Counter-Strike 2 players discover why CS2’s AWP is worse than CSGO’s

Counter-Strike 2 players have discovered a somewhat hidden yet massive nerf to CS2’s AWP in comparison to CSGO’s, leading many to understand why high-profile AWPers like s1mple are stepping away from pro play.

Counter-Strike 2‘s launch has certainly been a controversial one. Though some of the initial hype has been lived up to between the game’s drastically improved graphics and new features, there are also a lot of changes that didn’t quite stick the landing.

Even CS2’s devs have admitted that the launch has been “bumpy”, and that there are some things that they’d like to fix. However, there’s one thing that appeared not to have been touched: the AWP.

While it got a somewhat controversial magazine size nerf late in CSGO’s life, the AWP is sacred when it comes to Counter-Strike. It’s meant to exist as a very expensive one-shot kill option that’ll put a hole through whatever it’s aimed at.

However, Counter-Strike 2 players have discovered that the AWP got a huge change in the transition to CS2, one so controversial that many aren’t sure whether it was intended or if it’s just a bug.

Counter-Strike 2 players discover massive AWP nerf

With the AWP being a strong enough weapon to warrant its own role on a team, it’s no surprise that it’s Counter-Strike’s most iconic weapon. The moment someone gets their hands on an AWP, the game changes.

However, with CS2 getting a spray decrease on pretty much every weapon, hitting that initial AWP shot became that much more important in Counter-Strike 2 compared to CSGO.

Some thought this was a core part of why the AWP felt a bit harder to use in CS2, and that’s partially correct. Players have discovered that getting hit while scoping with the AWP throws off your accuracy, something that wasn’t the case in CSGO.

The AWP goes fully innacurate when taking damage in CS2 ⚠️

Even if you have full armor (kev + head), the AWP becomes innacurate when taking damage.

You can see the compairason between CSGO & CS2 in the video below, this also explains the popular clip where @G2m0NESY got CS2'd.… pic.twitter.com/h410hNfaUM

— Ozzny (@Ozzny_CS2) October 29, 2023

While that window of reduced accuracy isn’t too long, it’s long enough to throw off your shot. Especially in the case of high level players who will be landing shots much more consistently than the average player.

Some have speculated that every weapon has some amount of shake when you get hit now, and that it’s just much more noticeable with the AWP than it is with other guns.

Even dev1ce, one of Counter-Strike’s most esteemed AWPers, was surprised to learn about this nerf.

Whatever the case, Counter-Strike 2 players are not happy about the AWP being so drastically nerfed. Whether or not Valve addresses the gun’s reduced accuracy remains to be seen.