This is the number of players in Counter Strike 2

This is how high the player numbers are in CS2

Since the announcement of Counter Strike 2, there has been a huge amount of hype surrounding the game. Before the CS2 beta, CS:GO had broken record player numbers. Even in the beta and after the release of CS2, it looks like Counter Strike is more popular than ever before.

But what do the player numbers look like three months after the release of CS2?

Currently, CS2 still has record-breaking high player numbers. At the moment CS2 has around 800,000 players per month. During the release, there were still around 1 million players per month. However, the current player numbers are still higher than they ever were before the announcement of CS2.

A look into the past of Counter Strike

CS:GO has been around for more than 10 years! That alone speaks for the success of the game.

With CS:GO, Valve managed to create a game that, with a few exceptions, had consistently rising player numbers. It was one of the top games for years and the e-sports scene could not be imagined without it.

The following graph visualizes the success of Counter Strike:

Graphic showing the average monthly players of Counter Strike — The average Counter Strike players per month over the last 10 years

With the exception of a few years, the average monthly number of players has been rising for more than 10 years. Of course, player numbers cannot always increase and Counter Strike is not excluded from this, but it has always been one of the biggest games on the gaming market.

In 2020, CS:GO received another major boost in new players due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the announcement of CS2, player numbers went through the roof in 2023 and all records were broken.

What are the current player numbers in Counter Strike 2?

Currently, Counter Strike still has record-breaking player numbers. Since the announcement of CS2, player numbers are higher than ever before. Of course, the current player numbers are no longer as high as they were during the release hype. Nevertheless, the numbers are still at record-breaking levels.

Where do Counter Strike players come from?

The question rightly arises as to where the majority of Counter Strike players come from. Before 2017, the majority of the player base came from America, Europe and Russia.

CS:GO was released in China in 2017Since then, more and more people from this region have been playing Counter Strike. In addition to the growing number of players, the release in China has also led to rising skin prices, as many Chinese investors have invested in CS skins.

Will the number of players continue to rise?

Whether player numbers will continue to rise, remain at the current level or even fall again is of course written in the stars. It will depend on whether Valve manages to bring out exciting updates with new operations and whether they manage to keep the hackers in CS2 under control.

However, one thing is pretty certain, CS2 is one of the most played games in the world and will not disappear from the scene any time soon.