Video gaming has taken off to become the most enjoyed hobby of this generation. And players around the globe are collectively putting millions of hours into video games. The majority of them go to online multiplayer and competitive games like CSGO, which has been around for quite some time. So much so that many players wonder just how old is CSGO?
Brief History of CS:GO
First-Person Shooter games dominate the majority of that competitive gaming demography. And when talking about FPS games, Counter-Strike is a name that never goes unheard. CS is considered to be the godfather of the competitive FPS genre, and its latest title Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a pioneer in the current FPS meta.
Even though CS:GO is considered the latest flagship title of the series, it is not as new as you might think it is. The game is currently one of the most played FPS titles in the genre and garners a massive viewership with its active and hyped esports scene. Amongst similar games, we also feel that the great weapons skins in CSGO really help set the game apart in terms of customization and player preference.
In fact, CS:GO used to be the most played tactical title couple of years ago until Riot’s Valorant posed a threat to its popularity. Even though the Valorant player count has recently topped it, CS:GO is still running strong as a forerunner in this genre. So how old is CSGO?
A Decade of Top-Tier Tactical FPS Experience
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, AKA CSGO, came on to the world on August 21, 2012, and it is about to turn 10 years this coming August. The game was initially released on multiple platforms, including Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, OS X, and PlayStation 3 back in 2012, but it is mainly played on the PC platform today.
Developed by Valve, CS:GO brought in a more polished CS experience with everything from better physics to improved sound effects and quality, enhanced UI, and better graphics in comparison to its predecessor, Counter-Strike: Source.
However, CSGO retained the iconic gameplay experience from its predecessors and has a resemblance to most FPS titles out there today. This is mainly because most of today’s FPS titles are inspired by CS:GO and its core gameplay elements. The game features the already familiar traditional Counter-Strike objective-based tactical shooter experience.
Players get put into 2 groups; Terrorists and Counter-terrorists. The objective of the Terrorists is to plant the C4 bomb on one of the two sites on the map or eliminate all Counter-Terrorists. The objective of the Counter-Terrorists is to defend the sites from being blown up by eliminating the Terrorists.
CS:GO also has an economic system where players must manage their income to buy weapons and utilities. Similar economy mechanics can be seen in more modern titles, including Valorant. It is obvious that CS:GO and Counter-Strike, in general, were the inspirations behind them.
CS:GO also features nine main game modes; Competitive, Deathmatch, Casual, Demolition, Wingman, Arms Race, Flying Scoutsman, Danger Zone, and Weapons Course. These modes add more variety to the gameplay.
One of the Longest-Running eSports Scenes Makes Many Wonder How Old is CSGO
CS:GO is currently 10 years old and the game is well known for having one of the longest-running eSport scenes in the industry. However, the Counter-Strike esports scene has been popping off way before CS:GO even got released. The competitive CS scene dates way back to 2000, and it was one of the very first eSport titles that got mainstream attention and took off.
When CSGO was released, it brought more eyes to the competitive CS scene and has only grown. And this blow-up in CS:GO eSports scene also allowed it to become more organized, and currently, the game garners over a million average viewers.
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10 Years Without a Major Upgrade
CS:GO is built on Valve’s Source game engine and has held up well for an entire decade. However, Source is not Valve’s most advance or the latest game engine. The previous CS title, CS: Source, also utilized this game engine; it was the first game to showcase the engine and its physics. And the successor for the Source engine was Source 2, which came out in 2015.
When Valve announced that Dota 2 was moving to the brand new game engine back in 2015, fans also anticipated a port for CS:GO as well. But it has been over 7 years, and there hasn’t been a single announcement of a Source 2 port to this day.
However, recent rumors suggest that the game might finally get the long-awaited Source 2 port in August. Data miners claim that they have found mentions of CS:GO in the code of Source 2. And the famous CS:GO YouTuber and streamer ‘TheWarOwl‘ also accidentally teased that Source 2 update is coming this August.
Considering that CSGO is almost 10 years old, the rumors might actually become true with Valve surprising the fans with a massive update. What do you think? Feel free to sound off in the comment section below.
