Counter-Strike 2 News

This CS:GO fan map changes Dust II from desert into an abandoned "green oasis"

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans know Dust II well. Succeeding the original Dust map, it's one of the FPS game's most popular battlegrounds - and it's an iconic one, too, with its distinctive Middle Eastern town-style streets and aesthetic. Now, though, you can play the same map with a whole other vibe, as a modder's transformed its desert setting into a "green oasis".

CS:GO modder BARS's new 'Dust II 2055' overhaul mod is the latest in their '2055' series, which gives existing maps an "abandoned style" by imagining a future state in which weather events have changed, people have left the sites behind, and nature has started reclaiming the buildings and streets. "Dust 2 has turned from a desert into a green oasis," the modder says in the reimagined Dust II 2055's description. "Acid rain and changing weather conditions have completely changed the map" - and it has indeed been totally transformed.

Dust II's previously sun-baked streets have become overrun with moss and grass, there are trees with trails of vines hanging from their branches scattered about, and the whole ecosystem's far from sunny. Even the underground and covered areas have fallen to nature, with huge tree roots breaking through the walls and gates.

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Revenge of the Squidlike: You can now play Squid Game in CS:GO too

Squid Game is a Netflix-produced Korean drama that has achieved absolutely ludicrous success since its release in September 2021. In it, desperate contestants compete in deadly variations of children's games for a chance at a cash prize. It has spawned quite a few knock offs in the videogame world, as well as one in the real world. Writing about Squid Game games previously, I foolishly predicted that we wouldn't see many more of them, and also remarked on how they reminded me of the Source engine mods I loved when I was a teenager...
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Here are the Dreams and Nightmares weapon skins coming to CS:GO

This summer, Valve launched a huge CS:GO art contest asking fans to create weapon skins inspired by the theme of 'Dreams and Nightmares', with the winning ten entries set to earn their makers a slice of a whopping $1 million prize pool and the addition of their creations to the live FPS game. Now, those winning weapon skins have been unveiled - and it turns out there were far more than ten worthy entries.

"The CS:GO team reviewed over 15,000 entries from artists from all parts of the globe, and decided that ten winning submissions wouldn't be enough," Valve posts on the contest's site. "So, an additional seven were selected (17 total) for a grand total prize pool of $1.7 million." Phwoar. 24 different artists produced the winning creations and, impressively, 14 of these were first-time contributors to the game's Steam Workshop.

The studio says it's getting in touch with the winning artists to work with them on shipping the dazzling new skins to the game - but we can get a good look at what's coming right now.

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Dreams & Nightmares Contest Winners

Back in July we announced the Dreams & Nightmares Workshop Contest, a $1 mil art event offering the ten winning entries $100,000 each for their dream or nightmare themed weapon finish for CS:GO.

By the time the deadline for submissions hit in October, we had received over 15,000 entries.

The CS:GO team reviewed the amazing work from artists and teams from all parts of the globe, and decided that ten winners wouldn’t be enough. So, an additional seven winners were selected (17 winners total) for a grand total prize pool of $1.7 million.

[h3]Winners[/h3]
Nextgenz TheDanidem Niran Sebasteter & Kuch Sparkwire & Druida Druida Maloo supremat oKeyush Madara & Blazer Anbu & kasim.tattoo hook & KvaHu Jerry & zlo Des Guardian Gear Catmagen & b3d Sorarox

The winning submissions were produced by 24 different artists, of which 14 were first-time contributors to the workshop. We’re currently contacting the winners, and will work with them over the coming weeks as we prepare their items to get shipped in the game.

We want to thank everyone who took the time to contribute their work. We hope to see more from you in the future.

Counter-Strike gets stickers for... Battlefield 2042?

Valve has released a bunch of stickers for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that, rather bizarrely, are themed around Battlefield 2042 iconography. Stickers in CS:GO come in capsules which you have to buy a capsule key to open: after which you'll get one of twelve Battlefield 2042 stickers of varying rarity. The dinosaur one is quite cool to be fair, though of course it's one of the rarest!..
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