Back in September 2023, the guys from Valve surprised many of us through a free upgrade to Counter-Strike 2 for those who have Counter-Strike: Global Offensive installed on their gaming rigs. The famous American developer and publisher has raised the stakes even more by granting a set of Exciting Gameplay and Graphics tweaks for the good old Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. But as expected, not everybody was delighted by the move.
CS: GO is 12 years old, but even so, it accumulated an impressive number of fans in a relatively short amount of time. That’s because CS: GO is practically CS 1.6 on steroids: more maps, better graphics, a bunch of new weapons, and a few other gameplay tweaks. CS: GO rapidly became a phenomenon by taking advantage of the enormous legacy of the iconic Counter-Strike 1.6 that came out in the year 2000.
With Counter-Strike 2 now being available as a free upgrade for those who already have CS: GO installed, is it really worth grabbing the new game? Let’s try to find out!
CS 2 has better graphics, but there’s a catch
As expected, the guys from Valve improved the graphics of the older CS: GO and released it in the form of CS 2. In other words, CS 2 is more like a modern adaptation of the legendary Counter-Strike universe, as the graphics definitely look better. But that comes at a big price in the case of those who don’t have much storage space on their computers, as you know what they say that you cannot have them all in life: CS 2 requires 85GB of free storage space, while CS: GO can only work with 30GB.
While there’s no denying that CS2 looks better than CS: GO when it comes to graphics, the former also requires more storage space and a more powerful PC configuration overall. This means that upgrading to CS2 is not a wise move if your PC cannot run it smoothly enough. And yes, online games such as Counter-Strike definitely need to be run smoothly if you want to compete with others.
CS: GO is more stable
Don’t be surprised if you run into some nasty bugs and errors when you run CS2 for the first time. The game is not exactly stable, which means that it surely can have the potential of making you pull your hair out, especially if you dive directly into online matches in which you need a very stable game and internet connection. It’s best to play against bots when you run CS2 for the first time, a move that can surely save you a lot of mental health and precious objects that you may have around you and that you could consider breaking.
On the other hand, CS: GO is a more stable game, considering that the guys from Valve had a lot of time to update it during the 12 years the game has since it came out. CS: GO is a legend, and it’s pretty difficult to find any annoying bugs that can ruin your gaming experience.
Conclusion
Switching to CS2 is definitely worth it if you want to benefit from a better-looking and more immersive Counter-Strike game. CS2 also brings some exciting gameplay improvements besides the looks. On the other hand, it’s not worth upgrading to CS2 if your PC is not capable of running demanding graphics at smooth speeds.
Feel free to tell us your own opinion regarding the “CS2 vs. CS:GO” debate! The comment section awaits you!
