Counter-Strike 2 Update from September 23, 2026: Changes to the map selection process in Premier and the addition of Rush mode

List of Changes

Premier

• The map selection process has been updated to give players more opportunities to play on maps they’ve practiced on. Here’s how it works now:
  • Team 1 selects one map;
  • Team 2 selects two maps;
  • Team 1 selects the final map;
  • One of these four maps will be selected at random, and the match will begin.

Rush

• Rush is a fast-paced 3v3 mode. Players battle across a series of battle arenas to reach the enemy’s castle and win the match.
• Battle arenas are selected at random for each match.
• Capture the tower when you eliminate the enemy team or the time runs out to win the round.

Gameplay

• Players can now reload silently (but slowly) by pressing and holding the corresponding key.
• Exiting the sniper rifle’s scope no longer makes a sound.
• The overall clarity and accuracy of bullet trail display have been improved.
• The “ammo_grenade_limit_total” parameter now limits the total number of grenades a player can purchase per round.
• Chickens now take damage from the Zeus x27.

Settings

• Sights are now independent of screen resolution.
• A new “Sights” tab has been added to the settings menu.
• New crosshair styles have been added.
• The default crosshair has been updated to a dynamic quadrilateral crosshair—it better reflects the weapon’s accuracy.

Engine

• The engine code has been updated to the latest version of Source 2.

Maps

Ancient

• Fixed holes in the “main” area on the A-site.
• The geometry of the doors and the rendering of grenades inside the “cave” have been adjusted.

Cache

• Fixed some gaps and adjusted the overlaps around the blue doors on “Mid.”

Mirage

• The scaffolding near the “balcony” on the A-side has been reinforced.

Train

• Fixed a pixel gap in the crates on the A-plank.

Miscellaneous

• Added the ability to set a “Clan Tag” for players who are members of Steam community groups.
• The Starjunk 95 music pack, Industrial Sunset Memories, is now available for purchase via the “Store” tab.
• Added the ability to apply stickers to C4.
• The statistics during the break now display the results of all rounds, including the previous one.
• Fixed an issue where players could avoid a ban for kicking someone during a match.

Workshop

• Added the “minimap_volume” entity, which displays a custom minimap image for players within its boundaries.
• Added the “sky_camera_volume” and “sky_camera_volume_target” entities, which allow you to customize the skybox display based on location.
• Added the “point_deathcam_bounds” entity, which limits the players’ death cam.
• Added the “env_shake_volume” entity, which enables camera shaking within a specified radius.

Map Scripts

• Added the CSRadarPoint and CSObservablePoint entities.
• Added the AddTeamMoney API method.
• Added the OnPlayerTeamChanged callback.
• The SetDialogVariableString parameter now accepts a localization string.