The game was announced on March 22, 2023, and was released on September 27, 2023, for Windows and Linux, replacing Global Offensive on Steam.

In contrast, player reception was mixed, and the game received thousands of negative user reviews on Steam, becoming one of the lowest-rated Valve titles on the platform; criticism was directed at the game's performance, the removal of several features that had been present in Global Offensive, and the discontinuation of support for the macOS operating system, which was supported by Global Offensive.

[3] Arms Race plays very differently from other modes, featuring no money system or menu to buy weapons.

[14] In addition to the engine changes, the game was developed alongside new server architecture, allowing for "sub-tick" gameplay that more accurately synchronizes with player input.

[15][16] Valve Studio Orchestra also produced a new soundtrack for Counter-Strike 2, which was released to digital platforms by Ipecac Recordings on November 1, 2023.

[17] Many maps from Global Offensive were given upgrades to take advantage of the features of Source 2, including new lighting and physically based materials.

[18][16] Additionally, all cosmetic items from Global Offensive, including weapon skins, knives, and gloves, were transferred to Counter-Strike 2.

[21] Later that day, a beta version of Counter-Strike 2, known as the "Limited Test", was released to select Global Offensive players.

[29] Several features from Global Offensive were removed, including the "Arms Race" and "Danger Zone" game modes,[30] various multiplayer maps, such as Train and Cache,[31] and all 167 in-game achievements.

[46] In November 2024, an overhauled version of Train was added to the game, alongside four community-created maps—"Basalt", "Edin", "Palais", and "Whistle", which replace Thera, Mills, Memento, and Assembly.

[51] Chris Shive of Hardcore Gamer stated that Counter-Strike 2 is a "mostly positive update to Global Offensive", and gave it a 4/5 rating.

[3] Polygon's Charlie Theel called Counter-Strike 2 "a significant move forward for the franchise", praising the game's changes to weapon handling, visuals, sound design and art direction.

[56] Ed Thorn, reviews editor for Rock Paper Shotgun, stated that Counter-Strike 2 "captures what makes Counter-Strike tick", though he noted that the game's foundation seemed "a little sparse and a touch shaky" upon its initial release but felt confident that Valve "have an FPS that'll supersede Global Offensive in time.

[9] Initial responses from players were critical of the removal of several game modes that were present in Global Offensive, such as Arms Race and Danger Zone,[57] the discontinuation of support for the macOS operating system, which was previously supported by Global Offensive,[30] and the removal of all in-game achievements.

[59] In October 2023, PCGamesN and Den of Geek reported that Counter-Strike 2 had become the lowest-rated Valve release on Steam, with the game's performance and removed content being considered primary criticisms from players.