Valve has officially concluded the first Premier season in Counter-Strike 2, disabling the corresponding matchmaking mode with the latest update. Premier became the main hub for competitive games, and the upcoming changes will affect not only maps but also weapon balance, significantly impacting match dynamics.

The first season lasted 489 days, starting from September 2023 — the release of CS2. During this time, Premier became the central arena for millions of players, and its conclusion marks the transition to a new stage of the game's development.

What to expect from the second season?

In the second season, developers will introduce several changes. Key points:

• The map Train will replace Vertigo in the main map pool.
• FAMAS will be cheaper and will receive improvements in accuracy when firing from a standing and crouching position, making the weapon more competitive.
• The price of M4A4 will be reduced to the level of M4A1-S ($2900), promising changes in player preferences.

Additionally, an interesting statistic from the first season: over 330,000 players (8.93%) completed the season with an MMR of 4000-4999, making this range the most popular, excluding uncalibrated players. The rarest rank is 25,000 MMR and above.

Counter-Strike 2 was released in September 2023, bringing significant innovations. The game transitioned to the modern Source 2 engine, which allowed for improved graphics, physics, and sound, as well as the introduction of new technologies such as reactive smoke, more accurate servers with tickrate, and revamped grenade mechanics.

Premier was introduced as a key competitive mode with an MMR system, allowing players to more accurately track their progress. Despite the long first season, Valve continued to release patches, improving the game and listening to the community.