Counter-Strike 2, the competitive shooter by Valve, is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable names in the world of modern multiplayer games. Since its initial release in September 2023, the game has been steadily evolving, with the devs constantly rolling out updates and introducing new content to keep the player base engaged. Despite this, whispers of discontent and questions about the game’s longevity have been growing louder among fans.
“Is Counter-Strike 2 dying?” has become a widely debated question among gamers over the past few weeks. Whether it’s a newbie looking to get into CS2 or long-time fans of the franchise, many are expressing concerns about the game’s declining player numbers, citing a range of possible reasons.
However, are the claims true? Is CS2, one of the biggest FPS titles on the internet, really dying? Let’s try to find out.
Is CS2 Dying?
To understand if CS2 is dying, we first have to check out the game’s current player count.
Taking a quick look at SteamDB, we can see that CS2 is still dominating the list of top games on Steam—and by a significant margin. The game boasts a concurrent player peak of 1.5 million in the past 24 hours, while the average player count at any point hovers upwards of 700,000.
In order to identify if the game is “dying”, we have to put these numbers up against those from the past few months.
Examining CS2’s player count over the course of this year reveals a positive trend: not only has the game retained its audience, but it has also gained players since January. While the game did see a dip in player numbers around June-July, it has steadily regained its player count and is still thriving as of November 2024.
The Verdict: Is CS2 Dying?
Studying these player numbers, it’s obvious that CS2 is not dying. In fact, it continues to grow even today. It can’t be denied that there are concerns within the community about the game’s current state of anti-cheat alongside matchmaking issues, but the player numbers clearly demonstrate that CS2 is here to stay.
