CS2 Is Getting Close To 1 Million Average Concurrent Players

After nine months of patches, it looks like CS2 is getting very close to being as good as its predecessor, CS:GO. Some game modes and features are still missing but probably not for long.

The CS2 community is growing. It hasn’t yet reached the same peaks it knew a year ago but it’s certainly headed in that direction.

The Evolution Of CS2’s Player Count

In May 2023, CS:GO had 1.12 million average concurrent players. The peak players number for that month was 1.8 million. After the release of CS2, which took place in September last year, the player count dropped significantly in just two months. By November, the number of average concurrent players had dropped by 400.000 relative to the year’s best.

Instead of an average of 1.12 million players competing at any given time, the game had just 714.000. We rarely see successful esports losing so many players in such a short time. But Valve’s game suffered from this problem because it was an absolute mess.

In any other type of game, a buggy experience is manageable. But in a highly technical FPS where even 10 milliseconds can be the difference between success and failure, an experience as buggy as the one provided by CS2 right after its release was completely unacceptable.

The most famous Counter-Strike player in the history of the game, Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, decided to quit the game and come back later. Many believe that he will return soon. The reason why he hasn’t done it already has nothing to do with the current state of CS2. It’s just that Natus Vincere are doing well at the moment even without him.

At the moment, CS2 has 940.000 average concurrent players and 1.51 million peak players. We’re still 170.000 average concurrent players below the record but it’s good to see progress being made.

The Importance Of Tournaments

CS2, much like Dota 2 and other Valve games, gains popularity not because it’s advertised but because it’s really fun to play and its tournaments are spectacular. This is an esport that has stood the test of time like no other.

From the early 2000s until today, Counter-Strike’s journey has been remarkable. An entire generation of kids grew up playing CS and for those who are currently in their 30s and 40s, it’s unbelievable how far we’ve come.

In 2024, CS2 will have nearly 20 important tournaments, many of which have prize pools of $500.000 – $1 million. These competitions are played around the globe, which should help CS2 become even more popular than it already is.

Header: Valve