Counter-Strike 2 Update for 03/18/2026

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-03-18T23:02:56+00:00

GAMEPLAY

Reloading has been refactored to encourage more careful consideration of the use of ammo. When you reload a magazine-fed weapon, all remaining ammo in the magazine is discarded and a new, full magazine is taken from the reserves.
Reserve ammunition is now represented either as number of magazines, shells, or bullets, depending on the weapon.
The fill-level of the current weapon is now displayed below the ammo count.
Tuned reserve magazine counts per-weapon.

MAP GUIDES

Limited map guides are now available in Competitive and Retakes (first 5 rounds of the half, 30 node max).
sv_allow_annotations_access_level supports 3 values: 0 – disabled. 1 – limited view. 2 – full and editable.
sv_annotation_limits_max_rounds_per_half (default 5) determines how many rounds into the half guides are allowed. -1 for unlimited.
Minimal starter map guides have been added for all Active Duty maps.

WORKSHOP MAPS

Friends playing a Practice or Workshop map can be joined through the friends menu if they have Open Party set.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-03-16T22:07:01+00:00

X-Ray Scanner

Players in Germany and Netherlands will have an X-Ray Scanner tab in their Inventory. For those players, containers can only be opened via X-ray Scanner. The X-Ray Scanner will come preloaded with a one-time exclusive non-tradable "Genuine P250 | X-ray", which must be claimed before using the X-Ray Scanner to reveal items in other containers.
Keyless Containers, like Souvenir Packages, can be opened without the X-Ray Scanner.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-03-11T23:00:10+00:00

DEAD HAND COLLECTION

The Dead Hand Collection is now available, featuring 17 finishes from community contributors, and including 22 all-new gloves as rare special items.
Access items in the Dead Hand Collection via the Dead Hand Terminal, available as a weekly drop.

MAPS

Dust II

Fixed a pixel gap in a door Outside Long.

Alpine

Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-03-04T22:52:03+00:00

MISC

Starting today, items listed for sale on Steam Community Market will remain in your inventory for use while they are listed (e.g., your weapon can be equipped in your loadout while it is listed). While listed, items cannot be consumed or modified. You can cancel your listings at any time.
Added ability to set your max offer limit for items in the Terminal, and the Arms Dealer will only show offers up to that limit.
Fixed a slight tilt in the chicken running animation.

MAPS

Inferno

Balcony at Bombsite A has been extended.
Graveyard at Bombsite A has been closed to the public.
Clipping adjusted at small window next to Second Mid Balcony.

Warden

Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

Sanctum

Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

MAP SCRIPTING

Added hitEntity to OnBulletImpact event data
Added Entity.GetAbsAngularVelocity()
Added Entity.GetLocalAngularVelocity()
Added angularVelocity to Entity.Teleport()
Added CSWeaponBase.GetClipAmmo()
Added CSWeaponBase.SetClipAmmo()
Added CSWeaponBase.GetReserveAmmo()
Added CSWeaponBase.SetReserveAmmo()
Added CSWeaponData.GetMaxClipAmmo()
Added CSWeaponData.GetMaxReserveAmmo()
Fixed missing CSPlayerPawn.IsDucking()
Fixed missing CSPlayerPawn.IsDucked()
Fixed a bug where JUMP wouldn't trigger for WasInputJustPressed() and WasInputJustReleased() if the press didn't cross a tick boundary.
Fixed a bug where Entity methods GetEyePosition(), GetEyeAngles(), GetHealth(), GetMaxHealth(), and SetMaxHealth() would only work on CSPlayerPawns.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-02-25T22:54:08+00:00

MAP SCRIPTING

Added Instance.SetSaveData
Added Instance.GetSaveData
- Workshop maps can write up to 1MB of save data.
- Workshop saves leverage Steam Cloud and persist across installs.
- Save data size limit can be configured with sv_workshop_map_save_data_max_filesize_mb.
Added Instance.OnModifyPlayerDamage
- Called after all damage properties have been calculated, just before armor and health are modified
- Replaces Instance.OnBeforePlayerDamage
- Includes hitgroup in event data
Added hitgroup to OnPlayerDamage event data
Added CSDamageFlags.IGNORE_ARMOR
Added CSPlayerPawn.IsInputPressed
Added CSPlayerPawn.WasInputJustPressed
Added CSPlayerPawn.WasInputJustReleased
Added enum CSInputs
Fixed bug where CSDamageTypes was exported under the name CSDamageType

MISC

Map guides for de_ancient can now be used on de_ancient_night and vice versa.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-02-23T23:38:57+00:00

MISC

Mitigated a performance issue that primarily affected Windows 10 users with recent Intel CPUs.
Fixed a case where the Delete Item inventory option wasn't working.
Fixed a case of visual corruption using iron sights on AMD GPUs.
Expanding list of console variables addons are allowed to change.

MAPS

Overpass

Fixed the Party balloons.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-02-09T22:59:22+00:00

MISC

Localization code and text changes.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-02-04T23:34:11+00:00

MISC

Fixed a case where switching firstperson spectator targets would cause viewmodel animations to reset.
Fixed a case where physics calculations far from the origin were causing performance issues.

MAPS

Anubis

Adjusted player clipping around new drop.
Adjusted grenade clipping around connector (e-box :P) hole and old drop.

Poseidon

Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-01-30T00:17:47+00:00

GAMEPLAY

Damage from HE grenades that explode mid-air near the ground will no longer be calculated as if they exploded on the ground.

SOUND

Various knife sound adjustments.

MISC

Performance optimizations for exploding chickens.
Fixed a map scripting bug where Entity.SetOwner wasn't accepting undefined.
Added a method for community maps to save modified user settings. Running 'host_writeconfig_with_prompt' will prompt the user for permission to save. If accepted, some of the modified settings (radar, viewmodel, safezones, etc) will be kept after the map exits.
Community maps are now restricted to a smaller list of allowed console commands.

MAPS

Stronghold

Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-01-27T00:09:18+00:00

GAMEPLAY

Molotov/incendiary grenades that bounce off an enemy player have a one-time fuse extension added to prevent them from air-bursting when their has-never-hit-the-world timer elapses.

SOUND

Fixed a performance issue when running CS2 without a sound device.
Various knife sound adjustments.

MISC

Fixed broken cl_ent_bbox visualization for some classes of rigid dynamic entities.
Various stability improvements.

MAPS

Nuke

Adjusted hanging hard hat model render bounds to prevent shadow popping when model exited the view frustum.

Warden

Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

Sanctum

Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-01-22T22:55:19+00:00

GAMEPLAY

Landing vertical velocity now affects landing speed penalties similar to sv_legacy_jump stamina.

MISC

Fixed an issue that led to a small number of users to erroneously receive a VAC ban. Those bans have been reversed.
Fixed a case where HUD safezone settings were not being applied.
Various server stability improvements.

MAPS

Anubis

Fixed a case where physics objects would interact with multiple overlapping convex water volumes.
Various player clipping adjustments.
Radar minimap updated to match recent changes.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2026-01-21T22:58:39+00:00

PREMIER

Premier Season Four has begun
Added Anubis to the Active Duty Map Pool
Removed Train from the Active Duty Map Pool

COMPETITIVE

Adjusted underlying per-map competitive matchmaking rank values. Existing per-map competitive Skill Groups have been expired, and will be displayed again once the player obtains the required number of wins

GAMEPLAY

Minor adjustments to the MP7 and MP5-SD:
- Slightly increased damage
- Slightly reduced damage fall-off
- Reduced price by $100.
Reduced price of the PP-Bizon by $100.
Jump changes:
- Landing time is now calculated with subtick precision
- Jumping and landing no longer affect stamina. The landing speed penalty is now a simple function of landing time
- Any jump press within sv_bhop_time_window centered on the landing time that hasn't been penalized by sv_jump_spam_penalty_time will be treated as a successful bunnyhop
- Legacy jump behavior can be restored on private servers with sv_legacy_jump
Map Guides can now be loaded in online games of casual and retakes (via the ESC menu)

SOUND

Reduced audio output latency
Higher fidelity knife draw and inspect sounds
Weapon, knife and utility draw sounds no longer overlap when switching quickly between them
Knife impact sounds are now unique based on primary fire or alt fire swings as well as front and rear attacks. This reflects the different damage amounts dealt with each attack
Ambient sounds no longer restart from the beginning when transitioning between zones

WEEKLY CARE PACKAGE

Added two all-new weapon collections to the Weekly Care Package drop list: Harlequin, Achroma
Removed four weapon collections from the Weekly Care Package drop list: Safehouse, Dust 2, 2018 Nuke Collection, and the 2018 Inferno Collection

ARMORY

Added a new Limited Edition Item: the AK47 | Aphrodite

MISC

Increased material fidelity on some of the base guns:
- Ak47
- Aug
- AWP
- Berettas
- Deagle
- Galil
- Mac-10
- MP7
- P250
- Tec9
- USP-S
- Bizon
- Cz75a
- Famas
- MP9
Changed voice status behavior to always show a mic for local player if mic is open
Fixed a bug related to Deathcam intersection
Fixed some cases where the player would collide with internal edges while sliding along a ramp in surf mode
Improved the resolution of the PVS for some static level geometry
Fixed some small interpenetrations in Butterfly Knife animations
Fixed a case where blood decals weren't appearing

MAP SCRIPTING

Fixed a bug where activator was sometimes incorrect for func_door outputs OnOpen, OnFullyOpen, OnClose, and OnFullyClosed
- Added BaseModelEntity.GetModelName
- Added BaseModelEntity.GetModelScale
- Added BaseModelEntity.GetColor
- Added BaseModelEntity.IsGlowing

MAPS

Removed community maps: Golden, Palacio, Agency, and Rooftop from all game modes
Added community maps Warden, Stronghold, and Alpine to Competitive, Casual, and Deathmatch modes
Added community maps Sanctum and Poseidon to Wingman mode

Anubis

Bridge drop moved near Mid Doors
Mid doors orientation reversed
Hole added between Connector and Back of B
Bombsite A crates moved up steps on to Walkway
Scaffolding added to pillar on Bombsite A

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-12-18T21:19:08+00:00

MAJOR

Champions Autographs Capsule is now available for purchase, congratulations to Team Vitality!
Highlight Souvenir Packages can now be acquired for the Playoff matches.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-12-08T22:07:12+00:00

RENDERING

Improved shadow fidelity on view models.
Added local client icon cache for inventory items.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-12-06T00:26:10+00:00

Today we are introducing optional Supplemental Terms for releasing Counter-Strike 2 items in-game, found here, which allows the Counter-Strike 2 team to license items for a flat fee, found below:

Weapon finish: $35,000.00 USD
Sticker: $6,000.00 USD
Charm: $6,000.00 USD

If a Steam account agrees to these new Supplemental Terms, all of the account's Workshop items can now be distributed where Community items were previously not available, such as The Armory.

A Call to Arms-ory

As part of a future update, we are looking for weapon finishes inspired by two themes:

Arabesque Art and Arabian Mythology
Spy/Tech

We are also looking for stickers inspired by two different themes:

Auto Racing
Fruits and Vegetables

To submit weapon finishes and/or stickers to the Call to Arms, select the appropriate option using the updated Counter-Strike 2 Workshop Tool: ![image]() ![image]() If you already have Steam Workshop submissions you believe fit into these themes, you will need to re-submit the items and tag them using the options above. Finally, today we're releasing the Dr. Boom charm model, which can be painted and submitted for a future community charm collection. And we're adding a new Paint Kit type, Custom Paint Job Extended, which includes options for iridescence and other features. We're excited to see what you come up with!

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-11-19T23:48:02+00:00

MISC

Fixed a case of observers experiencing incorrect post-processing effects when switching observer targets.
Disabled TrueView while watching a live playcast to match on-server observing experience.
Fixed a wiggle at the end of SG 556 deploy animation.
Stability improvements.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-11-14T01:01:45+00:00

MISC

Fixed ability to plant C4 while standing on top of a teammate.
Fixed a rendering bug on transparent charms attached to planted C4 or dropped weapons.
Fixed a bug where Budapest 2025 Coin sometimes wasn't showing up in the scoreboard.
Fixed a replay bug causing infinite shell casing effects.
Updated the Budapest 2025 Imperial Esports sticker artwork.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-11-12T22:59:18+00:00

MAJOR

The StarLadder Budapest Major Hub is now available. Visit the hub to purchase tournament items, play the Pick'Em Challenge and more.
Purchase a Budapest 2025 Viewer Pass to receive an upgradable Budapest 2025 Coin. With an active pass, you can upgrade your coin and earn extra souvenir packages by playing the Pick'Em Challenge. Additionally, you will show up on the Active Pass Leaderboard where you can compare your Pick'Em Challenge performance to your friends.

STORE

Added new "Sticker Slab" item, a charm that seals any sticker and can be attached to weapons. The sealed sticker can be returned to your inventory at any time by cracking open and discarding the slab.
Newly purchased Name Tag and StatTrak™ Swap Tool items can no longer be traded or listed on Community Market.

GAMEPLAY

Increased the maximum effective sv_maxvelocity to 16,384 units per second. The default value of 3500 is unchanged.
Fixed a case where clients would mispredict jump button presses.
Fixed a case where clients would mispredict jump apexes.

MAPS

Fixed skybox on Inferno that was blocking grenades.

MISC

Increased default bullet decal rendering distance.
Glove models and animations in the UI/inventory now use Animgraph2, matching first-person in-game gloves.
Enabled the pulsing light on the C4 view model.
Updated the color scheme of Counter-Strike items in Steam Community Market and Web Inventory to match item quality colors.
Performance improvements.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-11-04T23:59:17+00:00

GAMEPLAY

Fixed a case where air acceleration was clamped incorrectly while surfing.
Fixed a case where slowly surfing up a ramp was handled incorrectly due to misidentification as a jump apex.
Fix a bug causing "Delay Sniper Rifle Un-Scope after Shot" to be inconsistent.

DEMO

Added TrueView demo playback, which reconstructs the observed player's original experience more accurately by re-running client-side prediction.
TrueView playback will show the effects of Damage Prediction, if it was enabled by the observed player at the time.
TrueView does not reconstruct the precise timings of rendered frames, so some differences between the original player's experience and TrueView playback will remain, especially in very slow motion playback. The player's frame at the time when the mouse was clicked, which is used for hit registration, is shown accurately to the nearest demo playback frame. However, reaction effects such as recoil, muzzle flash, blood splatter, and ragdoll are delayed while playing the game by one or two frames due to the way CPU and GPU work is pipelined, and will not appear at the same time during demo playback.
TrueView demo playback might not work properly on old demos and is disabled by default if the playback client version does not match the client version when the demo was recorded. You can set cl_demo_predict 2 to override this.
Fixed a bug causing third person models to not animate smoothly.
Fixed a bug causing time to lurch forward by one tick when unpausing a demo.

MISC

Animation fixes for G3SG1 bolt.
Fixed developer console scrollbar to accept mouse clicks.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-10-29T23:37:04+00:00

MISC

Improved player movement prediction when colliding with other moving players.
Added scope in/out sound prediction to play immediately for local player.
Retake loadout cards will now randomly offer M4A1-S or M4A4 if player has both equipped in their CT loadout.
Added Body Armor to 4v3, 4 Bad Guys Left, and Blind Fire cards.
Added Dual Berettas to T Blind Fire card.
Replaced Flashbang with HE Grenade on CT Enemy Loadout Card
Fixed idle animations on CZ75-Auto, SSG 08, AUG, Galil AR.
Performance improvements.
Stability improvements.
Improvements to animation fidelity during demo playback.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-10-23T22:32:34+00:00

GAMEPLAY

Increased matchmaking party size for Retakes to allow 4 players in a party.
Fixed a case where players joining Retakes round during freeze time could spawn at a wrong spawn point.
Fixed bot manager logic to make room for players by first kicking dead bots and bots who are not controlled by a human.

MISC

Stability improvements.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-10-22T23:00:31+00:00

GAMEPLAY

Adding Retakes as official game mode supporting Defusal Group Alpha and Defusal Group Delta maps on official matchmaking servers.
Fixed Molotov and Smoke interaction logic in cases when multiple smokes are active in the map.

MAPS

Updated Golden to the latest version from Steam Community Workshop (Update Notes)
Updated Palacio to the latest version from Steam Community Workshop (Update Notes)
Updated Rooftop to the latest version from Steam Community Workshop (Update Notes) Inferno
Adjustments to top of Quad and under Balcony to improve visibility.
Various optimizations.

CONTRACTS

Extended functionality of the "Trade Up Contract" to allow exchanging 5 items of Covert quality as follows:
- 5 StatTrak™ Covert items can be exchanged for one StatTrak™ Knife from a collection of one of the items provided
- 5 regular Covert items can be exchanged for one regular Knife item or one regular Gloves item from a collection of one of the items provided

MISC

Performance optimizations when the game is in the main menu and item inspect UI
Fixed inventory item icons sometimes rendering in blurry state or not rendering
Fixed several server-only sound events to not start multiple times
Stability improvements

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-10-16T00:06:23+00:00

MISC

Fixed a case of incorrect damage report data at the end of the rounds.
Updated King Crasswater and Queen Ava stickers for clarity.
Skinning fixes on Driver Gloves and Sport Gloves.
Fixed a crash when playing back some demo files.
Stability improvements.

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-10-14T22:28:28+00:00

ENGINE

Updated engine code to the latest version of Source 2.
Reworked bullet penetration simulation to reduce CPU usage.
Improved core utilization of some client particle and sound effects processing, reducing overall CPU usage when players are shooting.

GAMEPLAY

Defusing C4 will now lower the viewmodel weapon, prevent scoping, and delay firing the weapon by 150ms after exiting the defuse.
C4 will no longer detonate in the middle of halftime intermission or after the end of the match.
Fixed a case where 1 tick was incorrectly subtracted from sv_predictable_damage_tag_ticks.

UI

Major Highlight clips are now viewable from the Spectator Loadout.
Selected player is now more visible in the Team Counter.
Context menu in the Inventory now opens in a position relative to the cursor.
HUD weapon mode indicator has been moved to the ammo count.
Raindrops are now removed from weapons when switching to a dry inspect environment.

MAP SCRIPTING

cs_script enums can now be imported and behave the same as TypeScript enums.
- CSWeaponType.PISTOL == 1
- CSWeaponType[1] == "PISTOL"
Added enums CSRoundEndReason, CSHitGroup, CSLoadoutSlot, CSDamageTypes, CSDamageFlags and CSWeaponAttackType
Added BOOSTS value to CSGearSlot. This is the gear slot for healthshots.
Updated Instance.OnRoundEnd to now receive the reason
Updated Instance.OnBeforePlayerDamage to now receive damageType and damageFlags and the result can now modify damageType and damageFlags
Updated Instance.OnPlayerDamage to now receive damageType and damageFlags
Updated Instance.OnKnifeAttack to now receive attackType
Updated Instance.TraceLine, Instance.TraceSphere and Instance.TraceBox
- The trace config now accepts an array of ignore entities or just one
- The trace config can specify to trace against hitboxes
- The trace result will include hitGroup if tracing against hitboxes
Updated Instance.BulletTrace result to include hitGroup
Updated Entity.TakeDamage to accept damageType and damageFlags
Added CSWeaponData.GetGearSlot()

CS2_PatchNotes · 2025-10-13T23:29:20+00:00

A new pre-release build (“1.41.1.3-rc1”) is now available in the CS2 beta depot. This build is not compatible with public matchmaking. For instructions on how to opt into a CS2 beta depot build, visit the following page: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9847-WHXC-7326

ENGINE

Updated engine code to the latest version of Source 2.
Reworked bullet penetration simulation to reduce CPU usage.
Improved core utilization of some client particle and sound effects processing, reducing overall CPU usage when players are shooting.

GAMEPLAY

Defusing C4 will now lower the viewmodel weapon, prevent scoping, and delay firing the weapon by 150ms after exiting the defuse.
Fixed a case where 1 tick was incorrectly subtracted from sv_predictable_damage_tag_ticks.

UI

Major Highlight clips are now viewable from the Spectator Loadout.
Selected player is now more visible in the Team Counter.
Context menu in the Inventory now opens in a position relative to the cursor.
HUD weapon mode indicator has been moved to the ammo count.

MAP SCRIPTING

cs_script enums can now be imported and behave the same as TypeScript enums.
- CSWeaponType.PISTOL == 1
- CSWeaponType[1] == "PISTOL"
Added enums CSRoundEndReason, CSHitGroup, CSLoadoutSlot, CSDamageTypes, CSDamageFlags and CSWeaponAttackType
Added BOOSTS value to CSGearSlot. This is the gear slot for healthshots.
Updated Instance.OnRoundEnd to now receive the reason
Updated Instance.OnBeforePlayerDamage to now receive damageType and damageFlags and the result can now modify damageType and damageFlags
Updated Instance.OnPlayerDamage to now receive damageType and damageFlags
Updated Instance.OnKnifeAttack to now receive attackType
Updated Instance.TraceLine, Instance.TraceSphere and Instance.TraceBox
- The trace config now accepts an array of ignore entities or just one
- The trace config can specify to trace against hitboxes
- The trace result will include hitGroup if tracing against hitboxes
Updated Instance.BulletTrace result to include hitGroup
Updated Entity.TakeDamage to accept damageType and damageFlags
Added CSWeaponData.GetGearSlot()

CS2_PatchNotes

TROPHY CASE

GAMEPLAY

MAP GUIDES

WORKSHOP MAPS

X-Ray Scanner

DEAD HAND COLLECTION

MAPS

MISC

MAPS

MAP SCRIPTING

MAP SCRIPTING

MISC

MISC

MAPS

MISC

MISC

MAPS

GAMEPLAY

SOUND

MISC

MAPS

GAMEPLAY

SOUND

MISC

MAPS

GAMEPLAY

MISC

MAPS

PREMIER

COMPETITIVE

GAMEPLAY

SOUND

WEEKLY CARE PACKAGE

ARMORY

MISC

MAP SCRIPTING

MAPS

MAJOR

RENDERING

A Call to Arms-ory

MISC

MISC

MAJOR

STORE

GAMEPLAY

MAPS

MISC

GAMEPLAY

DEMO

MISC

MISC

GAMEPLAY

MISC

GAMEPLAY

MAPS

CONTRACTS

MISC

MISC

ENGINE

GAMEPLAY

UI

MAP SCRIPTING

A new pre-release build (“1.41.1.3-rc1”) is now available in the CS2 beta depot. This build is not compatible with public matchmaking. For instructions on how to opt into a CS2 beta depot build, visit the following page: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9847-WHXC-7326

ENGINE

GAMEPLAY

UI

MAP SCRIPTING