[News] It's not out yet, but Counter-Strike 2 has a big problem that Valve isn't ready for.

[#Steeven.™]

Cheats are finding it easier to play CS:GO every day.

After spending the last eleven years playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, all fans of Valve's tactical shooter are preparing for a historic version change. The long-awaited migration to a new graphics engine, which will offer both gameplay and visual innovations, will become a reality this summer with the launch of CS2. A new title that brings to the table a historic opportunity for the company. The feeling is of general optimism among both fans and developers, because everything seems to point to success. However, there is a very serious problem that Valve has been letting go of over the past few months.

Counter-Strike bans hit eight-year low
Last May was the period with the fewest bans in recent CS:GO history. This statement could be positive if the reason was that fewer and fewer players cheat. However, that is not the feeling in the community. What happens is that Valve has drastically reduced the rate of sanctions. While on April 1, 3,673 players who cheated were detected and punished, on the first day of June there were barely 205 users who received a permanent penalty that kept them from playing the tactical shooter.

Tracking the VAC ban numbers in more detail only paints a more alarming picture. With the announcement of Counter-Strike 2 there was a wave of bans, but the numbers of punishments have progressively decreased since then. Judging by the available statistics, if the trend is not reversed, 2023 will be the year with the lowest number of users blocked by the "Valve Anticheat" since 2015. This situation, despite the fact that we are in the final weeks of the life cycle of CS:GO, it can be alarming in the face of the start of the aforementioned Counter-Strike 2.

The new version of the video game will be released as an update that will be accessible to all users who have Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in their Steam library. In this sense, the fact that cheaters are having an easier time than usual to stay active in CS:GO will allow them to join the new game from day one. This could translate into a less than fun experience for many of the users who try the title. A situation that could not be more negative for Valve. The franchise is now in the prime of its history, but the new release may take it to new heights.

Although progressive work would have been the most desirable solution, Valve can still reverse the situation by adding improvements to the anticheat before the release of Counter-Strike 2 or in the days of release. Every time the developer improves VAC, thousands of users are sanctioned in the first days after said update is integrated. Fighting against cheaters is key in user retention and this is one of the factors that will determine what the ceiling will be for a tactical shooter that has already given us more than two decades of service.

 

https://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/counter-strike-2/noticias/exito-counter-strike-2-depende-sola-cosa-valve-siquiera-parece-estar-trabajando-ello