Story Highlight
  • CS2 has become overrun with cheaters, ruining the competitive experience of the game.
  • The once-beloved shooter is now unplayable for many, with even content creators quitting due to the cheating problem.
  • While Valve showers Dota 2 with updates and support, CS2 gets the short end of the stick.
  • Players feel ignored by Valve, voicing their anger on forums and through petitions.

I’ve been a Counter-Strike fan since the 1.6 days. I remember the thrill of sneaking through de_dust, of hearing that iconic “Counter-Terrorists win” for the first time.

Counter-Strike was the best competitive shooter. CS2 was supposed to breathe new life into the franchise and evolve it for a new generation of gamers. Instead, it’s turned into a haven for cheaters and rage hackers.

Valve, the ever-so-caring developers, recently introduced a shiny new anti-cheat system, VAC Live. The concept sounded promising – learn the behaviors of cheaters and boot them out right away.

But the truth? Vac Live falls flat. Cheaters with wallhacks, aimbots, spinbots – they’re everywhere. I played five matches last night, and I’d bet my last dollar that at least one player in each match was cheating.

Why it matters: Counter-Strike is arguably the best competitive shooter franchise ever, yet the treatment CS2 is getting is absolutely shocking from Valve.

CS2 Player Count Decline
Counter-Strike 2’s cheating problem demands Valve’s urgent attention.

Valve, Where’s the Ban Hammer?

Seeing a hacker wipe out my whole team effortlessly, landing headshots from across the map, is just plain maddening. It completely ruins the competitive integrity. So, what’s Valve up to? Why aren’t they dropping the ban hammer?

The answer, it seems, is out there opening cases. Because that’s what CS2 has become – a giant case-opening simulator, raking in millions each month while the heart of the game decays.

I can assure you that the players at the top of the Premier leaderboard are mostly cheaters. Most of them don’t even try to hide it, as they continue to drop ridiculous amounts of kills every match with zero deaths to their name.

The lack of care from Valve is astounding. It’s not just me feeling this way. Popular content creators, the very lifeblood of keeping the Counter-Strike scene alive, are jumping ship in droves.

Anomaly, WarOwl, and Neok have quit CS2. I don’t blame them. Who wants to invest time and energy into a game swarming with blatant cheaters, knowing that the developers couldn’t care less?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzd7W2Mt1jU

Dota 2 Gets Royal Treatment From Valve

It’s even more frustrating when I see how Valve treats Dota 2 compared to Counter-Strike. Dota 2 recently got a new update, “Crownfall,” with new features and content. On the other hand, CS2 languishes in a toxic wasteland of cheaters.

I’m very much concerned about the lack of content updates from Valve. “Operation Riptide” is the last operation CS: GO received 940 days ago. Valve released a new case and music kits recently, but we still haven’t seen any major updates to the game for over 3 years.

Sure, Dota 2 brings in big bucks as an esports giant, but does that mean Valve can ignore the best FPS game ever? The community is furious, and rightly so. Threads on Reddit and in the Steam forums are overflowing with players who are sick and tired of this mess.

Petitions are circulating, begging Valve to step up. But the silence from the company makes me sick. I’m left wondering if there’s a breaking point, the moment the sheer volume of cheaters will finally be enough to kill CS2.

Suffice it to say, CS: GO deserved a far better sequel than this, which doesn’t live up to the legacy of its predecessor.

CS2 Cheating Problem
Counter-Strike 2 is on a path toward complete decline unless Valve takes significant action to combat cheating.

Is There Any Hope Left?

Honestly, I’m not sure how much longer I can take it. The game I love, which I’ve invested thousands of hours in, has become almost unplayable.

Right now, CS2 is Valve’s worst-rated release ever, with nearly 1 million negative reviews on Steam. Even the pro players consider CS: GO far better due to various game-related issues.

Unless Valve pulls off a miracle and seriously upgrades its anti-cheat system, cracks down hard on cheaters, and starts caring, CS2 is on a fast track to oblivion.

While speaking at the TalkingCounter podcast, a developer at Valve revealed that better anti-cheat is the company’s number 1 priority. That gives me a glimmer of hope, but I would like to see action more than words.

It’s a real shame, not just for the players but for the whole Counter-Strike legacy. I want to stay hopeful, but seeing a positive outcome when a mega-rich company prioritizes cash grabs over safeguarding the game’s integrity is tough.

Valve, you’re better than this. I understand combating cheaters is a complex task, but current affairs insult your most loyal players. The bare minimum you can offer is an earnest effort to clean up the mess that CS2 has become.

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Salman Fareed
[How-To Guides Expert] Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city's aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity! Get In Touch: Laiba@hidgt.com Google IT Certificate Shehryar Khan