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Counter-Strike fans have been waiting for the Source 2 update for more than 7 years since its reveal, and it has been nothing but a mirage in a blazing desert. However, with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s 10th anniversary right around the corner, rumors and more reliable info have surfaced that the long-awaited update is finally coming.
But is it really on its way? In this article, we have gathered all the information you need to know about the release of the much-anticipated update. You may have heard about this long-expected “Source 2” game engine, or maybe not?
Let us first dive into what exactly Source 2 is.
What is Source 2?
Almost all game developers use game engines to design your favorite games. Unreal Engine and Unity are some of the most famous ones, and many developers build their very own exclusive engines for their games. Similarly, Source is Valve’s very own 3D game engine that is the foundation for many famous games such as Dota 2, CS:GO, Portal, and Half-Life 2. Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2 were the very first games to be based on this engine when it officially debuted back in 2004.
Since then, the engine has had many improvements and opened up to more developers. Source’s physics and visuals still stand up to this day, and CS:GO, and Portal are the best examples.
On the other hand, Valve has already revealed the successor to the Source engine, Source 2. Source 2 was officially announced to the public in 2015, and the first game to show off its capabilities was Dota 2. Alongside its reveal, Valve also announced that Dota 2 would be ported to the latest engine in an update called Dota 2 Reborn, and it officially replaced the old client with the new one in September 2015.
Furthermore, Valve also stated that they will be testing Source 2 on their own games before releasing the engine and its software development kit to the public. Since then, only a handful of games based on Source 2 have seen the light, including Dota 2, Dota Underlords, Half-Life: Alyx, and a few tech demos.
Source 2 and CS: GO
Counter-Strike is one of the most influential games of the current and previous generations, and the simple first-person shooter series from Valve defined the entirety of the FPS genre. It is also partly responsible for the blow-up of eSports worldwide. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the latest title in the series, has one of the biggest viewerships in the ever-expanding eSports universe. The gameplay and the competitiveness it brings are still relevant even though it is almost ten years old.
Even though it is almost a decade old, it hasn’t gotten any significant updates or a sequel yet. Looking at how Dota 2, Valve’s other flagship title, was ported to Source 2 and had a fresh reboot, the same is expected to happen to CS:GO. Most fans are expecting that much-needed Source 2 update to hit the game sooner than later.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was only a couple of years old when the new engine came out. However, it being a flagship game of Valve, fans were expecting it to be ported as well, just like Dota 2. But unfortunately, there hasn’t been any official information about a port since Source 2’s release. Fans have been anticipating an official announcement of a CS:GO port but haven’t got a confirmation up to this date. They step into each year hoping for this announcement, and it has been nothing but disappointments until this year, 2022.
Recent rumors and reveals suggest that the Source 2 update might finally happen this year. If these new rumors happen to be true, CS fans might be getting a surprise before the holidays.
When is Source 2 coming to Counter-Strike?
Earlier this year, some data miners revealed that they had discovered several mentions of CS:GO in the code for Valve’s more advanced game engine, Source 2. While this was unreliable as any rumor can be, more rumors and speculations recently surfaced, finally giving fans some hope. The famous CS:GO YouTuber and streamer ‘TheWarOwl‘ went viral recently as he was caught accidentally confirming the game’s port to Source 2 and revealing a possible release date.
In the viral video clip, he said, “I’m honestly waiting for the Source update in August,” and quickly realized that he had just said something he shouldn’t have. A possible August release has been in talks among fans for quite some time now, and it really makes sense as CS:GO’s 10th anniversary is coming up in the same month this year. Fans might finally get to see a fresh CS game after ten years of CS:GO. All the new speculations suggest that the update will finally happen this coming August 2022.
What will change in the Source 2 update?
Now the question remains, what will change when the update finally hits CS? Will it be a brand new title or a fresh reboot of CS:GO? While a brand new title called “Counter-Strike: Source 2” makes sense as there has already been a CS game titled Source, all the info suggests that it is going to be a reboot of the highly successful CS:GO title.
Just like the Dota 2 port, a CS:GO port would make much more sense as the game has nothing more to improve except for outdated visuals and some bugs. The port would not only fix the existing bugs by utilizing the new physics engine of Source 2; the game would look much more pleasing with improved graphics, allowing players to utilize their current-gen high-end PC hardware. This could also mean that there will be a beta-testing phase, and players could get adjusted to the update without any compromises.
Are you excited for the Source 2 update as well?