Valve is making significant changes to CS:GO starting next year that will fundamentally affect the way players interact with and experience the game. However, the limitations of CS2 and the lack of support for older hardware will cause inconveniences that could lead to a decline in the community server population.

As the newly revamped Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rises to unprecedented heights, a looming shift threatens to dampen the enthusiasm of some dedicated gamers. For now, both CS:GO and its successor, CS2, are running smoothly, but this harmonious coexistence is on the cusp of a major and imminent change.

Launched more than a decade ago, CS:GO has maintained its unrivalled position as the most popular shooting game in competitive gaming. Over the years, however, fans have become increasingly frustrated by certain persistent problems, the most important of which is the lack of 128 tick servers, which significantly degrades the gaming experience. The release of CS2 brought a complete overhaul, introducing improved graphics, refined mechanics and, crucially, a superior tick architecture that solved many of the problems that had long plagued 64 tick servers. Despite this, it has also faced criticism from the community. As a result, a significant proportion of players continue to return to the original CS:GO, highlighting the enduring appeal of the classic version of the game.

Overwatch 2 and Counter Strike 2 set a bad example

On the official Steam Support page for Counter Strike, Valve has outlined the future of CS:GO, announcing that it will no longer be officially supported from January. While CS:GO will still be available, the company warns that some features, particularly those related to the game coordinator, such as player inventories, will not function properly. This means that while players have been able to move their in-game inventories from CS:GO to CS2, this may not be possible in the future. Beyond these details, Valve did not elaborate on the full range of potential impacts from these changes.

Official support for CSGO will end in January

The limitations of CS2, namely the lack of support for older hardware such as DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems, are a major inconvenience for many gamers. This aspect becomes particularly important considering that, despite the lack of an official matchmaking service, many players still prefer to use CS:GO community servers. These servers are an integral part of the game’s ecosystem and offer a wide range of experiences from regular scrims to custom respawn servers and various other game modes, all of which contribute to the rich and varied gameplay that CS:GO fans appreciate.

“After January 1, 2024, the game will continue to be available, but certain features that rely on compatibility with Game Coordinator (e.g., access to inventory) may degrade and/or fail.”- Valve

The anticipated lack of inventory support in CS:GO could gradually drive players away, potentially leading to a decline in the population of community servers. This doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the game entirely, as players can continue to participate in the game without an official matchmaker, similar to what they experienced in Counter-Strike Source. However, this change marks the end of an era and a significant turning point in the legacy of a game that defined a generation of competitive first-person shooters.

Source : GameRant