CS:GO peaks at 1.5 million concurrent players as hype builds around Counter-Strike 2

sportskeeda.com:

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was the only game in contention for most concurrent players alongside Dota 2. Though the title reached a count of 1.35 million concurrent players in February 2023, it has now beaten that record and peaked at 1.5 million concurrent players. Since this isn't exactly a new game, having been released way back in 2012, fans are concluding that the primary reason for this achievement is tied to Valve's announcement of Counter-Strike 2.

There is another theory that suggests the game will break PUBG's record when the upgrade is officially released. That title broke the record for most concurrent players in 2017 reaching three million; however, it failed to maintain that spot and now finds itself in the shadows. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, on the other hand, seems to be doing pretty well.

Reaching three million concurrent players is a great achievement, and PUBG surely proved that a game developed with creativity — featuring fresh mechanics — can reach new heights. The title was at the top for three years. However, it lost the spotlight when the developers at Krafton ran out of ideas.

CS:GO, on the other hand, is already a decade-old game, but its creators always seem to come up with new ideas to keep the experience fresh. They make changes to weapons, environments, and every other simple thing offered in the title to make Counter-Strike: Global Offensive feel balanced with every update. This is why it's no surprise to see this title break its own records from time to time.

With the announcement of Counter-Strike 2, the creators are improving the base game with the help of a new engine (Souce 2) to eliminate any potential game-breaking and other bugs. This will make the offering better