Dota 2
CS2
Is CS2 better than CSGO?
Not an easy question to answer, but let's look at the changes from CSGO to CS2 from the perspective of a CSGO player who is just getting started in CS2, since we've played both a lot.
Changes from CSGO to CS2
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The most obvious change from CSGO to CS2 is the graphical improvement. If you score CS2 against CSGO, it's a clear 1-0 for the new game. Colors are more vivid, textures are smoother, water is gorgeous, and even smoke is much better.
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This has a point in CSGO's favor in the CS2 vs CSGO showdown: the game becomes much harder to run efficiently. If you are a CSGO player and switch to CS2, you will most likely suffer a drop in FPS from what you were getting, so keep that in mind, especially if you have a slightly older or less powerful PC.
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CS2 also changed from MR15 to MR12, which was a relatively popular change at the time, although it had its critics. Essentially, this means that one of the changes from CSGO to CS2 was to make each match about 20% shorter. For those of us with less time to devote to Counter-Strike, this is a good change - and if the match goes 12-12 on Premier, it will go to a single overtime. However, critics point out that the smaller number of rounds will impact economy, tactical depth and skill differential, especially in professional play.
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We mentioned earlier that smoke grenades look better, and they do, but they also work very differently. One-way smoke grenades no longer exist in the same way, and it is much harder to play with smoke grenades because they are more solid. Overall, this is a much appreciated change, as the smokes in CSGO were awkward, especially for newer players, and there were a lot of unfair tricks and interactions. The smokes in CS2 versus CSGO bloom very differently, filling space like a liquid in a container. They can also be briefly destroyed by a well-placed HE grenade, creating interesting opportunities in the middle of executions.
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The ranking system in CS2 is unfamiliar to those who play CSGO and come to CS2. Competitive gives you a different rank on each map, meaning you can be Silver on Mirage and Global on Inferno, in theory, while Premier has become the main competitive game mode. This mode uses a more traditional ELO system, where your "rank" is determined by a single four or five digit number.
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One of the big reasons for the question "Is CS2 better than CSGO?" is the new subtick system. Instead of CSGO's 64/128 tick servers, which basically update 64 or 128 times per second, the subtick system supposedly updates constantly and, in theory, would be far superior; however, it didn't always work that way. Subtick had some initial problems, with some strange hitboxes and the even stronger peeker advantage, although this has improved since launch.
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The buy menu will also be unfamiliar to CSGO players coming to CS2. Gone is the clunky, circular purchase menu, now it's more intuitive and blocky, more like VALORANT's.
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Another interesting change from CSGO to CS2 is that you can now have both M4s equipped if you want. You can choose five weapons for each section of the purchase menu, which means you may have to ditch the autosniper if you want to have the SSG, AWP, FAMAS and the two M4s on the CT side.
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There are a few modes missing that you may be used to as a CSGO player when you get to CS2. The "No Danger Zone" mode is one of the most important, and the "Retakes" mode was added recently, but also took a long time to implement. At the time of writing, the community browser is not working either, making it difficult to find those great deathmatch and retake servers we all waste our time on.
There have been some balance changes to the weapons, such as FAMAS becoming cheaper, and many of the weapons will sound completely different from what you remember from CSGO versus CS2.
Is CS2 better than CSGO?
The simplest answer to "is CS2 better than CSGO?" is yes, but with an asterisk. The look is much better, the weapon handling is pretty much the same, and there are some great quality of life related things like the new shopping menu, but MR12 or MR15 is a matter of personal preference and the overall feel of CSGO - especially when you're on a less powerful PC - is unbeatable.