How to surrender in CS2

Life happens, the internet connection breaks, and sometimes your teammates are just so bad you can’t handle the stress and you leave the game. In CS:GO, you could only surrender if one of your teammates left the match, but how does the surrender system work in Counter-Strike 2?

Surrendering, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, is a unique mechanic that allows players to immediately end the game. The team that called the surrender vote and agreed to it will automatically lose the game, no matter why the surrender vote was called.

Here’s how you can surrender in CS2.

How do you surrender in CS2?

Just like in CS:GO, you can only surrender in CS2 when one of your teammates leaves the game. You can then start a surrender vote and for it to go through, you only need one player to vote YES (including yourself).

To call the surrender vote after a player leaves, navigate to the Loadout in the bar at the top of your screen, click it, and select Call Vote. This will pop up the voting window. You can then press F1 to vote YES and F2 to vote NO. Your vote alone will be enough to surrender the match.

Can CS2’s surrender system be abused?

In CS:GO, the vote to surrender was passed when the majority of the team agreed to it, making it fair and square. 

Although the method is different in CS2, it does have its benefits. This means players can’t hold you hostage in doomed games and it generally prevents trolling and griefing. That said, there’s a chance players will abuse the system.

The game will automatically forfeit after one player votes YES, and no matter if others vote NO, the vote will pass. If you were one round from the win and were down to four players, a player on your team could potentially sabotage the match with a surrender vote despite your advantageous position.

There’s a chance Valve will fix this with the release of CS2 or hotfix it further down the road, but I doubt it. This new surrender system is most likely here to stay and you just have to learn to play around it. 

The consequences of surrendering in CS2

In case a match goes south and you have to surrender it, you will lose the game and some rating. It’s important to note that surrendering is a matchmaking-only option and you can’t forfeit casual games. You can join and leave normal games as much as you like without ever feeling any consequences.

Once the surrender vote goes through, you will be sent back to the lobby screen, and you can start a new game. Luckily for you, you won’t be locked out of ranked queues and you can get back to playing the game.