Built with the Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike 2 will use this framework’s features and tools, maximizing performance gains on a wide array of hardware. Valve upgraded classic maps and rebuilt some levels from the ground up, adding the new lighting system, reflections, and physics. These enhancements will provide a more immersive and visually appealing gaming experience as well as reducing Counter Strike 2’s minimum system requirements.
Counter-Strike 2 System Requirements
While Valve has yet to release official system requirements for Counter-Strike 2, we can make an educated guess based on the Source 2 engine’s capabilities and the system requirements of other games using this engine. Keep in mind that these are only estimates and may change as more information becomes available.
Counter-Strike 2 PC minimum system requirements:
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD FX-6300
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7850
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 50GB available space
Minimum system requirements for macOS
- OS: MacOS X 10.11 (El Capitan) or later
- Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or better)
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2400 or better / NVIDIA 8600M or better
- Storage: 15 GB available space
Minimum system requirements for SteamOS+Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04
- Processor: 64-bit Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: NVIDIA 310, AMD 12.11), OpenGL 2.1
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Sound Card: OpenAL Compatible Sound Card
As the game is still under development, these requirements may be subject to change. However, based on the performance improvements seen in Dota 2 after transitioning to the Source 2 engine, it’s expected that Counter-Strike 2 will be able to run smoothly on a wide range of hardware.
Make sure to keep an eye on this page for updates on the official system requirements for Counter-Strike 2.
Gameplay and Performance Refinements
When it comes to gameplay and player experience, Valve updated the tick rate system by building a new sub-tick architecture. This means that moving, shooting, and grenade throwing will no longer be dependent on the server refresh rate. As a result, the game should be more responsive because servers will know the exact instant that motion starts and calculate player actions between ticks.
Although the sub-tick update may seem like a minor change, it could be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, improvements — if implemented the way Valve describes it — gameplay-wise, especially for a competitive FPS like Counter-Strike, it will also do wonders for performance.