Valve

vg247’s-the-best-games-ever-podcast-–-ep.45:-the-best-game-that’s-rubbish-after-ten-hours VG247

VG247’s The Best Games Ever Podcast – Ep.45: The best game that’s rubbish after ten hours

Some games are incredibly front-loaded, but which has the best, er, front? Welcome to VG247’s Best Games Ever Podcast: Episode 44: The best game where you’d swap places with the main character. Video games are very long-form pieces of entertainment, and as such, they have to work hard to hold our attention. Statistically, most single-player games are left unfinished by a staggering majority of the people who buy them, as much as 90% by some estimates. But is it any wonder, when a lot of games just get a bit naff after the first act? Once the New Game Novelty…

steam-is-ending-support-for-windows-7-and-8-next-year Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Steam is ending support for Windows 7 and 8 next year

Steam will no longer support Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 operating systems starting from January 1st, 2024, Valve have announced. To continue playing games or using apps through Steam, you’ll need to update to a more recent version of Windows. After that date, the Steam Client will no longer run on older versions of the Windows OS. The reason? It’s Google Chrome. Read more

cs:go-hits-a-new-all-time-concurrent-player-count-following-counter-strike-2-reveal VG247

CS:GO hits a new all-time concurrent player count following Counter-Strike 2 reveal

Not bad, for a decade old game. Counter-Strike 2 was officially revealed just this week, and with that CS:GO has recently broken a record for highest number of concurrent players. CS:GO might be more than a decade old, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still performing incredibly well. As spotted by Eurogamer, heading over to SteamDB will tell you that the team-based shooter has hit a massive new player peak of 1.5 million (or 1,519,457 to be specific) this weekend. That’s 1.5 million players concurrently, to be clear, as in that many people all playing the shooter at one time,…

counter-strike-2-is-real,-coming-this-summer,-and-in-limited-access-right-now Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Counter-Strike 2 is real, coming this summer, and in limited access right now

As the prophecy foretold (and by prophecy I mean weeks of teases and a bucket of rumours) Counter-Strike 2 is real, coming this summer, and a limited test is available right now for select Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players. The sort-of-sequel is being built on Valve’s Source 2 engine and will launch as a free upgrade to CS:GO, carrying over all of your unlocks and purchased items. Read more

counter-strike-2-has-finally-been-revealed,-with-a-limited-test-available-today VG247

Counter-Strike 2 has finally been revealed, with a limited test available today

It’s real and it’s happening. An improved tick-rate, responsive smokes, and a levelled-up world. Those awaiting the rumoured Counter-Strike 2 have something to rejoice over, as we have finally received our first glimpse of the new game from Valve. Here’s Counter-Strike 2’s Levelling Up The World trailer. That’s not all, either. After remaining tight-lipped for so long, Valve is spoiling us. Not only is Counter-Strike 2 confirmed to release during summer 2023, but a limited beta test for the game begins today. It’s full speed ahead for Valve right now, clearly. While we all expected some news regarding Counter-Strike 2…

valve-is-reportedly-working-on-a-‘game-notes’-system-for-steam VG247

Valve is reportedly working on a ‘game notes’ system for Steam

There’s possibly a new notifications page on the way, too. First reported by the folk over at PCGamer, it appears that Steam users may be able to take ‘game notes’ via the gaming platform in future. SteamDB Creator and dataminer Pavel Djundik shared the discovery to Twitter, saying that game notes “will be available in the Steam library, and on the web.” Happy birthday to the Steam Deck! A ‘game notes’ system could, really, be anything. However, what most of us imagine is a way to easily take notes while playing a game, without the need to necessarily tab out….

half-life-2:-episode-one-vr-fan-mod-is-out-today Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Half-Life 2: Episode One VR fan mod is out today

Back in January, the makers behind the excellent Half-Life 2 VR mod announced they were moving on to making a virtual reality goggle version of Half-Life 2: Episode One – and we now know it will be arriving on Steam later today. What’s more, we also have a release date for their VR mod of Episode Two. That will come next month on April 6th, according to its Steam page. Read more

source-2-memes-run-wild-following-reports-of-csgo-2-coming-soon VG247

Source 2 memes run wild following reports of CSGO 2 coming soon

Why spend time in a grenade practice map when you can do sick BMX grinds in Dust 2? Following reports of CSGO 2 being both real and playable in the near future, people online have been using their imagination (and sense of humour) to imagine what the future of map, Dust 2, may look like. This has all been popping up on Twitter, which as we all know is the hub for all of the best games industry gags. It’s clear that while competitive FPS fans are desperate for an official reveal, the memes are going to kep on flowing….

counter-strike-2-reportedly-in-the-works,-with-a-beta-as-soon-as-this-month VG247

Counter-Strike 2 reportedly in the works, with a beta as soon as this month

Nvidia drivers referencing the game appeared last week. It sounds like Counter-Strike 2 might be on the way, with a surprise release possibly as imminent as this month. This comes from Richard Lewis, a journalist who has accurately reported on a number of Counter-Strike stories over the years (thanks, VGC). Lewis claims that based on what a number of sources have told him that a new version of Counter-Strike is “very real,” and also “right around the corner.” According to Lewis’ sources, this new version of Valve’s shooter has been in development for a while, and is very likely to…

frog-detective,-edith-finch-and-more-are-all-going-cheap-in-steam’s-mystery-fest Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Frog Detective, Edith Finch and more are all going cheap in Steam’s Mystery Fest

The Steam Mystery Fest is well underway, discounting countless games about detectives, murder mysteries, or generally strange occurrences. Lots of heavy hitters have big sales like Return Of The Obra Dinn and Pentiment, but as always, you’ll need to do quite a bit of scrolling to find the hidden gems. The sales last until February 27th, so you have a week to grab some cheap games, and if you’re struggling with recommendations, here are some good’uns. Read more

valve-scale-down-expectations-for-team-fortress-2’s-upcoming-update Rock,Paper,Shotgun

Valve scale down expectations for Team Fortress 2’s upcoming update

Last week Valve announced a “full-on update-sized update” would be coming to Team Fortress 2 this summer, getting us all excited at the thought of new content after years in maintenance mode. Valve have now quietly edited their original announcement blog post, walking back the hype while emphasising the community-developed aspects of the update. Read more

team-fortress-2-to-receive-first-“full-on-update-sized-update”-in-years VG247

Team Fortress 2 to receive first “full on update-sized update” in years

This is, surprisingly, not a joke. Team Fortress 2 didn’t exactly go anywhere, but I couldn’t tell you the last time myself or someone I knew actually played it. What was once at the height of popularity on Steam slowly faded into obscurity, became plagued with bots, and later was bereft of any major updates. Here’s the Team Fortress 2 trailer for a trip down memory lane, if it’s been a while. That is, until, yesterday. Team Fortress 2 shared a blog post with fans and players, detailing that the game will receive a “full on update-sized update,” and will…

steam-next-fest-february-2023-edition-–-here’s-some-cool-demos-you-need-to-try VG247

Steam Next Fest February 2023 Edition – here’s some cool demos you need to try

Demos upon demos upon demos. Steam Next Fest kicked off earlier this week, and there are tons of indie demos ready for you to download and play. Steam Next Fest: February 2023 Edition runs through February 13 and alongside demos, developers are taking part in livestreams to discuss their upcoming releases. There are also chats with the devs themselves, and this will continue for the duration. Demos are available for such titles as Bramble The Mountain King. Inspired by Nordic fables, in it, you play as Olle, whom ventures through a dangerous land filled with horrible creatures to save his…

steam’s-lunar-new-year-sale-is-here,-after-valve-said-it-wasn’t-going-ahead VG247

Steam’s Lunar New Year sale is here, after Valve said it wasn’t going ahead

The sale is part of an initiative led by Curve Games. If you log into Steam right now, you’ll find that the Lunar New Year sale is currently underway. This is despite Valve having said that it would be cancelled and replaced with a later, spring sale in March. With Death Stranding on sale again, here’s the reveal trailer for Death Stranding 2. Back in September of last year, Valve went ahead and detailed all of its anticipated sale dates. In that blog post, it also shared that the winter sale and Lunar New Year sale were too close to…