Counter-Strike 2 takes inspiration from Valorant with new mini-map feature

Counter-Strike 2 comes with a lot of changes, and one of them is to its mini-map with a brand new feature taking inspiration from Valorant. 

Counter-Strike 2 has finally hit the servers up and running after weeks of speculation, to the point of obsessiveness. From initial leaks in NVIDIA drivers, to significant reports from Richard Lewis, and fans obsessing over every file put into Steam’s database, it’s been a long wait but the community has now been rewarded.

Finally, we have a look into what gameplay changes have been made to CS2. From an entirely new mechanic for the smokes, to increased server tick rates, there’s plenty for veterans to wrap their heads around. But a minute detail several streamers noticed upon loading up a map is in its minimap. 

Smooya, the former player of Fnatic, BIG, and Movistar Riders turned CS streaming giant immediately clocked the tiny yet massive change to CS2 upon loading into Dust 2.

The change is that now the minimap will show the radius in which your footsteps can be heard by the enemy on the minimap. The circle will grow larger and smaller depending on if you start walking, jumping, or stop completely. 

The feature, which was never in any previous iterations of Counter-Strike, makes it easier for players to gauge how far away enemies can hear them. Making it much simpler to completely conceal footsteps than ever before. 

But surprisingly, the feature is actually borrowed from Valorant, which was the first tactical FPS game to implement anything of this nature. The feature was in Valorant since its beta. 

And other quality-of-life features that Valorant has have also been adopted by CS2. From 128 tick servers, to the game adding a new UI that shows kills and aces on your screen in a graphic, just like Valorant.

It only makes sense Valorant and CS2 would take cues from one another as when Valorant came out, it improved and took heavy inspiration from CS. And now CS2 is just doing it in kind.