Valve adds tactical timeouts to CS2 Premier

Counter-Strike 2 is right around the corner and everyone hopes that it will be released before the end of the month. But until we all get the chance to play it, Valve is gradually adding new features that will make the experience as good as it can be.

Visually, the new CS looks amazing. There’s nothing to complain about. But what will make this game skyrocket are all the other features, from the ranking system to the quality-of-life improvements.

The latest thing that was introduced is the tactical timeouts. These will be available for CS2 Premier.

Release Notes for today are up, with the focus continuing to be on Counter-Strike 2: https://t.co/aUKrF3SdLO

— CS2 (@CounterStrike) September 6, 2023

The importance of tactical timeouts

When playing ranked games in CS:GO, there’s no such thing as a tactical timeout. In professional matches, we see teams pausing quite frequently to discuss what the best strategy would be. Or simply to reset after a couple of heartbreaking rounds.

The coach can give advice and the players might greatly benefit from his indications. But when you play pubs, it’s just one round after the other without any pauses for tactical considerations.

The fact that Valve has decided to introduce this esports feature into Counter-Strike 2 shows that the company wants to create a pub experience that’s much closer to the authentic esports experience.

In turn, this will make the game more appealing to a lot of people and will increase engagement. Right now, CS:GO has a player base of around 20 million and is played by nearly 1 million people at any given time.

However, a First-Person Shotter of this caliber, with a highly developed esports scene that features around a dozen $1 million events per year, can do a lot better than this.

Games like League of Legends, for instance, are currently played by more than 100 million people. And it’s estimated that CS2 could also have a player base of at least 30 million.

Such a success would have a huge impact on its esports side. Tournaments would get a lot more viewers, prize pools would increase, and that would attract even more players.

So it makes perfect sense for Valve to do as much as it can to make Counter-Strike 2 the most amazing FPS game in the world. It’s already one of the oldest and most prestigious, and the way it plays is highly addictive. With just a few more ingredients, it could become the best of the best.

Header: Valve