Valve has rolled out a new update for Counter-Strike 2 on April 1, and while the rumored additions to the Armory are still nowhere to be seen, the latest patch does introduce a crucial change to player animations.
The new CS2 patch has updated the game’s animation system to Animgraph 2, reducing CPU and networking costs associated with animation while also improving player animations across the board.
As per the official patch notes, every single third-person animation has been redone, with many animations now responding better to player feedback.
At the time of writing, the new animation system is only available in a specific beta build. Luckily, any player can access the Animgraph 2 beta in only a few clicks.
How to Access CS2 Animgraph 2 Beta Branch
To update your CS2 to have the latest Animgraph 2 animations, you’ll need to opt into the game’s new beta branch.
To get access to the Animgraph 2 beta, simply follow these steps:
- Head to your Steam Library
- Right-click on “Counter-Strike 2”
- Click on “Properties”
- Go to “Game Versions & Betas”
- From the list, select “animgraph_2_beta”
- Launch Counter-Strike 2
What’s New in CS2 Animgraph 2?
By opting into the Animgraph 2 beta, you’ll be able to update all player animations to the latest version.
Upon hopping into an actual match, you should be able to see the differences in player animations and your game’s overall performance. The new animations are especially noticeable when a player switches their direction inputs when counter-strafing.
You can check out a comparison video of the old and new animations below:
