Valve Abandons CS:GO Official Support

Valve Will Stop Official Support for CS:GO after January 1, 2024

As the calendar flips to January 1, 2024, we have finally received the news about Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) that the community has been dreading ever since Counter-Strike 2 was released. Valve, the developers behind this iconic first-person shooter, is gearing up to make a change that will end the CS:GO legacy and, in the process, leave some devoted players with no choice but to move on to CS2.

For over a decade, CS:GO has stood as a titan in the competitive gaming realm, drawing players into its intense battles and strategic gameplay. However, persistent issues, notably the absence of 128 tick servers, have been a thorn in the side of players, especially those invested in competitive gaming. The introduction of CS2 promised a new era, with the new title’s graphics boost, refined mechanics, and the crucial feature of 128 tick servers, but it also faced its fair share of criticism due to it being released in an “unfinished” state and the tons of bugs and glitches that have plagued the game during its first few weeks.

Now, Valve has announced the end of official support for CS:GO, starting January 2024, which marks the beginning of the end for this title. While the game will still be accessible, the decision raises concerns among players about potential disruptions to certain features linked to the Game Coordinator, such as player inventories. Valve explained that, while accessing these features might not be as seamless as before, there will be a way to do it: a one-way transition from CS:GO to CS2 rather than the other way around. While this transition is made step-by-step, Valve intends to boost Counter Strike 2’s features and make it more appealing for CS:GO players.

The limitations of CS2, including its lack of support for older hardware like DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems, are a significant hurdle for many players using outdated setups. CS:GO, despite its age, has held up with a dedicated player base that prefers its community servers, offering a variety of gameplay experiences. From regular scrims to unique retake servers and diverse game modes, these community servers contribute to the variety of CS:GO gameplay experiences.

Valve's made the announcement official with a post stating:

"After January 1, 2024, the game will still be available, but certain functionality that relies on compatibility with the Game Coordinator (e.g., access to inventory) may degrade and/or fail."

The absence of inventory support is worrying and might be a strategy to cause a decline in the CS:GO community server population, forcing players to migrate to the new title and boosting the population of Counter-Strike 2 servers.

While CS:GO enthusiasts can still engage in gameplay without official ranked matchmaking, as they do in Counter-Strike Source, this transition means the end of an era. It's a turning point that is making the community look back on the legacy of a game that has defined a generation of competitive first-person shooters.

For now, let’s enjoy Counter Strike: Global Offensive while we still can, and prepare to pack our bags and move on to CS2.

GG Boost, the Best Elo Boosting Experience!