CS2 adds essential quality of life improvement from VALORANT

May 14, 2023

There's no shame in borrowing really good ideas.

A major change to how players buy weapons each round in Counter-Strike has been added to the Counter-Strike 2 limited test beta, and it's one that fans of the series’ biggest competitor know all about.

Valve confirmed today that CS2 will feature the ability to fully refund any weapon, item, or armor purchase made prior to the start of the same round it was purchased, given that it has not already been used. This includes weapons, armor upgrades, grenades, and even defuse kits.

Bought the wrong thing? Meant to buy a different weapon, armor, or grenade? Sell your purchase back and buy again (during buy time). pic.twitter.com/7KJ4WN82XU

The gameplay update is picked right from the playbook of VALORANT, Counter-Strike‘s primary competitor that launched in summer 2020 with the buyback feature included, allowing its players to sell any weapon, armor, or ability in the same short pre-round window in which it was purchased.

Related: Valve is changing guns in CS2 to add more realism—and players are loving it

After years of dealing with teammates failing to coordinate and communicate, resulting in mismatched buys and economy-shattering force buys, it would be an understatement to say that this news has been well received by the community. The replies to the announcement on the official CS2 Twitter are packed with pro players, organizations, and community members joyously celebrating the inclusion of a feature they’ve been asking for for some time.

The buy menu is also getting a visual overhaul, with the iconic wheel being replaced by a grid showing all available purchase options on one screen. Players can also directly see what their teammates are buying. The option of directly buying weapons for teammates, which is also endemic to VALORANT, has not been included.

The inclusion of refunds is one of several major changes coming to CS2 while it is still in its limited test beta. The June 6 update to CS2 will also feature the inclusion of a new loadout system that allows players to assign any (side-appropriate) weapon to any sloth within the pistol, mid-tier (SMGs and Heavy) and rifle category.

VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.