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CS:GO developers have finally revealed that its successor, Counter-Strike 2, will be released in the summer of 2023. Valve made this announcement on March 22, 2023, and one question that many console and Xbox Game Pass holders have is regarding whether this new version will be coming to their consoles and appearing in their Game Pass libraries.
Though no official word on this has been provided by the developers, the answer to the titular question seems to be no. The reason for this answer has been offered below.
Counter-Strike 2 coming to Xbox? All you need to know
The trailer for Counter-Strike 2 was released on March 22, 2023, with a statement from Valve saying:
"All of the game’s new features will be revealed when it officially launches this summer, but the road to Counter-Strike 2 begins today as a Limited Test for select CS:GO players."
The "Limited Test" feature is currently live, with certain players being handpicked by Valve to try out certain features in the new game. There is no way to participate in it, as only select players will receive a notification inside Counter-Strike: Global Offensive itself, which will prompt them to "Enroll" and install an update.
This Limited Test is only available to Windows users, at least as of the time of writing. CS2 is already registered on Steam, and the developers have said that the new version will be available as a free upgrade to all CS:GO owners. This is one indication that the title won't be available on consoles.
Back in 2012, when Counter-Strike: Global Offensive first hit players' screens, the game was released with both a console and a PC version. The latter grew to become one of the most popular games in the world. However, the console version didn't see the same results and hasn't received an update since 2013.
The game can still be played on any Xbox device if players buy it from the Xbox 360 online store using the Microsoft account that is linked to their console. The title itself is rather disappointing on the system, as it is not optimized for such devices and hosts less than a small fraction of players than the CS:GO PC version.
The developers have made it clear that Counter-Strike 2 will be a free upgrade to the already F2P CS:GO. It will replace the latter title on marketplaces like Steam. Given that the sub-tick-rate software — the highlight of the upcoming game — is something specifically designed to improve the user experience on PC, it is clear that the console version is far from Valve's priority list. This is the second reason gamers believe the title won't arrive on Xbox systems.
Additionally, as Counter-Strike 2 will also be a free title whose trademarks are already listed on Steam, it will not be added to the Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service that enables players to access a collection of paid offerings for free.
