Counter-Strike 2 Update: Premier Season 3, Overpass, CT Economy Buffs, MP9 Nerfs, and More

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

16 Jul

Ganesh Jadhav

On July 14th, the second season of Counter-Strike 2 Premier came to a close. With that, starting July 15th, players can begin their grind once again with Premier Season 3.

But that's not all — the update also introduced balance changes and a new feature aimed at protecting players from item scammers.

Let’s dive into what this update brings.

Season 3 Update

The update can be broadly categorized into two sections: Competitive Updates and Trade Protection. We’ll tackle “Trade Protection” in a separate article.

For now, here are the major competitive updates:

Anubis Out, Overpass In

While many expected Cache to return to the map pool, it’s Overpass — a nightmare for Tarik — that replaces Anubis.

One major reason for the switch is the heavily T-sided nature of Anubis. Additionally, Cache still needs more development time, making the ready-and-tested Overpass the optimal choice for the map pool.

MP9 Nerf

In Counter-Strike 2, the MP9 has been notoriously overpowered. Originally a “situational” weapon, it has become a threat in nearly every round, often winning unexpected duels.

This update introduces two major nerfs:

A harsher recoil pattern
Substantially reduced jumping accuracy

This means that the MP9 is now a lot less effective, and won't unexpectedly win duels.

CT-Side Improvements

Since the shift to MR12, the game has naturally tilted in favor of the T-side, primarily because their economy is easier to manage than the CTs’.

To help balance this:

Each CT player now earns a $50 team bonus for every T eliminated, giving each individual CT an extra $250 per round if all Ts are taken out.

Incendiary grenades now spread faster, punishing Ts more harshly when pushing through them. This balances out their smaller radius by making them more effective.

While these might seem like small tweaks, they could have a major impact at the highest levels of play, changing how teams approach the CT-side.

Is It Enough?

While the update brings meaningful improvements, it doesn’t address the game’s core issue: cheaters. For many, encountering cheaters daily ruins the experience — no matter how many gameplay changes are introduced.

Even if a full anti-cheat overhaul isn’t ready, an update on its progress would at least reassure the community. Fans were also hoping for a new game mode and updates to the armory, but this patch didn’t quite deliver on those fronts.

Regardless, the patch still addressed gameplay concerns and hopefully Valve decides to address the cheating concern soon as well. For now, we as a community can only wait for the next patch.

Follow Strafe Esports for all the latest Counter-Strike 2 news and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.