Newly added CSGO Source 2 code has players hopeful for major update soon

CS:GO players ⁠— it’s time to get your hopes up again. New strings of Source 2 code have been found in a recent Artifact update, and it’s got everyone hopeful that a major update is just around the corner.

Source 2 is coming to CS:GO. Or is it? At this point, the project has been greenlit, then reportedly canceled, then put back on so many times it’s hard to keep track.

CS:GO’s port to the newer Source 2 engine seemed dead in the water in July, even after speculation earlier in 2020 that it was just around the corner. Now it’s been given a new timeframe of the end of 2021.

However, for the first time in almost six months, there’s physical evidence that Valve are still kicking along with the project. New code found in one of Valve’s other titles has given players hope for Source 2 ⁠— and potentially a major update in the coming weeks.

The CS:GO Source 2 code string was found in the latest Artifact update. Valve data miner ‘GabeFollower’ shared the details on October 22. It was just a one-liner to do with shadows, but to CS:GO players, it’s something.

Given there hasn’t been any major changes to CS:GO since 2019’s Operation Shattered Web, any news is good news. However, it’s unlikely one string of Source 2 code is going to spell out a major in-game event.

It also doesn’t give players a better understanding of exactly what Source 2 will do for CS:GO.

According to Tyler McVickers of Valve News Network, Source 2 isn’t going to impact players too much. In fact, he stated that the game would be “95%” the same after the port.

• Read more: Source 2 could release by the end of 2021

“Source 2 still retains that backwards compatibility to Source 1, meaning even if a lot of the core mechanics change, ever so slightly, and upset the competitive side, the casual side — expecting ‘CSGO remade’ — will be disappointed as well,” he told players back in July.

However, there will be some changes to how maps and models are created, as well as some bug fixes that come with fixing the old engine.

Dota 2 is already on Source 2, while elements of CS:GO like the Panorama UI use the newer engine. We will update you on everything Source 2 as new information arises.