Can You Play Counter-Strike 2 On MacOS Or Linux?

1 years ago By AI Smith

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) is almost here and fans are preparing for the next era of the first-person shooter (FPS) game. According to the announcement made on the official website, Counter-Strike 2 is going to be “the largest technical leap forward” for the game. This means players will be treated to major new upgrades, features, and a brand-new look. It has been about a decade since Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was released in 2012, so the expectations for Counter-Strike 2 are high.

Scheduled to launch sometime in the summer, for now Valve has been performing a Limited Test for the game. Access to the Limited Test is through special invitation to selected CS:GO gamers and so far the reviews are looking good. This test is to fix any features or problem that might occur while playing. Valve is making sure that the launch will go as smooth as possible. There have also been updates about all the new features that will be included in Counter-Strike 2. However, right now, fans do want to know one thing, ‘Can Counter-Strike 2 be played on MacOS and Linux?’ Let’s take a look:

Counter-Strike 2 Playable on MacOS and Linux?

The first thing to note is that Counter-Strike 2 is a free upgrade for players who already have access to the game. Currently only Windows (Steam) players have access to the Limited Test while those on MacOS or Linux have been left out. This is why it has worried players on the latter two platforms, making them wonder if Valve is planning to release CS2 only on Windows and not on MacOS and Linux.

MacOS

While nothing has been confirmed about the game’s release on MacOS, players do not have anything to worry about. As CS:GO on MacOS has been constantly updated and supported by Valve, it can be expected the upcoming major upgrade will definitely be released on MacOS as well. It is also highly unlikely that Valve would ignore a portion of its existing player base on MacOS for one of their most important game launches. This means that when the time comes, Counter-Strike 2 will be playable on MacOS.

System requirements on MacOS for CS:GO

Memory: 2 GB RAM
Storage: 15 GB free space
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2400/NVIDIA 8600M
Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or more)
OS: MacOS X 10.11 (El Capitan) or more recent

These are the current system requirements for CS:GO on MacOS and will most probably be same for Counter-Strike 2. However, given that there will be major upgrades on CS2, players should expect more requirements in terms of hardware.

Linux

The same can be said for players on Linux. Like MacOS, Valve has been constantly updating CS:GO on its new Steam Deck console which runs on SteamOS, a modified version of the Arch Linux OS. Given that all CS:GO players will get the free upgrade, CS2 will be available for Linux users.

System Requirements on Linux for CS:GO

Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 15 GB free space
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeon HD2600/3600, OpenGL 2.1
Sound Card: OpenAL Compatible Sound Card
Processor: 64-bit Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz
OS: Ubuntu 12.04

While these are requirements for CS:GO on Linux, CS2 will probably have the same requirements as well. Players should expect more hardware requirements for CS2 since the game will have loads of major upgrades and enhancements.

Hope this answers all the questions players have regarding to the release of Counter-Strike 2 on MacOS and Linux. Stay tuned for more updates on the launch and be prepared for an exciting time this summer when the game is finally out.