Why Counter-Strike 2 is considered Valve’s worst game on Steam

Pin-up UZ actively accepts bets on cyber sports. Counter-Strike is particularly popular. However, the latest update of the famous game from Valve has received more criticism than praise.

A bad start

Counter-Strike 2 has gotten off to a rocky start according to players and esports professionals. The highly anticipated sequel from Valve is being plagued by numerous bugs and issues that the developer has yet to resolve.

The game now holds the dubious honour of being Valve’s worst-rated title on Steam. This comes on the heels of mounting criticism over problems that have persisted since launch day. Counter-Strike 2 initially benefited from positive reviews carried over from its predecessor, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. However, the warm reception was short-lived.

Like with any game replacing a well-established franchise, Counter-Strike 2’s release has been met with no shortage of objections from its community. Even esports athletes have taken to social media urging caution until the game is «fixed», citing hitbox anomalies, bizarre glitches, and other defects impacting gameplay.

What is the nature of the claims

The game now has over 900,000 negative reviews on Steam, with recent feedback characterizing it as «mixed». To truly grasp players’ sentiments, one would need to look at reviews from the past 30 days or so, as earlier feedback for CS:GO is also included. Most seem unhappy with missing features and content, which we’ll delve into shortly. However, many are also frustrated that brand new game-breaking bugs were present at launch.

These range from hitbox problems causing shots at enemies to mysteriously miss, to more humorous issues. A gameplay clip went viral this week displaying a player getting eliminated by an opponent doing a Michael Jackson-esque tilted pose. Valve even changed the header image on Counter-Strike 2’s official social media profiles to acknowledge the “Michael Jackson lean,” cementing its meme status. Players are teaching each other to execute the “Michael Jackson peek” with any keyboard layout, though we’d advise against this as Valve may see it as exploiting a glitch.

Another recurring complaint involves faulty hitboxes that lead to missed shots on enemies when aiming directly at them from certain angles. Esports pro Ilya «m0NESY» Osipov of G2 Esports demonstrated this during a recent livestream, with clear headshots simply not registering.

A patch Counter-Strike 2 released likely fixed this, but it took over two weeks post-launch to do so, even after months of limited testing. More players report issues like dying while safely behind cover, imbalanced matchmaking, widespread cheating, and player collision causing unintended ragdoll physics.

The majority of negative Steam reviews stem from the game’s lack of content. Sequels, especially those replacing predecessors entirely, are expected to provide new material atop what already existed. For Counter-Strike 2, Valve opted to exclude multiple modes and features present in CS:GO in order to deliver the core gameplay players expect, but with a fresh overhaul.

This could be understandable, if not for the removal of fan favourites like Arms Race, Demolition, and Danger Zone. The Steam Workshop and community servers are also currently unavailable, though Valve says they will return later.

Maps problems 

Some maps featured in Counter-Strike 2’s marketing prior to launch are also absent, including classics like Train, Shoots, Baggage, and more. This means a significant amount of content players had access to before is now gone. Valve undoubtedly had to devote immense effort into recreating maps in the new Source 2 engine, on top of CS2’s other overhauled material. Meeting the sequel’s rushed Summer 2023 deadline necessitated cutting a lot.

Valve will likely reintroduce these maps and modes down the road through updates and Operations. But their removal now, paired with a lack of brand new content, feels unacceptable to some fans. It’s odd for a full sequel to launch without new maps, weapons, modes, or impactful gameplay changes beyond ray tracing and skill groups. Some players may tolerate this, but others simply want CS:GO back.

Sydney debut in October

Counter-Strike 2 can rebound from a few hundred thousand negative Steam reviews given its immense popularity. Overwatch 2 became the platform’s lowest-rated title ever, yet now sits among the top highest-grossing games.

While Counter-Strike 2 may not be ready for professional play just yet (it debuts at IEM Sydney), it seems many casual players still enjoy it as-is. Valve has ample time to fix bugs and issues over the coming months, and new Operations could help turn perceptions of the sequel around.

What isn’t up for debate is that Counter-Strike 2 has had major problems at launch, justifiably angering players. Steam reviews aren’t the full picture though, and this remains one of Valve’s most successful Counter-Strike releases lately.