Counter-Strike 2 hits massive new player count record but no one really knows why

Counter-Strike 2 has just eclipsed its highest peak player count on Steam since the CS:GO sequel was released in 2023 – and given the lack of new content lately, the cause for the new record is unclear.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive set its own player count record at over 1.8 million back in May 2023, which was largely thanks to the hype about CS2 coming out that year.

Indeed, the rumors were true, and CS2 was released in September 2023, but the player count initially dipped, much to the surprise of the community, as issues such as lack of modes, bugs and cheaters pushed some players away.

While CS2 may not be perfect yet, it’s undoubtedly in a much more refined state than it was on release, and that means it is flourishing like never before – reaching a new peak player count of 1.74 million on Sunday, February 16.

Of course, that’s still not quite as much as CS:GO managed, but it’s a new record for CS2 all the same.

Why is CS2’s player count spiking?

What has really got people talking, though, is: why now? There hasn’t been any major content updates, and IEM Katowice finished more than a week ago, so the tournament hype has waned a little too.

As always, some of the more pessimistic players will argue the player count is inflated by ‘bot farms.’ These are typically rooms filled with PCs used for ‘farming’ case drops in Valve deathmatch.

If the owner of bot farm manages to fill up the entire deathmatch server with their own bots, they can accrue weekly case drops on those accounts. And, as cases are worth real money (check out the most expensive here), this is a money-making initiative, to put it nicely.

However, it’s unclear how common these bot farms really are, or if they are just a drop in the ocean of the real player count.

What’s more indicative of the player count rising (with real players), is the market prices of skins and items on the marketplace.

One index that tracks the value of skins and items in the game, via EsportsFire, shows that the market has risen significantly in 2025 so far, indicating genuine demand for items, which would line up with an increase in players.

Still, the question remains, why are more people playing CS2 now than ever before?

It could just be the cold winter months have players inside more playing games, and the game is definitely in a good state, or at least a much better state, than it has been.

IEM Katowice may have ignited some players’ passion to play again, and there’s no denying that once you jump back in for a game or two, it’s very easy to get hooked on Counter-Strike gameplay again.

Now, CS2 just needs to aim for the 1.8 million record that CS:GO achieved – before eventually aiming for the elusive 2 million mark.