to get into the Counter-Strike 2 beta:
How to Play Counter-Strike 2 Beta (September 2023)
Wondering how to get Counter Strike 2 (CS2) beta access? Well, Valve says that anyone can get an invitation to the Counter-Strike 2 beta test as long as the player meets a few requirements. We discuss those in the next section, where we tell you how to increase your chance of getting into the Counter-Strike 2 limited test. For now, here is how you can check if you’ve been invited to the Counter-Strike 2 Beta:
1. First, open Steam. Download and install Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Free) if you haven’t. While CS:GO will be replaced by Counter-Strike 2 later, it will still be available for now. Players can get invites to CS2 only through the existing game. I am assuming that you already have Steam, but if you don’t, you can download it using the link here.
2. Proceed to launch Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (make sure it is updated). I’m assuming you are already a Steam user and have played CS:GO before. If you haven’t, it’s probably going to be a long time until you can get access to CS2 Beta. This is because currently, Valve is offering it to players with a good trust factor already established in CS:GO. Your recent playtime on official Valve servers matters too.
3. Once you are inside Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, check you have the ‘Prime Status‘ upgrade. If not, you will need to buy it from here to be eligible for the CS2 beta.
4. Next, ensure that your competitive matchmaking rank is unlocked. If not, go ahead and play a competitive game of CS:GO to get your rank! You will need to play enough competitive games in a compatible region where CS2 beta is active.
5. Soon, if you are selected, you will get a notification for the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Access beta. We got the game in early September, after following some pointers we have mentioned below. As mentioned before, any player can get access to the Counter-Strike 2 limited test. It’s not just professionals & influencers who have been streaming the game. The invite looks like this:
4. Once you enroll in the Counter-Strike 2 limited test, Steam will start downloading CS2 on your computer. Once installed, you will get the option to choose between CS:GO or CS2 when you click “Play” in Steam. Make sure you select Counter Strike 2 here, and then you will enter the game.
How to Increase Your Chances to Play Counter Strike 2
Well, if you didn’t get access to the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test, fret not, as Valve has confirmed that they will be adding more players to the testing very soon. They have not mentioned anything about requiring a Prime status, so even if you don’t have it, you could get access to CS2 Beta. Here is what Valve has to say about how players get selected for the CS2 Beta:
That said, we do have some tips to help increase your chances of getting into the beta. You can do the following:
- Play more Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on official Valve servers. Play as much as you can in competitive matchmaking or casual modes. This will increase your playtime and is one of the major factors (but not the only one) that affects whether you get access to CS2. Avoid playing on community servers, as they don’t count as playtime on the Valve official servers. Try to play every day, and maintain your matchmaking rank. Do check the main menu often for the CS2 beta test invite.
- Be a good sport and ask players or friends to commend you. Playing in a non-toxic way, being a good teammate, and helping others will definitely increase your trust factor.
- Ensure your Steam account is in good standing by not having any VAC bans. And if you do have one, they might avoid you as a potential CS2 beta tester.
To be honest with you, I have been playing Counter-Strike for 10+ years (and also have CS 1.6 on my Steam account). In CS:GO, I have over 2,000 hours, a 5-year service medal, and over 500+ competitive wins. With the release of Counter-Strike 2, I rushed to download the game again and check if I had access. I even played a competitive game and unlocked the Gold Nova Master rank.
It took a long time for me to get the invitation for the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test. To increase my chances, I followed the above pointers, even asking other players to commend me for increasing my account standing, and playing as many CS:GO competitive matches as possible. If you have been a loyal Counter-Strike player for years and did not get into the beta, we feel for you.
But, as stated before, Valve confirmed that they will let more players into the Counter-Strike 2 Beta as we move forward. Once you get your rank, do play more matches because it does count when you play more matches in a compatible CS2 beta test region. I got the CS2 beta invite too, after a few months of playing and maintaining my rank. Check out the below updates to know more about CS2 release date:
[UPDATE | 20th September, 10:30 PM IST] Valve has potentially teased the Counter-Strike 2 release date in a cryptic post on the X platform (formerly Twitter). On September 27th, they could be gearing up to either launch Counter-Strike 2 or open up the CS2 limited test to all players marking the release of the CS2 Open Beta stage.
[UPDATE | 1st September, 6:00 AM PST] Valve is finally letting ‘as many eligible players’ as possible into the CS2 beta limited test! Check out our recent news on this topic to know more. Many people on X.com (formerly Twitter) have reportedly received invites.
[UPDATE | 12th June, 9:00 AM PST]: An update by Valve mentioned that they are letting in new players into the CS2 Limited Test. You can check out the release notes here, which include the below change for the CS2 Beta as highlighted. So, go and check your CS:GO main menu to see if they accepted you into the CS2 Limited Test this time!
Beware of Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test Scams
It’s very important to note that there are NO official keys for Counter-Strike 2. You can only get access to the game via the prompt on CS:GO’s main menu screen. There are tons of videos and websites going around trying to lure people into surrendering their Steam account or paying them to buy keys to get into the limited beta test of Counter-Strike 2. You must be careful and avoid these scams at all costs. You should be extremely wary as people have been impersonating Valve to fool others. Here is Valve’s official stance on the scam situation:
Frequently Asked Questions
Valve has announced that they will add more players to the CS2 Beta gradually. They have asked players to keep checking their main menu for a potential invitation.
Yes, Counter-Strike 2 will be a free-to-play game. It will be just like many other Valve games such as Dota 2, CS:GO, and Team Fortress 2.
Yes, Valve has confirmed that the user’s prime status of CS:GO will transfer over to Counter-Strike 2.
Yes, Counter-Strike 2 will be replacing CS:GO when it launches this summer in 2023. Developers will port over existing game items and gun skins to the new game.
Valve has no official plans or information regarding the release of Counter-Strike 2 on PS5. However, CS:GO does exist on consoles.
Yes, Counter-Strike 2 is on the Source 2 engine and it is one of the major updates to the game.
Yes, you can play CS:GO separately from Counter-Strike 2 presently. But at some point, the new game will replace the old one.
Yes, players can stream & record their gameplay of Counter-Strike 2. You can publish it on social media and streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter.
