The CS2 release date was 27 September 2023. On that day Counter-Strike 2 replaced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Steam. The road there started six months earlier with a surprise announcement and an invite-only test. This guide walks through the verified timeline and explains what each stage meant for players.
What was the CS2 release date?
Counter-Strike 2 fully launched on 27 September 2023. It did not arrive as a separate purchase. Instead, it took over the existing Steam store page and app ID 730 that CS:GO had used. Your inventory carried over, and CS:GO's official servers went offline.
CS2 was the first Counter-Strike game built on Valve's Source 2 engine. That engine change is the main reason Valve treated it as a new game rather than another CS:GO update.
The full timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 22 March 2023 | Valve announces Counter-Strike 2 and starts the Limited Test, with a tentative release window of summer 2023 |
| 22 March to 31 August 2023 | The Limited Test runs for selected CS:GO players |
| 31 August 2023 | The Limited Test opens to all players who owned CS:GO on Steam and were active in competitive matchmaking |
| 27 September 2023 | CS2 releases and replaces CS:GO on Steam |
| 1 January 2024 | Official support for CS:GO ends |
| 2 October 2024 | The Armory launches in CS2 |
The Limited Test
The Limited Test was an early beta. At first, only some CS:GO players got access. It let Valve test new systems with real players before launch. Two of the headline features were sub-tick netcode and volumetric smokes, which react to lighting, bullets and HE grenades. Our guide to volumetric smokes in CS2 explains how they work today.
Opening up in August
On 31 August 2023, the test opened to a much wider group: anyone who owned CS:GO on Steam and had been active in competitive matchmaking. That was the last stage before the full release less than a month later.
What changed at launch?
The move to Source 2 brought new lighting, new rendering and a new toolset for maps, skins and stickers. Valve also sorted maps into three groups. Touchstone maps stayed largely the same with better lighting. Upgrade maps got new Source 2 lighting and materials. Overhaul maps were fully rebuilt. Our article on CS2 map changes covers this in more detail.
Not everything made the jump. War Games and Danger Zone were removed as modes, and many official maps were dropped. CS2 also removed the old in-game achievements. It ended support for macOS, DirectX 9 and 32-bit systems, targeting 64-bit Windows and Linux instead.
For a side-by-side comparison of the two games, see our guide to CS:GO vs CS2 differences.
What happened after launch?
CS2 kept receiving frequent updates. Premier, a competitive mode where teams pick and ban maps and earn a CS Rating, became the headline ranked mode. Our guides to Premier mode and the Premier rating explain how it works.
On 2 October 2024 Valve added the Armory, a pass-based system for earning items through play. We cover it in our CS2 Armory explainer.
CS:GO itself did not vanish entirely. A legacy build stayed available on Steam as a beta branch for community servers, even after official support ended on 1 January 2024.
The platform change hit some players hard. Mac users who played CS:GO natively lost official support, and owners of older PCs found CS2's system requirements higher than before. If you are unsure whether your PC can run it, our guide on how to install CS2 covers the basics.
Why the release date still matters
The launch date is a useful reference point. Guides, settings and commands from before 27 September 2023 were written for CS:GO. Many old console commands were removed or changed in CS2. If you find an older tutorial, check that it applies to CS2 before you follow it. Our CS2 console commands guide is a safer starting point.
Sources and checks
Dates and launch details were checked on 1 November 2026 against Liquipedia and the Counter-Strike Wiki. Armory and CS:GO support dates come from the Counter-Strike Wiki's Armory and Global Offensive pages.
Frequently asked questions
When was CS2 released?
Counter-Strike 2 was released on 27 September 2023, replacing CS:GO on Steam.
When was CS2 announced?
Valve announced it on 22 March 2023 and started the Limited Test the same day for selected CS:GO players.
Is CS:GO still playable?
Official support ended on 1 January 2024, but a legacy CS:GO build is still available as a Steam beta branch for community servers.
