Before The Sequel: A Look At Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s Popularity

The release of Counter-Strike 2 has been officially announced for this year. The sequel to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is anticipated to debut in the summer of 2023, according to game creator Valve. It goes without saying that Counter-Strike fans all over the globe are eagerly anticipating the upcoming edition. All of the first-person shooter (FPS) titles in this series have a cult following among players, with CS:GO’s original release presently enjoying the highest level of popularity. In reality, CS:GO has a sizable player base and is among the most-played FPS games in history. The fact that the game’s highest concurrent players on Steam were 1.12 million in November 2022 serves as proof of this.

What Makes CS:GO Such a Popular Game?

The Counter-Strike series of first-person shooter video games, which has been around for more than 20 years, includes the 2012 release CS:GO. The first version of Counter-Strike appeared as a Half-Life patch in 1999. The series’ first official game, which was published a year later, immediately became a global phenomenon. The popularity of the game’s first version encouraged Valve to make a new one with better visuals. Counter-Strike: Condition Zero hit the market two years after the debut of the first CS game. Then, another version titled Counter-Strike: Source was released two years later.

Although they were all incredibly successful, what took place in 2012 had a profound impact on the gaming industry. When Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) rapidly rose to prominence as the world’s most popular FSP title. Like all previous versions of the game, CS:GO also has realistic gameplay that requires teamwork from players to complete goals. Its inclusion of a large selection of weapons and combat gear, as well as an enhanced ranking system, sets it apart from its predecessors. The latter is what has elevated CS:GO to the summit of the eSports player list. Hundreds of CS:GO tournaments are held regularly all over the globe, with cash prizes totaling millions of dollars.

Beyond the ranked play side of CS:GO, a large catalyst for the game being successful outside of it’s usual target market was the inclusion of weapon skins and cases. Skins are a customised appearance for all of the classic CS weapons, Valve offered the ability to purchase keys from their webstore to open virtual cases that dropped randomly whilst playing the game. This both encouraged people to play to get cases but also encouraged people to buy keys and try their luck at opening a case. This made the games popularity explode, in the years following websites such as Clash.gg have begun offering the ability to hedge those skins as a bet for the results of professional games. They also offer the ability to trade the exact skin you want for money rather than trying your luck at cases. 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Taking Over the World

Three of the top 20 eSports athletes in the US who earned the most money did so by competing in CS: GO competitions. The most played eSports game is this one, with players from Denmark, Brazil, France, and Poland among the top contenders. It’s somewhat unexpected that CS: GO isn’t the most widely played eSports game in Asia. For instance, Chinese players profit the most from Dota 2 competitions. Japanese players are the best at PUBG, while League of Legends players from South Korea are earning millions of dollars.

Arena of Valor is the top option for professional eSports players in Thailand. But CS:GO is on its path to seizing the throne. Since several Thai teams have started competing (and excelling) in foreign competitions, Thailand has become a regional center for CS:GO eSports.
In the world of eSports, Thai teams like Made, Lucid Dream, and Attack All Around are becoming real-world competitors and frequently playing in tournaments featured at Thai eSport betting sites. The most amazing thing about these CS:GO teams is that they only seem to be getting going now, with 2023 being one of their finest years. Knowing him, it’s only reasonable to presume Thai eSports teams will succeed in the new CS:GO version.

Counter-Strike 2 Set to Make the Everyone Forget The Original

The release of CS:GO 2 is an exciting prospect for players, as it promises to bring back all the features that made the first game so popular, but with added improvements and no bugs. The release of the game is expected to follow a similar pattern to its predecessor, with the PC version being released first and the console edition following a few months later. As the new game will be free of charge, players who already have CS:GO installed won’t have to spend anything to update their copy. With the improved graphics and additional features, it is hoped that Counter-Strike 2 will soon replace CS:GO in the hearts of players worldwide. The seamless transition to the 2023 version, which won’t require a lot of computing capacity, is expected to make the upgrade process an easy one. We can’t wait to see what the new game will bring to the table and are eagerly counting down the days until its release.