On September 27, 2023, when Counter-Strike 2 was released for open access, one of the most unexpected changes was a radical rethinking of the achievements system, familiar to players from the previous version, CS:GO. Instead of a multitude of tasks and goals that players could achieve during the game, earning unique badges and titles for it, Valve developers left only one achievement: "Launch CS2." This decision caused a wide resonance in the gaming community, as achievements traditionally served not only as a way to track progress and skill but also provided players with additional incentives for development and improvement in the game.

Achievements in CS:GO and similar games played an important role, offering players clear goals to achieve and giving them a sense of satisfaction from their successes. They also contributed to the variety of the gameplay, encouraging players to try new strategies and techniques. However, with Valve's decision to limit the number of achievements to just one, many question the future of this system in CS2. In this article, we will take a closer look at the developers' plans regarding the return or introduction of new achievements, explore the reasons for such an unusual step, and its possible consequences for the gaming community.

What were the achievements in CS:GO?

In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, players had the opportunity to claim 167 different achievements that covered a wide range of tasks and challenges. These achievements were distributed across several categories, including performing certain actions in the arms race mode and destroying important objects on the map, with which 33 achievements were associated. Additionally, 17 achievements were related to the gameplay on various maps, and 40 achievements could be obtained for killings with a variety of weapons. Another 40 achievements involved killings by different methods, including at certain times, while 37 achievements were aimed at encouraging teamwork and joint actions.

For most players, achieving these achievements was a natural part of the gameplay, and on average, players earned between 120 and 130 achievements. However, for those who aimed to achieve absolute mastery and unlock 100% of their achievements, the path promised to be long and hard. The most challenging tasks were achievements requiring playing 5,000 matches in arms race mode and winning 1,000 rounds in the same mode. Considering the average duration of a match at 10 minutes, completing these tasks would take over 830 hours of pure gameplay time. Nevertheless, there were special maps available on the trading platform that significantly simplified the process of obtaining these most challenging achievements.

Among the numerous achievements in CS:GO, there were also those that became impossible to achieve after updates to the game, for example, playing on now non-existent maps such as Dust or old versions of Inferno and Nuke. This added an element of uniqueness for those who managed to earn them before the changes, making these achievements peculiar relics of past versions of the game.

What is the current situation with achievements in CS2?

In the new version of Counter-Strike 2, developers decided to radically change the approach to achievements, leaving only one, but what a one! This single, somewhat mysterious achievement, can be yours in completely different ways. Want to get it? Just play a bit in training mode, win any online match, or even... just exit the game. Yes, it's that simple and unusual at the same time.

This raises questions, right? In a game where thousands of players compete every day, trying to show their skill, do we really need a bunch of achievements? Maybe, in CS 2, developers want to show that sometimes less is more. And who knows, maybe in the future, they will decide to add new achievements to diversify the game.

But for now, in this world of competitive battles, there is only one achievement, which kind of reminds us: sometimes just enjoy the game, without getting fixated on checkmarks and rewards. It remains to be guessed whether this philosophy will change in the future, but for now, CS 2 reigns with remarkable simplicity.

When will achievements appear in Counter-Strike 2?

It's impossible to give a precise date. However, looking at Valve's pace of work, we can expect updates with achievements already after the end of the major. Right now, they are busy improving the subtlety and the like.

But, if we look at it from another angle, the player's activity in the game increased against the backdrop of the first major in CS2. After that, the activity will drop to New Year's values. And how will Valve bring it back to normal figures? It's very simple - release something for which players will again enter the game and play. This could be a new operation, a new case, or the same achievements.

Of course, they will not be the same as in CS:GO, because what was the point of removing them? Right, none. So, from the end of the major until the beginning of summer, we are 90% likely to see achievements that will be displayed in your Steam profile.

Conclusion

So, returning to our discussion about the future of achievements in Counter-Strike 2, it all boils down to the fact that although the exact date of their appearance remains a big question, we can expect significant updates already after the end of the first major. Considering Valve's activity and their desire to maintain players' interest in the game, new achievements may become one way to attract attention to CS2 again. However, these achievements will most likely differ from those in CS:GO, emphasizing the uniqueness of the gaming experience in the new version.

Thus, between the end of the major and the beginning of summer, with a high degree of probability, we will see updates that will not only enrich players' Steam profiles with new achievements but also possibly bring a new twist to the development of the gameplay and CS2 community.