I had been a long-time fan of Counter-Strike, a game that once defined competitive first-person shooters for me. When Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) was announced, I felt that familiar excitement bubbling up again. The promise of a revamped engine, improved visuals, and the same thrilling tactical gameplay had me counting the days until release. I envisioned long nights with friends, clutch plays, and that adrenaline-fueled rush of a good match.

But the reality? It’s a nightmare.

It didn’t take long after launch for the shine to fade. The first few matches, sure, there were some glimpses of greatness. That familiar feeling was back... until the cheaters showed up. And they kept showing up. And kept showing up.

Every other game was marred by blatant wall hacks, aimbots, and players who seemed to know every move before it happened. It wasn’t subtle either — no, they weren’t even trying to hide it. Some of them would just lock onto heads across the map with pinpoint accuracy, snap-aiming like robots. It quickly became clear that cheating wasn’t just a problem in CS2; it was the problem.

I tried to shrug it off at first. Maybe I was just unlucky with my lobbies, I thought. But match after match, the same issues kept popping up. Soon, it wasn’t just me; everyone in the community started talking about it. Streams, forums, social media — it was filled with frustrated players, all asking the same question: “Why isn’t Valve doing anything?”

The worst part? Valve seemed to be ignoring the issue. Sure, there was the occasional ban wave, but it felt like a drop in the ocean. For every cheater banned, two more took their place. It didn’t feel like a battle Valve was trying to win. They had the tools. VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) had been around for years, but in CS2, it felt toothless, outdated, completely incapable of handling the epidemic that was tearing the game apart.

I reached a breaking point when I queued into a competitive match and, from round one, a player on the enemy team was blatantly aimbotting. The entire game, this player dominated, ruining any sense of competition. I reported him, but what good did it do? I knew nothing would happen. By the time the game ended, I wasn’t even angry anymore — just numb. I realized then that CS2 wasn’t about skill anymore; it was about who could cheat harder or endure it longer.

Valve’s silence on the matter only made it worse. We got updates about skins, maps, and cosmetics, but not a word on addressing the core problem plaguing the game. It was like watching your favorite sports team crumble while the coach talked about new jerseys instead of fixing the strategy.

I wanted CS2 to succeed. I wanted it to capture that magic that had kept me coming back to the franchise for so many years. But now, it’s just frustrating. A once-great game has been left to rot, with Valve seemingly unwilling to clean up the mess. Until they take a hard stand on cheating, it’s impossible to enjoy the game in any meaningful way.

It’s sad to admit, but as of now, CS2 feels less like a game and more like a playground for cheaters — and Valve is just standing by, watching it burn.

I had been a long-time fan of Counter-Strike, a game that once defined competitive first-person shooters for me. When Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) was announced, I felt that familiar excitement bubbling up again. The promise of a revamped engine, improved visuals, and the same thrilling tactical gameplay had me counting the days until release. I envisioned long nights with friends, clutch plays, and that adrenaline-fueled rush of a good match. But the reality? It’s a nightmare. It didn’t take long after launch for the shine to fade. The first few matches, sure, there were some glimpses of greatness. That familiar feeling was back... until the cheaters showed up. And they kept showing up. And kept showing up. Every other game was marred by blatant wall hacks, aimbots, and players who seemed to know every move before it happened. It wasn’t subtle either — no, they weren’t even trying to hide it. Some of them would just lock onto heads across the map with pinpoint accuracy, snap-aiming like robots. It quickly became clear that cheating wasn’t just a problem in CS2; it was the problem. I tried to shrug it off at first. Maybe I was just unlucky with my lobbies, I thought. But match after match, the same issues kept popping up. Soon, it wasn’t just me; everyone in the community started talking about it. Streams, forums, social media — it was filled with frustrated players, all asking the same question: “Why isn’t Valve doing anything?” The worst part? Valve seemed to be ignoring the issue. Sure, there was the occasional ban wave, but it felt like a drop in the ocean. For every cheater banned, two more took their place. It didn’t feel like a battle Valve was trying to win. They had the tools. VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) had been around for years, but in CS2, it felt toothless, outdated, completely incapable of handling the epidemic that was tearing the game apart. I reached a breaking point when I queued into a competitive match and, from round one, a player on the enemy team was blatantly aimbotting. The entire game, this player dominated, ruining any sense of competition. I reported him, but what good did it do? I knew nothing would happen. By the time the game ended, I wasn’t even angry anymore — just numb. I realized then that CS2 wasn’t about skill anymore; it was about who could cheat harder or endure it longer. Valve’s silence on the matter only made it worse. We got updates about skins, maps, and cosmetics, but not a word on addressing the core problem plaguing the game. It was like watching your favorite sports team crumble while the coach talked about new jerseys instead of fixing the strategy. I wanted CS2 to succeed. I wanted it to capture that magic that had kept me coming back to the franchise for so many years. But now, it’s just frustrating. A once-great game has been left to rot, with Valve seemingly unwilling to clean up the mess. Until they take a hard stand on cheating, it’s impossible to enjoy the game in any meaningful way. It’s sad to admit, but as of now, CS2 feels less like a game and more like a playground for cheaters — and Valve is just standing by, watching it burn.