Counter-Strike 2 has been hacked and leaked, with a version of the limited test hitting torrent sites, as Valve springs another leak.
A leaked version of Counter-Strike 2’s limited test has appeared online just days after its release. Torrents for Counter-Strike 2 hit sites on March 23, according to tweets from a number of sources.
The Twitter account for vx-underground, “The largest collection of malware source code, samples, and papers on the internet” shared additional details on the apparent leak: “Right now the game is available to specially selected people on Steam. Our hypothesis is that one of these individuals shared the game files. This game leak also cannot be played in multiplayer.” Others speculate that Counter-Strike 2 might have been leaked by someone with the beta access, or cheaters attempting to get an early leg up on cheat development.
Counter-Strike 2’s Limited Beta Test released on March 22 after weeks of speculation and rumors. Access to the beta is difficult to obtain, but for those less ethically-minded among us, this torrent and leak might give access through back-door methods, although currently just the online play isn’t possible.
Valve has sprung many leaks
Leaking new and upcoming games has become one of the most prestigious things in the hacker world. High-profile hackers become mini celebrities in their own right. Empress, the hacker behind cracking Denuvo DRM, is infamous for releasing cracked versions of many of the most popular modern games, but has a penchant for breaking Denuvo, which she’s declared a one-woman war on.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is perhaps the most recent high-profile leaked game, with early production work hitting the internet last year.
But Valve specifically has suffered from high profile hacks in the past. Most recently, Valve suffered a huge leak of assets from Portal 2, Half-Life 2, Counter Strike: Source, and more. This occurred in January, 2023, but seemingly didn’t affect any in-development titles.
Still, Valve must now content with leaked source code on Counter-Strike 2, their most anticipated game in years. Leaks on an unfinished game can fuel speculation, kill hype, and damage the reputation of a developer. Although with Valve, their unorthodox methods may mean that they dodge these concerns.
For more Counter-Strike 2 news, info, and guides, keep your eyes peeled on esports.gg!