Anuj Gupta 
Counter-Strike 2 represents a major step for Valve’s tactical shooter, but the fact it’s missing some features that had become integral to CSGO has proven controversial.
The Counter-Strike player base has high expectations for the game. This has been true for every major step in the game, whether it’s moving from Counter-Strike to CSS, or making CSGO a free-to-play game. It remains so when veterans find a bunch of features missing from Counter-Strike 2, some of which were central to how the game was played.
Valve is slowly adding new features to the game but as of right now, CS2 lacks many of the game modes, console commands, and maps that fans loved. Here’s a list of what’s missing today, and what is available.
What’s missing from CS2?
Counter-Strike 2 launched in an incomplete state, something Valve publicly acknowledged. The rationale was that releasing the game and sunsetting CSGO would hasten the development of CS2, and ultimately be a net positive for both the developer and the player base. The standards were kept low in some ways, with Valve nixing MacOS support and needing to tighten up touted new features like sub-tick updates.
Many players, including esports star Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, voiced frustration about the state of the game at launch. Though CS2 was playable, the frustration was palpable at both the casual and professional levels.
Net Graph
A significant feature missing from CS2 is the Net Graph command. This command allows players to display detailed information about their FPS and packet loss during the game. This information is crucial for identifying performance issues and optimizing gameplay. Without this feature, players are left guessing what their gameplay issue is, which can significantly impact their experience.
StatTrak HUD display
One of the most notable omissions from CS2 in actual games is the lack of StatTrak kills displayed on the HUD. StatTrak is a popular feature that allows players to track the number of kills they have achieved with a weapon. StatTrak skins remain in CS2 and still count kills as they should, but showing off that M4A1-S now requires a skin inspection for spectators rather than just being shown automatically.
Arms Race
The Arms Race game mode is missing from CS2, a fast-paced spin on the deathmatch mode that gained popularity among CSGO players. Arms Race features a linear progression of weapons, with players gaining access to better weapons as they accumulate kills. This mode provided a fun and engaging alternative to the traditional five-on-five competitive gameplay.
Many competitive and Wingman maps
CS2 is also missing a long list of maps that were available in CSGO for ranked matchmaking and Wingman. As of this writing, just four Wingman maps are available in the game. Ranked matchmaking only includes the current active duty rotation, Dust 2, and Office. Classic Valve-made maps such as Train and community maps like Cache are currently unavailable in official matchmaking.
The ability to run community maps was recently added back. It’s unknown whether official matchmaking will bring back maps like Cache or whether Valve intends to have a smaller selection of maps in official matchmaking moving forward.
Danger Zone
CS2 does not include the Danger Zone game mode, a battle royale mode that was added to CSGO in 2018. Danger Zone introduced a completely new CSGO experience, pitting players against each other in a large-scale fight for survival. Its absence in CS2 leaves a significant void in the game’s content offering for some players, as the game had a small but dedicated group of players who exclusively played the mode.
Many console commands
The ability to flip view models, which moves guns from the left hand to the right hand from the player perspective, is one of the many missing console commands in Counter-Strike 2. This feature is essential for some players who situationally toggle the view model, and it’s an important accessibility option. Alongside these are various binds and commands that let players heavily customize their experience.
The absence of these key features in CS2 has left many feeling disappointed and frustrated. Some of these features had become integral to the CSGO experience, providing players with valuable information and a diverse gameplay experience.
Valve needs to reconsider its decision to remove these features and prioritize the needs of its extensive CSGO player base.
