Counter-Strike 2: Another map and revised smoke grenades – This is what Valve has changed

• The latest update adds the Italy map for casual and deathmatch modes.
• Valve has also changed the shape of the smoke clouds on the smoke grenades.
• These now spread more horizontally, similar to their predecessor.

The release period for Counter-Strike 2 is planned for summer 2023 and Valve is therefore continuously releasing new updates for the current beta phase.

As in previous updates, Valve has added a revised map to the active map selection. This time it is Italy.

However, this time Valve has only enabled the map for the Casual and Deathmatch game modes. Competitive mode and private lobbies are currently disabled during testing.

Changes to the smoke grenade

One of the most noticeable changes in this patch is the adjustment to the smoke clouds on smoke grenades. With the announcement of Counter-Strike 2, Valve presented a video in March in which the new smoke grenades can be seen.

Compared to Counter-Strike Global Offensive, smoke grenades in the sequel are considered dynamic objects that interact with the environment and react to lighting, shots and explosions.

This also caused smoke grenades to spread more horizontally than in its predecessor. With the latest update, Valve has adjusted the shape of the smoke clouds so that they develop more vertically.

Valve has already published a video on Twitter that demonstrates the differences between the smoke clouds in Counter-Strike Global Offensive and Counter-Strike 2.

Whether the deactivation of Competitive Mode is a possible indication of the impending release of Counter-Strike 2 remains to be seen. As a leaker claims, the game could be released as early as September 23rd.