Counter-Strike 2 Is Now the Lowest Rated Valve Game in History
There are currently over 164,000 mixed reviews on CS2’s Steam page. If you scroll down, you’ll also see over 903,000 negative reviews. Here’s what has led Counter-Strike 2 to its fate as lowest lowest-rated Valve game.
Why Is Counter-Strike 2 Getting Bad Reviews?
CS2 was initially touted as an upgrade to CS:GO, essentially improving gameplay in theory with better graphics, some tweaks to smokes and other tactics, and a better tick rate. Unfortunately, Counter-Strike 2 hasn’t been living up to expectations now that it’s finally released.
The first major reason for CS2’s low scores is the gameplay itself. A lot of bugs and glitches have frustrated gamers of all skill levels. A lot of game modes and content from CS:GO have also been removed and many players feel CS2 is “unfinished” and lacking content.
Big-name streamers haven’t helped the cause by expressing how “s—” the game is. Former CS:GO pro turned successful streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek even said that Counter-Strike 2 would be the “death” of the franchise, claiming it ends with CS2.
The reviews also brought up some other concerns, however. Many Counter-Strike players were frustrated that the arrival of CS2 spelled the end of CS:GO. Players were not given a choice to stick to the OG, with CS2 taking over CS:GO’s Steam page. CS:GO’s game file was also automatically replaced with CS2 for those who had the game downloaded.
Not only were fans angry to have their favorite game removed, but others felt that Valve was being deceitful. Since CS2 took over the CS:GO page, it also seemed to have over 6.7 million positive reviews. However, most of these reviews were carried over from CS:GO’s decade-long reign on Steam.
Said one outspoken CS:GO fan: “Valve did an Activision-Blizzard and force upgraded everyone playing CS:GO to play Counter-Strike 2 — so Valve which is it, a sequel or a major patch?? On top of that they replaced the store page so all the millions of reviews and stats are now attributed to CS2 even though they were earned by CS:GO, underhanded and disgusting behavior. I expect better from Valve of all companies. I cannot support this.”
All of the negative reviews have added up to make CS2 the lowest-rated Valve game in history, with even the highly controversial Half-Life Source having a better rating.
While Counter-Strike 2 has been getting a lot of complaints from the harsh FPS crowd, it’s still quite popular. Over the weekend it had a peak concurrent player count of 1.2 million gamers.
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!