As news of Valve’s upcomingCounter-Strike 2continues to break,Counter-Strike: Global Offensivehas reached an unprecedented number of concurrent players over 10 years after the game’s release. Today’s record number ofCSGOplayers has launched Valve’s free-to-play shooter into the number two position previously occupied by Amazon Games' free-to-play MMORPGLost Ark, which attracted a massive player count during its February 2022 release.
Counter-Strikehas long been one of the premier competitive shooters in the industry, beginning as a humbleHalf-Lifemodthat would grow into a global eSports phenomenon. Counter-Strike: Global Offensivehas been the series' current iteration for over a decade, but despite its age, the game has remarkably grown in popularity over the years. The explosion in popularity of streaming platforms like Twitch has brought competitive gaming to massive audiences, while the game’s free-to-play model and lax system requirements make it easily accessible to any gamer willing to accept the challenge.
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Due to a combination of those factors along with recentnews ofCounter-Strike 2,CSGOsmashed its previous record of concurrent players on Steam which was around 1,350,000 in February. Today’s peak player count forCSGOwas a staggering 1,507,212 concurrent players, though the number has already fallen to nearly half that many later in the day. This record placedCSGOin the number two position of all-time concurrent players, just ahead ofLost Ark’s 1,324,761 record but behindPUBG’s colossal 3,236,000 record. However,CSGOhas absolutely crushed both of those games' current player counts, withLost Arkpeaking at just 94,860 while a still-impressive 454,795 players were logged intoPUBGon Steam.
Counter-Strike 2will be a free replacement for the aging classic, and a number ofCounter-Strike 2’s featureshave already come to light. Unsurprisingly,Counter-Strike 2will feature massively enhanced visuals and lighting, though this could be a hindrance to those outside of its inevitably raised system requirements. As a direct upgrade, longtime players can thankfully retain all their unlocked cosmetics and progress rather than having to abandon years of valuable loot. Although on the surface it may just seem like a cosmetic improvement, the new volumetric smoke clouds from smoke grenades will make them a more effective tactical play. Grenades and gunfire can help dissipate the smoke, which gives players an opportunity to counter it.
Of course, there are plenty of other improvements such as upgraded maps along with a critical upgrade to server tick rates that should make the game more responsive than ever. A few lucky players are already experiencing these features duringCounter Strike 2’s Limited Test, but everyone else will have to wait until summer for the big release.
