Valve pushes update fixing much-maligned flashbang change that blinded spectators

Valve has released an update five days ahead of the kickoff of IEM Cologne 2026, addressing the flash effect for game observers. This change restores the flash opacity to more closely reflect its CS:GO state, which was slightly transparent.

The original change made the flash effect blind the entire observer's screen, completely obscuring the spectator's and viewer's vision and making the game nearly impossible to follow when watching a flashed player.

The flashbang effect will now render underneath the HUD, making the killfeed visible when spectating a player that has been flashed.

ESL's Marc Winther noted that the tournament organizer would test the new flash effect ahead of IEM Cologne's start; later, he confirmed the update's effectiveness.