Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released officially in 2012 and is available for PC, Mac, and Linux. In the summer of 2023, Valve released CS2, and ever since then, the question that has occupied players’ minds has been, will CS2 be free? After CSGO was released, it topped the Steam charts and became the most-played FPS game.
Until today, Counter-Strike has maintained its place on the Esports stage and has one of the most competitive environments. New players are probably wondering if Counter-Strike 2 will be free since the other popular FPS titles, such as Valorant and OW2, are keeping the F2P type. So, we will break down if CS2 is free on Steam and many other details you need to know.
Is CS2 Free To Play?
Everyone is wondering: Is CS2 free on Steam? The short answer is yes. Counter-Strike 2 is free and will remain free until further information is released. When CSGO was released in 2012, it was not free to play. You had to pay for the actual game and later receive a Prime account.
A Prime account comes with some benefits. First and most important is that you won’t have to deal with cheaters anymore. Valve created a system that prevents Prime players from playing with cheaters. Moreover, you have a chance of getting bonus loot boxes after a match. Later, in 2018, Valve decided to make CSGO completely free. With the game being free to play, another benefit comes from having a Prime account. That is, you can play competitive game mode with your friends.
Regarding the release of CS2, many people wondered: Will Counter Strike 2 be free? Since the game is widespread and its Esport stage is big and well-known, Valve decided to make it accessible without any payment. Cases and keys still cost money, but like the rival titles such as Valorant and Apex Legends, CS2 can now be downloaded and played for free.
Back to the question, is Counter Strike 2 free, the answer is yes. Veteran players will be pleased that they just received an improvement from the original CSGO, and the newbies can try the game without worrying about buying it. After all, you can not know when you will be hooked; you might end up climbing the ladder. The benefits of having a Prime account still stay the same, though, so if you want to play competitive games with your friends, you need to purchase a Prime account.
Is Prime Status Worth It?
In our opinion, yes, the Prime Status is completely worth the money.
Remember that the Prime Status is a one-time purchase, meaning you only have to buy it once and you will have it permanently. The thing is, most CS:GO players will invest thousands of hours into the game.
Let’s say you’ll spend 2,000 hours in the future, which is a normal amount in the CS:GO community. If you divide $14.99 by 2,000 hours, you are spending less than one cent per hour played. This is a small price to pay for your entertainment.
Additionally, the feature of receiving item drops is another determining factor that encourages you to buy the Prime Status. Every week, active players with a Prime Status will receive a weekly drop.
This care package allows players to get two free items, whether it’d be weapon skins, cases, or graffiti. If you farm these care packages every week, you can easily collect a handful of cases which are worth at least 50 cents up to a dollar.
After a few months of playing the game regularly, you can sell the item drops you’ve accumulated to the market and essentially make your $14.99 back. Grinding for a Weekly Care Package seriously doesn’t take too much work.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, we answered the question, “Is CS2 going to be free?” The new Counter-Strike title CS2 is entirely free to play. As we mentioned before, players who purchased the first game will be eligible and get Prime status. If you’re looking for that, it might be a little late for you. Skins also Cary Over From CSGO To CS2 If that is also something your are wondering.
But we can also that there’s no considerable difference between being a casual and a Prime player. Counter-Strike 2 can be played entirely free on PC, Mac, and Linux. So, if you are asking yourself, “How much is CS2 going to cost?” you have nothing to worry about anymore. Hop into Steam and start shooting right away!
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