At a glance
- Price
- Free
- Released
- Aug 21, 2012
- Developer
- Valve
- Players online now
- 0 (7d peak: 524,062)
- DLC
- 1
Data: Steam · Updated Nov 5, 2026
What is Counter-Strike 2?
Counter-Strike 2 is a free-to-play, team-based tactical first-person shooter and the current generation of the long-running Counter-Strike series. Two teams — attackers and defenders — face off in short rounds built around planting or defusing a bomb, or eliminating the opposing side, with no respawns within a round. The core loop is precise and repetitive by design: each round starts with a buy phase where players spend in-game money earned from previous rounds to purchase weapons, armor, and utility like grenades and smokes, then play out a round where positioning, aim, and teamwork decide the outcome. Matches are typically made up of many rounds, so a single game can run 30-45 minutes, while individual rounds last a couple of minutes each. Counter-Strike 2 rebuilds the game on a newer engine, bringing updated visuals, sub-tick networking for competitive precision, and refined smoke and lighting systems that affect tactics. It's built entirely around online multiplayer — there's no traditional single-player campaign — spanning casual modes, matchmaking with skill-based ranking, and a large ecosystem of community servers and competitive play. It's aimed at players who enjoy skill-based, round-based shooters with a steep learning curve and a strong emphasis on positioning and economy management rather than fast respawn-and-repeat action.
Media
System requirements
Windows
| Minimum |
|---|
| OS: Windows® 10 |
| Processor: 4 hardware CPU threads - Intel® Core™ i5 750 or higher |
| Memory: 8 GB RAM |
| Graphics: Video card must be 1 GB or more and should be a DirectX 11-compatible with support for Shader Model 5.0 |
| DirectX: Version 11 |
| Storage: 85 GB available space |
Linux
| Minimum |
|---|
| OS: Ubuntu 20.04 |
| Processor: 4 hardware CPU threads - Intel® Core™ i5 750 or higher |
| Memory: 8 GB RAM |
| Graphics: AMD GCN+ or NVIDIA Kepler+ with up-to-date Vulkan drivers. Support for VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library highly recommended. |
| Storage: 85 GB available space |
| Sound Card: Highly recommended |
Our coverage
Our review: 8.2/10 — Counter-Strike 2: Still the Benchmark, Still Fighting Its Own Shadow
FAQ
- How much is Counter-Strike 2?
- Counter-Strike 2 is free to play on Steam. It includes in-app purchases.
- Can my PC run Counter-Strike 2?
- Minimum: Processor: 4 hardware CPU threads - Intel® Core™ i5 750 or higher, Memory: 8 GB RAM, Graphics: Video card must be 1 GB or more and should be a DirectX 11-compatible with support for Shader Model 5.0, Storage: 85 GB available space.
- Who made Counter-Strike 2?
- Developed by Valve. Released August 21, 2012.
- Is Counter-Strike 2 single-player?
- No, Counter-Strike 2 is Multiplayer only (no single-player mode listed on Steam).
- Is Counter-Strike 2 still in Early Access?
- No, Counter-Strike 2 is a full release, not in Early Access.
- Is Counter-Strike 2 worth it in 2026?
- Our verdict: 8.2/10. Read our full review
- Which languages?
- Interface: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese - Portugal, Portuguese - Brazil, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Spain, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Greek, Spanish - Latin America, Vietnamese, Indonesian. Full audio: English.
Similar games
Official description
For over two decades, Counter-Strike has offered an elite competitive experience, one shaped by millions of players from across the globe. And now the next chapter in the CS story is about to begin. This is Counter-Strike 2.
Source: Steam store page.
Data: Steam. Updated Nov 5, 2026. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.