Counter-Strike 2 News

While I still sit here waiting for Danger Zone to return (please Valve), Counter-Strike 2 just got a big Beta upgrade with a new animation system.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/04/counter-strike-2-gets-a-beta-with-a-fancy-new-animation-system/

[p]The following changes are available in the animgraph_2_beta build. To opt into the beta build, follow the instructions here: https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/5A86-0DF4-C59E-8C4A[/p][p][/p][p]To report bugs or provide feedback about the beta build, please email csgoteamfeedback@valvesoftware.com with the subject "AG2 Beta".[/p][p][/p][p]\[ ANIMGRAPH 2 ][/p][p]The CS2 animation system has been updated to Animgraph 2, which reduces CPU and networking costs associated with animation.[/p]

• [p]All third-person animations have been re-authored, and in several cases adjusted in response to player feedback.[/p]
• [p]Smoothed in-air crouching transitions in first and third-person.[/p]
• [p]In support of Animgraph 2, the logic adjusting player height on sloped surfaces has been refactored.[/p]
  • [p]Player height on ramps is now consistent and no longer depends on approach direction.[/p]
  • [p]As a result of this change, grenade lineups on sloped surfaces may have changed.[/p]

[p][/p][p]\[ ENGINE ][/p]

• [p]Updated engine code to the latest version of Source 2.[/p]

[p][/p][p]\[ CS SCRIPT ][/p]

• [p]Added function GetRoundRemainingTime.[/p]

[p][/p][p]\[ GAMEPLAY ] [/p]

• [p]Player occlusion now uses a GPU query to prevent players clipping through thin walls when none of their bounding volume is visible.[/p]

[p][/p][p]\[ SOUND ][/p]

• [p]Mix adjustments to help accentuate jump landing sounds during combat.[/p]
• [p]New c4 equip sound.[/p]
• [p]Minor adjustments to ambient sound levels.[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing ambient sounds on team selection and end of match screens.[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing sounds in the main menu UI[/p]
• [p]Mix tweaks while taking damage[/p]
• [p]Fixed bug where DeathCam music cue was causing volume ducking for too long. [/p]
• [p]Vertical occlusion is now more gradual at the edges of transition points in Nuke and Vertigo.[/p]
• [p]Various map audio adjustments in Baggage, Shoots, Ancient, Nuke, and Vertigo.[/p]

[p][/p][p]\[ KNOWN ISSUES ][/p]

• [p]In some rare cases, when you turn your head there will be a slight unintended camera shift.[/p]
• [p]The Karambit crouch animation has a strange wrist rotation.[/p]
• [p]Certain combinations of graphics settings result in many things rendering as solid black.[/p]
• [p]Some materials are missing their normal tint.[/p]
• [p]The Default T shirt is missing its pattern.[/p]
• [p]Overpass has broken shadows at Fountain, Playground and Long.[/p]
• [p]Rapid hand switching just shows up as a blinking weapon.[/p]
• [p]The third-person Shadow Daggers deploy animation is misbehaving.[/p]
• [p]Third-person idle animations stop during first-person weapon inspects.[/p]
• [p]The Paracord Knife is missing a deploy animation.[/p]

Today we're shipping a beta build that updates CS2's animation system to Animgraph 2, which reduces the CPU and networking costs associated with animation. Along with the technical work involved in switching to the new system, all third person animations have been re-authored and, in many cases, adjusted in response to player feedback.

It's time for you to take a look, poke around for bugs, and tell us what you think. To opt into the beta build, follow the instructions here and choose the 'animgraph_2_beta' build. Note that you will not be able to connect to Valve servers while you are using the beta build. To report bugs or provide feedback about Animgraph 2, please email [email protected] with the subject "AG2 Beta".

Bang. 29 bullets left. Bang, bang, bang, rattatata. 14 bullets left. I'd better reload, in case someone comes around that corner and I need a full clip on hand to empty into then. NO. THINK ABOUT THE BULLETS YOU'RE USING, Valve yell from their giant Steam-powered tower looming high above the battlefield. I look at my magazine and notice that following the latest Counter-Strike 2 update, it now bears a post-it note saying that if I reload early, the leftover ammo will be lost to the mists of time.

Read more

Possibly one of the most controversial updates for the Counter-Strike series as a whole, the latest Counter-Strike 2 update brings major changes from Valve.

Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/03/counter-strike-2-gets-a-major-update-with-reload-changes-custom-game-modes/