Origins Counter-Strike began as a free modification (mod) for the Half-Life game in 1999, created by Minh «Gooseman» Le and Jess «Cliffe» Cliffe. The mod quickly gained popularity, and in November 2000, Valve acquired the rights and released Counter-Strike 1.0 as a standalone retail game. This version introduced core gameplay elements like bomb defusal and hostage rescue, as well as the iconic weapon set that defines the series. Evolution The series continued to evolve with major entries: Counter-Strike: Source (2004): A transition to a new game engine, which caused a split within the community. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO, 2012): A watershed release that established the current esports ecosystem, including the skin economy, official matchmaking, and the Major tournament circuit. The Birth of CS2 On March 22, 2023, Valve officially announced Counter-Strike 2. It was presented as a free and complete update to CS:GO, rebuilt from the ground up on the Source 2 engine. Release: September 27, 2023: CS2 was launched globally as a free update, replacing CS:GO on Steam. November 3, 2023: Steam Workshop support was enabled, allowing custom maps to be uploaded and played in offline and community-hosted settings.@xyilan @tmkv12 @22🔵🔴 - @danycch