Battle of CS2 vs CS:GO: Developer Chronicles

Since the release of CS 2, nearly nine months have passed. In that time, developers have added the Workshop, "Arms Race", hand swapping, several balance changes, and a rework of Vertigo. No operations, no new anti-cheat, and certainly no new modes. Yet, the game needs to attract new audiences or at least retain its existing player base. Eleven years ago, when CS:GO was released, developers faced the challenge of enticing players from 1.6 and Source. But how frequent were the updates back then?

The game launched on August 21, and by October 1, the first major patch was released. It introduced matchmaking – a mode that elevated CS to a whole new level. Alongside it, two maps were added, one of which was Vertigo. That same month, another major update was rolled out, introducing competitive rankings and reworking GOTV – an essential part of the game for spectating matches. So, what’s the difference between CS2 and CS:GO. 

Key Updates in CS:GO's First Nine Months:

• January: Added Deathmatch and reworked weapon balance and spray patterns. Developers also thanked several pro teams for their feedback.

• February 7: Introduced the Workshop and the ability to create custom game modes, leading to a plethora of new maps for various play styles. The update also added the map Assault.

• March 21: Released the Militia map and reworked the "Hostage Rescue" mode.

• April 25: Launched the first operation, Payback, adding seven popular Workshop maps. Players needed to spend 10-50 hours on these new maps to earn medals.

• May 22: Introduced Overwatch – a crucial system for combating cheaters. In CS 2, Overwatch supposedly appeared earlier, but no players have access yet.

• Next Three Months: Two major updates added a new version of Mirage and the Arms Deal update, introducing skins, M4A1-S, and USP-S.

Comparing Updates:

In terms of update quantity, CS:GO had 35 updates in its first nine months, while CS 2 had 68. However, CS:GO's updates often included new features like console commands, server connections, and developer functions, many of which lasted throughout the game's life.

Player Engagement:

At CS:GO's release, the average player count was 15,000, which grew to 18,000 by May 2013 – a modest 20% increase due to competition from CS 1.6, as the old versions remained on Steam. In contrast, CS 2 had an average of 976,000 players in September 2023, dropping to 770,000 in November. After nine months, the average is 958,000 – a mere 2% decline with no alternative for players.

Content Addition:

CS:GO saw 11 new maps and two new modes within nine months, while CS 2 added just one map and one mode from CS:GO. 

Both games introduced Overwatch and the Workshop during this period. It seems CS 2 has received even less attention than CS:GO did 12 years ago, despite promises that Source 2 would facilitate easier content integration.