CS:GO turns 11!

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive turns eleven today, with many wondering if this marks the final symbolic hurdle ahead of the release of Counter-Strike 2. While Valve is notorious for "Valve Time" when it comes to releasing their marquee titles, releasing the next generation of one of their most popular titles would be a fitting way to pass the torch.

Eleven years ago, on a Tuesday afternoon, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive became publicly available on PC, Mac, and Playstation. The Xbox 360 version was available the following day.

For those who may not remember, CS:GO started its life as a port of Counter-Strike: Source, being developed by Hidden Path Entertainment to tap into the massive potential playerbase on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. However, after seeing the potential in a new title to replace the aging Source, Valve went all in on CS:GO and the rest was history.

After a somewhat bumpy launch, CS:GO has continued to smash all expectations as the game has become one of the most popular FPS on PC. With a vibrant casual and competitive community, the game has become a mainstay with casual players, competitive players, and esports fans alike.

Over those eleven years there are memories of craziness within the game, like times where pistols like the R8 and CZ-75 were dominant and the scoped rifles of the AUG and SG 553 sent an entire competitive scene into upheaval. We saw massive changes like the AWP nerf and changes to the M4A1-S briefly making it better than the iconic AK-47.

So, in honor of CS:GO's birthday we will toast to the game that has given us so much while the rest of the community rattles over the anticipated arrival of Counter-Strike 2.