CS:GO Was Released On This Day 11 Years Ago

CS:GO has dominated the competitive FPS genre on PC for over a decade. Valve’s iconic IP combines skill-based gunplay with a focus on positioning and tactics to create a recipe for a successful first-person shooter, leading to its current popularity.

While the series has gone through several iterations since its inception, 2012’s CS:GO was arguably the most important release for Counter-Strike. Having been released on August 21, the game has remained an impressive title from Valve for 11 years.

Despite being on the platform for over a decade, CS:GO is still the most-played game on Steam, with an average of over a million players each day.

CS:GO offers the most visually appealing Counter-Strike experience and continues the tradition of gunplay that demands precise aiming and impeccable decision-making to secure victory.

The game’s current popularity highlights that Valve struck the perfect balance between a fun and competitive experience, with the FPS reaching over 1.5 million concurrent players in May for the first time.

However, its success did not stop there, and it broke this record with 1.8 million concurrent players a few days later. Prior to the game’s release, Valve intended to gather Counter-Strike 1.6 and Counter-Strike Source players in a single game.

This motivated the studio to release CS:GO, but it struggled to measure up to its predecessors at first. However, players continued to try the game and ended up finding it appealing as they stuck with it.

With the game celebrating its 11th anniversary, Valve is also ready to pass the torch to Counter-Strike 2.

The successor to CS:GO promises a visual overhaul, volumetric smokes, and higher tick rate servers. Valve hopes these enhancements will make Counter-Strike 2 a worthy addition to the franchise.

A release date for the latest Counter-Strike entry remains to be confirmed, but Valve previously announced that it would be out for everyone to enjoy in Q3 2023. This could mean that the game may be released as early as next month, concluding the legendary journey of CS:GO.