Marking the introduction of the game’s first weapon case, Counter-Strike 2’s first major patch of the year has led to a spike in its player count, leading to an interesting insight into the community.
On Feb. 26, a Reddit post highlighting CS2’s increased player count after the Call to Arms update attracted comments from players who think the boost is at least partially due to the new Kilowatt case, which features some incredible weapon skins.
“Gambling addiction and the skin market are hilariously unironically what keeps this game alive,” one hard-hitting comment from a player reads. According to them, CS2 would have “deteriorated during the long periods that Valve did nothing” if it had a “normal store.” Interestingly, a lot of players seemed to agree with this opinion.
There are a lot of tactical shooter games that feature microtransactions, but none is as profitable for the players as Counter-Strike is. While many buy skins to boost their collection’s rarity, most players are motivated to trade skins and make significant profits when the time comes. This is a crucial feature of the franchise, and it has a part to play in keeping the player base alive and thriving.
The Kilowatt case features 17 skins, including Counter-Strike’s first new knife skin since 2019 and the first-ever skin for the Zeus. You can get it as part of your weekly drops, but if you don’t want to test your luck, you can also buy it via the Steam Community listings.
Many players in the thread, however, also highlighted other perks in the Call to Arms update, including the return of the popular Arms Race mode. “People underestimate the casual player base in CS but they are not small,” one comment stressed before suggesting to “add Danger Zone, Retakes and more Arms Race maps” to “reach the CS:GO’s numbers.”
Whatever the actual reason behind the spike, CS2’s popularity is promising—but how long will this last?
Published: Feb 26, 2024 10:51 am