Important Notes from the Latest CS:GO Updates

Valve has a habit of introducing CS:GO updates when we least expect them. They come infrequently, and the changes are relatively minor, but from time to time, they make an important change to the game, such as the introduction of a new map or some gun nerfs.

This article analyzes the significant changes introduced by the CS:GO updates launched since the start of August.

August 1^st Update (The Matchmaking Update) 

This update focused on just one thing: the recalibration of the competitive skill groups. And it was felt by the entire CS:GO community because it drastically changed some people’s rank. In some cases, players went from Gold Nova to Global Elite. That’s absolutely ridiculous, but it happened. And it wasn’t just a few cases. Lots of people streamed their new ranks, and the progress was spectacular.

Whether it was by accident or by design, Valve has certainly made a lot of people happy, at least for the moment. Their problems will start once they get to compete against actual Global Elites and realize just how hard it is to win rounds at that level if you’re not highly competent.

Of course, we don’t know how Valve changed its competitive matchmaking algorithm to recalculate people’s Matchmaking Rating (MMR). But it’s clear that many players were regarded by the updated system as being better than their skill group indicated.

Another thing that we don’t know is how the new matchmaking system functions. Most likely, it works almost the way it did before, but with some minor changes. The valve should probably use CS:GO a more transparent system similar to the one used in Dota 2. If players could see their MMR, they would be less inclined to complain and speculate.

CS:GO Updates

Competitive matches in CS:GO are team-based, so the logical thing to do would be to increase or decrease players’ ratings based on how their team performs, but also take into account their individual performance. So if they lose the game, they lose MMR, but not everyone on the losing team should lose the same number of points.

The same goes for winning. When your team wins, you should gain MMR proportional to your contribution. Unlike MOBA games, in which some players are destined to have poor scores because they don’t play a core role in their team, CS:GO gives everyone a fair chance to get a high score and excellent overall stats.

Because of that, a system where individuals gain or lose points based on their performance should not be hard to implement. Valve probably already does that to some degree, but it doesn’t want its players to know how the system evaluates each individual’s performance for the match.

The essential patch notes for this update are the following:

• Multiple changes to the competitive matchmaking algorithm, which will require Skill Groups to be recalibrated for accuracy. Your Skill Group will not be visible until you win your next match.
• The game instructor should now correctly reload the saved state if it is disabled and re-enabled.
• Game instructor floating hints are disabled in competitive matches.

August 16^th Update (Happy Birthday CS:GO!)

This was a very memorable update because it marked CS:GO’s 10-year celebration. Time flies incredibly fast, doesn’t it? More than 10 years ago, Valve introduced the latest game in the Counter-Strike franchise: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. 

It was full of bugs and poor design decisions, making many pro players reject it. But ultimately, people decided to give it a shot, and Valve worked hard to improve it in every way until it reached a satisfactory level. Today, CS:GO is a well-calibrated game with relatively few imperfections.

This update brought the 10 Year Birthday Sticker Capsule and new maps such as Tuscan. Anubis and Breach were also brought back to competitive matchmaking, while Blagai and Primetime were added to one of the game modes (Wingman). 

On top of all this, Valve gave players the opportunity to earn the 10 Year Birthday Coin by simply playing the game.

At the time of this update, Valve also let us know that CS:GO’s current player base is 20 million, which is a lot more than previously thought.

August 23^rd Update (The Sound of Music Kits)

On August 23^rd, Valve introduced the Initiators Music Kit Box into the game. This kit box features artists and CS:GO personalities like Juelz, Meechy Darko, Sullivan King, Knock2, Humanity’s Last Breath, and 3kliksphilip.

September 7^th Update

This CS:GO update mostly went unnoticed by people, and Valve didn’t say anything, either. It could have posted something on CS:GO’s blog, but it didn’t. Here are the notes and updates for CS:GO’s September 7^th patch:

• Improved Steam Input support for mouse and keyboard input on Steam Deck.
• Improved game startup I/O to reduce game launch time.
• Improved user interface flow when cycling through weapon case items in Agent View.
• Fixed an incorrect inventory limit warning shown to users with many items in Storage Units.
• Fixed an exploit that would allow the player’s camera to become detached from their eye position.

Speculations About the Next Major Update

The next big CS:GO update will not be launched until the end of the IEM Rio Major or perhaps even the end of the season. But what will be included in it?

The most likely answer is this: a new weapon case. The game itself looks quite balanced at this point and there is no reason to buff or to nerf anything significantly. 

One exception here might be the SMGs or the FAMAS and Galil, just to give the teams that have lost key rounds more of a boost and make each round of the match more interesting. But that would go against the game’s tradition, so it would require some testing before it’s added.

The one thing that would imply 0 risks and make everyone happy is a new case. And that’s what we’ll probably get for Christmas this year.