Valve shuts down fans trying to idle their way into the ‘Counter-Strike 2’ test

Valve has shared some disappointing news for fans who are trying to boost their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) playtime in an attempt to get invited to Counter-Strike 2‘s ongoing test.

In a tweet posted yesterday (March 27), Valve confirmed that although players’ chances of receiving a Counter-Strike 2 limited test are influenced by their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive playtime, the studio is only looking at how much fans played CS:GO before the test began.

“PSA: Idling on official matchmaking servers in CS:GO does not increase your chances of making [it] into the CS2 Limited Test,” announced Valve. “The playtime that counts was your playtime prior to the start of the Limited Test.”

PSA: Idling on official matchmaking servers in CS:GO does not increase your chances of making into the CS2 Limited Test. The playtime that counts was your playtime prior to the start of the Limited Test.

— CS2 (@CounterStrike) March 27, 2023

This will come as a disappointment to many fans who returned to CS:GO in the hopes of securing an invite. While some made the most of their time in CS:GO by playing the shooter normally, others chose to stand idly (AFK) during games to boost their playtime without actually being at their computer.

Since Counter-Strike 2 was announced last week, the player count for CS:GO has risen dramatically. As noted on SteamDB, the 2012 shooter’s all-time concurrent player count hit 1.5million on Sunday (March 26) — setting a new record, despite the game turning 13 in August.

As for what Counter-Strike 2 will bring, Valve has revealed that it will be launched as a free Source 2 upgrade for CS:GO.

The upgrade will introduce sub-tick servers to make the game’s shootouts feel smoother, and bring visual upgrades for every element of the game — including a makeover for Counter-Strike‘s iconic Dust 2 map.

However, other maps – such as Overpass – will be receiving complete overhauls.

Additionally, Valve has confirmed that it won’t be taking away players’ CS:GO skins when Counter-Strike 2 launches. Instead, cosmetics will benefit from the source upgrade’s visual improvements.

Elsewhere, a reference to Left 4 Dead 3 has been found in Counter-Strike 2‘s files.