After weeks of leaks, teases and speculation, Valve has finally announced Counter-Strike 2. 

It’s a complicated proposition. Counter-Strike 2 appears to be not a new game. All evidence points towards it being an engine upgrade for Counter-Strike Global Offensive, that will bring the 2012 shooter up to the modern day. It’s not the first game to get an upgrade to Valve’s Source 2 engine, Dota 2 had the same upgrade back in 2015. This will be a free upgrade for players that already own Counter-Strike Global Offensive

Announcing the change, Valve said that Counter-Strike 2 will actually comprise of an “overhaul to every system, every piece of content and every part of the C-S experience.” with an accompanying video that shows changes to the way smoke grenades will work moving forwards.

Today we’re excited to announce Counter-Strike 2. Counter-Strike 2 is an overhaul to every system, every piece of content, and every part of the C-S experience. First, let’s talk about smoke grenades: pic.twitter.com/iTtguRHJ0S

— CS:GO (@CounterStrike) March 22, 2023

In the video, it’s revealed that smoke grenades are now dynamic, providing volumetric 3D objects rather than the previous smoke effect. This 3D smoke will react with the environment and can be blown away by grenades and gunfire, but also it will grow to fill spaces and should look better as it can be impacted by light and other in-game effects. Most importantly, because it’s an object in the game world and not an effect everyone will see the same smoke, which should deal with an enduring complaint from Counter-Strike players.

Counter-Strike Global Offensive has remained popular since it was launched in 2012, but recent titles like Valorant have caught the attention of the community as players look for what’s next and what’s new. If Counter-Strike 2 really does overhaul every mechanic and piece of content in the game then it could see a whole new era for the competitive FPS.

Previous reports have suggested that Counter-Strike 2 is already finished and that a beta could be coming later in March. There’s no information on a beta here, but it seems more information will be shared from Valve before that happens.

Elsewhere in gaming, today the art collective MSCHF has lifted the lid on its forthcoming dating sim Tax Heaven 3000, which promises to do your taxes while you play.