Highlights

  • Valve is ending official support for CS:GO beginning in January 2024, though the game will still remain accessible.
  • CS:GO and its successor, CS2, have coexisted harmoniously, but a significant shift is imminent.
  • CS2's limitations and lack of support for older hardware pose inconveniences, potentially leading to a decline in the community server population.

As the newly revamped Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scales to unprecedented heights, a looming shift threatens to dampen the spirits of some dedicated players. Currently, both CS:GO and its successor, CS2, operate seamlessly, but this harmonious coexistence is on the cusp of a significant and imminent change.

Released over a decade ago, CS:GO has maintained an unrivaled position as the most popular shooter in competitive gaming. However, over the years, fans have grown increasingly frustrated with certain persistent issues, chief among them being the absence of 128 tick servers, which significantly detract from the gameplay experience. The launch of CS2 brought a complete overhaul, featuring enhanced graphics, refined mechanics and, crucially, the introduction of a superior tick architecture which resolved several of the issues that had long plagued the 64 tick servers. Despite that, it has also faced its share of criticism from the community. As a result, a notable portion of players continue to revisit the original CS:GO, highlighting a persistent affinity for the classic version of the game.

Counter-Strike 2
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On Counter Strike's official Steam Support page, Valve has outlined the future of CS:GO, announcing that official support for the game will cease starting in January. While CS:GO will remain accessible, the company cautions that some features, particularly those linked to the Game Coordinator like player inventories, may not function properly. This implies that, although players had the ability to move their in-game inventories from CS:GO to CS2, the reverse will likely not be an option going forward. Beyond these details, Valve has not extensively elaborated on the full scope of potential impacts resulting from these changes.

CSGO ends official support in January

The limitations of CS2, notably its lack of support for older hardware such as DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems, pose a significant inconvenience for many players. This aspect gains particular relevance considering that, despite the absence of official matchmaking, a number of players have continued to favor CS:GO for its community servers. These servers are integral to the game's ecosystem, offering a wide array of experiences from regular scrims to unique retake servers and various other game modes, all of which contribute to the rich and diverse gameplay that CS:GO enthusiasts cherish.

"After January 1, 2024 the game will still be available, but certain functionality that relies on compatibility with the Game Coordinator (e.g., access to inventory) may degrade and/or fail." - Valve

The anticipated absence of inventory support in CS:GO might gradually steer players away, potentially leading to a decline in the community server population as well. This doesn't necessarily spell the end of the game entirely, as players can still engage in gameplay without official matchmaking, akin to the experience in Counter-Strike Source. Nevertheless, this shift symbolizes the close of an era, marking a significant turning point in the legacy of a game that has defined a generation of competitive first-person shooters.