Due to unreal demand, Valve boosts Counter-Strike 2 server capacity in first patch

Counter-Strike 2 was released to the public just yesterday, but Valve has already dropped the sequel’s first minor patch. 

Counter-Strike 2 may have unseated its predecessor as Steam’s most popular game, but that high demand has also led to servers hitting full capacity - sad news for anyone looking to jump into the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive update. Not to worry, though, since Valve’s first update should let more players in. The patch notes read: “Disabled CSTV and demo recording temporarily to increase server availability so more people can play.” We sadly won’t be able to record sweet no-scopes quite so easily, but at least more people can join the fun.

The patch also takes aim at some smaller issues, as Valve has replaced missing music and squashed a bug where the sort-of-sequel’s fancy smoke effects wouldn’t render on AMD GPUs running on Linux. Other minor changes fixed bugs on the Mirage and Overpass maps, adjusted the grenade throw animation, and generally smoothed out some rough edges.

Counter-Strike 2 is still missing many of CS:GO’s quality-of-life features, however, including the left-hand mode and Mac support. Many of the predecessor’s beloved maps and modes are absent, too. Valve hasn’t specified when (or if) we can expect these features to return, but Counter-Strike 2 will surely be updated for years to come - fingers crossed.

Counter-Strike 2 has been playable to a select few via limited playtests for months now, but the Source 2 revamp dropped out of nowhere after some nebulous teases. This time around, the shooter added the option to refund items bought by mistake, and the new water tech on display is seriously impressive.

Before launch, Valve joined 6,000-hour CS:GO vets in emotional goodbyes as Counter-Strike 2 prepares for launch.