Counter-Strike 2 didn't arrive all at once. Valve announced it on March 22, 2023 and opened a Limited Test the same day, an invite-only version of the new game that ran alongside CS:GO for six months. The test decided much of what shipped on September 27, and it was the first time players saw their skins under Source 2 lighting.
This article covers the test itself. For the launch day, see our CS2 launch article; for how skins look in the finished game, see what changed for skins in CS2.
Who got in
Valve didn't open the test to everyone. Its FAQ said players were picked on factors the team considered important, "including (but not limited to) recent playtime on Valve official servers, trust factor, and Steam account standing". If you were chosen, a notification appeared in the CS:GO main menu and you could enroll from there. The Verge noted that the test ran on Windows only, and that accounts banned from CS:GO couldn't play CS2 on Valve's servers either.
The playtime rule set off a rush. Players began idling in CS:GO matches to improve their chances, and on March 27 Valve posted a correction: idling "does not increase your chances", because "the playtime that counts was your playtime prior to the start of the Limited Test", as Windows Central reported.
Invites widened at the end. On August 31, 2023, Valve began inviting as many eligible players as possible. To qualify you needed Prime status, an active Competitive Skill Group, and most of your matches played in a region where the test was available.
What was tested, and when
At the start there was very little to play. The Verge reported one map, Dust II, in Deathmatch and unranked competitive matchmaking. Maps then arrived one or two at a time, and the Counter-Strike Wiki notes that a map was swapped out once the team judged it sufficiently improved.
| Date (2023) | What changed in the test |
|---|---|
| Mar 22 | Test opens with Dust II in Deathmatch and unranked Competitive |
| Jun 6 | Mirage replaces Dust II; new loadout system and buy menu; CS2 Workshop Tools |
| Jun 29 | Casual mode added, with Nuke and the hostage map Office |
| Jul 17 | Overpass and Vertigo added; Wingman arrives |
| Aug 2 | Ancient and Anubis added |
| Aug 15 | Italy added, Ancient and Anubis removed, Competitive temporarily switched off |
| Aug 31 | Inferno, Premier and the CS Rating arrive; invites widen |
| Sep 27 | Test ends as CS2 replaces CS:GO |
HLTV called the June 6 update "massive". It described a new loadout screen with a starting pistol slot plus four pistol, five mid-tier and five rifle slots per side, a grid buy menu replacing the old wheel, and refunds for unused purchases in the same round. Our launch article covers how those systems ended up at release.
What the test showed about skins
Valve's promise from day one was that you could bring your entire CS:GO inventory, and that every item would "benefit from Source 2 lighting and materials". It also said all stock weapons had new high-resolution models while legacy models and finishes stayed supported. The Counter-Strike Wiki notes that during the test most skins still used the CS:GO versions of the weapon models.
The first builds had visible problems. Dexerto reported on March 24, two days after the test opened, that:
- Some patterns had moved. Pattern-based skins were using the new weapon models while painted ones stayed on the old, so the artwork sat differently on the gun, a worry for skins whose value depends on a specific pattern.
- Holo stickers had stopped moving. In CS:GO they caught the light as the gun moved; in the test they stayed static except when inspecting or reloading.
- Some stickers were far too large and stretched over the weapon.
- Wear looked wrong, with some weapons shown as if they had a 0.00 float.
- Knives had lost their rare inspect animations, although Doppler knives generally looked as good or better.
- Some players felt Case Hardened skins looked worse, which mattered because blue gem Case Hardened items are among the most expensive in the game.
How Valve fixed items during the test
Fixes came through the summer, mixed in with the map and gameplay updates:
- June 6: existing CS:GO items on the Steam Community Market could be inspected in CS2, so buyers could see a skin under the new lighting before paying. The CS2 Workshop Tools also let artists build weapon finishes and stickers for the new engine.
- July 17: glove patterns and wear were brought closer to their CS:GO versions.
- August 15: the StatTrak module was placed in the same position on both CS2 M4 models so it no longer covered stickers, and sticker sizes on the CS2 M4A4 were adjusted so they no longer overlapped.
Some things waited for launch. The release notes of September 27 listed "enabled all interactions with inventory items" and fixed "overly strong wear on several Custom Paint Job finishes", according to HLTV's copy of the changelog. HLTV also noted that the last test update before launch came on September 15.
Why the test still matters for traders
The first impressions of how skins looked in CS2 came from these test builds, before many of the fixes landed. If you are comparing a skin with videos from 2023, check whether they came from the Limited Test: holo stickers, glove wear and some finish wear looked different then. Today the inspect view in CS2 is the reliable reference, and our guide to inspecting skins in CS2 explains what to look at. For how the announcement itself moved prices, see the 2023 CS2 market boom.
Sources
- Valve announces Counter-Strike 2, a free replacement for CS:GO — The Verge
- Valve announce Counter-Strike 2 — HLTV.org
- Valve has bad news for CS:GO players trying to get Counter-Strike 2 beta test access — Windows Central
- Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test — Counter-Strike Wiki
- Counter-Strike 2 update swaps Dust2 for Mirage, introduces interchangeable weapon loadouts — HLTV.org
- Counter-Strike 2 breaks various CSGO skins, stickers and knives in limited test beta — Dexerto
- 2023-08-15 Patch — Liquipedia Counter-Strike Wiki
- Changelog: What's different after CS2's launch? — HLTV.org
