Mac support, Arms Race and left hand mode all AWOL

Counter-Strike 2 released last nightand has duly taken over fromCounter-Strike: Global Offensiveas Steam’s most-played game at the time of writing, but individual player reactions are a bit mixed. Valve’s new/revamped free-to-playFPSsports a range of exotic features and fixtures, from swirlier, reactive smoke to new server architecture, but it has launched without many of the modes, maps and functions Global Offensive diehards are accustomed to, after a decade of updates.

Here’s whatCounter-Strike 2offers at the time of writing, according to Valve’sFAQpage and advance reports from RPS reviewer Ed Thorn. The launch modes are Deathmatch, Casual, Wingman, Competitive, and Premier mode (the latter being only available to Counter-Strike Prime subscribers, who get exclusive cosmetics and the ability to matchmake with other Prime subs).

The launch maps (some of which are in the game’s “Active Duty” pool for competitive players) are Mirage,Overpass, Vertigo, Inferno, Ancient, Nuke, Anubis, Dust 2, Office and Italy. If you bought skins and cosmetics in Global Offensive, you’ll find them all where you left them as well.

And here are a few things thataren’tin the game versus CSGO, at the time of writing. Community server support and the map workshop are “coming soon”. There’s no Mac support and no indication as to when it’ll be added. Certain beloved Counter-Strike maps, like Train and Cache, are absent. There’s no War Games mode, no Arms Race, and no option to carry a gun in your character’s left hand.

While many launch players are happy with Counter-Strike 2’s changes - for example, the fact that you can nowchoose weekly care package rewards- there’s plenty of blowback on Reddit. “They cut half the game lol,” readsone melancholy post from last nightthat has attracted over a thousand upvotes.

There have also been the usual launch day bugs. Valvepatchedthe game within hours of itsrelease updateto address a few of these smaller technical wobbles.

The above omissions wouldn’t be so biting, of course, if Global Offensive were still online alongside Counter-Strike 2, but as withOverwatch 2, the older version of the game has been permanently retired.

This is surely because Valve don’t want to split the Counter-Strike playerbase, which makes sense from a chilly business perspective. But asOverwatch 2’s recent fortunes demonstrate, transitions like these need to be handled well, with appropriate measures to reassure players being shifted from a game they’ve spent half a life playing to what is on some level a new and relatively untried experience.

Are you playing? Here’s Ollie’s guide to thebest Counter-Strike 2 settingsto help you settle in.