The CS2 Retakes update makes bomb defuses instant in certain situations. Valve posted the patch notes on November 4, 2026. Defusals in Retakes now finish at once when enough round time remains, and no active utility can stop the defuse. The update also cuts freeze time and the round restart delay in the mode. Pet chickens get a new trick request, and map makers get new scripting tools.
Below are the full CS2 patch notes, the conditions for the instant defuse, and the map scripting changes.
CS2 Retakes Update Patch Notes and Instant Defuse Change
Valve shared the update through the Counter-Strike 2 news page on Steam. The gameplay section covers only Retakes and pet chickens. The notes list no weapon, map, or balance changes.
The main change affects bomb defusals in Retakes. A defuse now finishes instantly if two conditions are met. The round must have sufficient time remaining, and no active utility can be left to prevent the defuse.
Valve also reduced the freeze time and the round restart delay in Retakes. The notes do not give the new values, so the exact reduction is unknown.
When Does the Instant Defuse Apply?
The patch notes name two conditions. Enough time must remain in the round, and no active utility can be in place to stop the defuse.
Valve does not say how much time counts as sufficient. The notes also do not list which utility types count as active. Players will need to test the mode to see how the rule works in practice.
Pet Chicken Changes in CS2
Two small changes affect pet chickens:
- Pinging a pet chicken during freeze time now requests a trick from it.
- Chicken names no longer show when the customized item text game option is set to hidden.
CS2 Map Scripting Changes
The update also includes a larger set of map scripting changes. These affect creators who build custom maps. Valve added a new top-level export called Entities. It includes an Entities.Spawn function, and Instance.Precache now accepts entities to precache.
The moved and renamed methods still work in their original locations, but Valve marks them as deprecated.
Two smaller changes affect error reporting. Calling a method on an invalid (removed) Entity now reports that the Entity is invalid. ConnectOutput now logs a warning when the target has no output with that name.
What Is Retakes Mode in CS2?
Valve added Retakes as an official game mode on October 23, 2025. It supports the Defusal Group Alpha and Defusal Group Delta maps on official matchmaking servers. The mode places players in post-plant situations, where one side tries to defuse the bomb and the other tries to defend it.
This CS2 Retakes update is the latest change to the mode since it became official.
CS2 November 4, 2026 Update Patch Notes
[ GAMEPLAY ]
- Bomb defusal in Retakes mode will now instantly finish when there is sufficient time remaining in the round and no active utility remains to prevent the defuse.
- Reduced freeze time and round restart delay in Retakes mode.
- Pinging pet chickens during freeze time will request a trick from them.
- Pet chicken names are no longer displayed when customized item text game option is set to hidden.
[ MAP SCRIPTING ]
- Instance.Precache now accepts entities to precache
- Added new top level export Entities
- Added Entities.Spawn
- Added Instance.OnBotControl
- Added CSPlayerController.IsControllingBot
- Added CSPlayerController.GetControlledBotPawn
- Added CSPlayerPawn.Reset
- Moved Instance.ConnectOutput to Entities and changed it to accept a config object
- Moved Instance.DisconnectOutput to Entities
- Renamed Instance.EntFireAtName to Entities.FireInput
- Renamed Instance.FindEntitiesByName to Entities.FindByName
- Renamed Instance.FindEntitiesByClass to Entities.FindByClass
- Renamed Instance.EntFireAtTarget to Entity.FireInput
- Moved and renamed methods are still available in their original location, deprecated
- Deprecated Instance.FindEntityByName and FindEntityByClass
- Calling a method on an invalid (removed) Entity now reports that the Entity is invalid
- ConnectOutput now logs a warning when the target has no output with that name
