CS2 Rush Hour Update Brings New Premier System, Rush Mode & Pets

Silent reloading, a new map selection process, and even pets. Could we have thought about something like that a few months ago? In fact, some CS2 leaks had similar information, but it isn’t always 100% accurate. However, the Rush Hour update has already dropped, and it’s the perfect time to explore all the details so you don’t miss anything important! You should also find two teammates to conquer the new Rush mode. But let’s skip the spoilers for now and explore everything step by step in our guide.

Map Selection in Premier

One of the main changes in the new update is the CS2 map selection process in the Premier mode. From now on, players don’t need to ban maps they don’t want to play; they only pick their favorite options. The system then chooses the final map from those options.

To make it less confusing, check the process below:

• Team 1 picks one map.
• Team 2 picks two maps.
• Team 1 picks a final map.
• The system randomly selects one of the picked maps.

As you can see, it could be more difficult to play on Dust II and Mirage now. Maybe Valve tries to change the stats of the most playable maps in that way?

New Game Mode 3v3

Another exciting change in the new CS2 update is the fast-paced queued mode Rush. It’s a great option to test your teamwork with loyal teammates, but you can also try it with randoms. The main goal is simple: fight through a series of battle arenas to reach the opponent’s castle and win the match. The system randomly selects battle arenas, so no two matches are the same. You can win the round by eliminating all opponents or when time expires.

Stealth and Pets

One more detail you don’t want to miss in the new CS2 update is the gameplay changes. For example, Valve added more stealth to the game, available to both sides. First, unscoping a sniper rifle doesn’t produce a sound. Second, players can reload silently. While it takes more time, it also doesn’t reveal your position to nearby opponents. To do this, press and hold the reload key, which is R by default.

Furthermore, the most controversial, yet no less thrilling, is the Chicken Pets in the game. Valve didn’t provide any information about them in the patch notes. Also, at least for now, players cannot trade or purchase them. The only possible way to obtain your own pet is to choose it from the Weekly Drop system. Still, it may help to know that selecting a chicken egg takes up both item slots in the drop — so no case or skin, just a pet.

Additionally, it doesn’t appear in the inventory. The only place you can find it is the main menu, where it appears beside you. As soon as the egg hatches, you can inspect your chicken and pet it. There are three main kinds, available in various colorations, with over 12 final variants.

Other gameplay changes include several adjustments:

• Increased visual clarity and improved fidelity of bullet impact decals.
• Chickens now take damage from the Zeus x27.
• The ammo_grenade_limit_total setting enforces the total number of grenades a player can purchase in a round.

New Crosshair Settings

The Rush Hour update in CS2 also changed crosshair settings. Now, players don’t need third-party platforms to create a crosshair that suits their goals. Open settings, instantly see differences in Length or Gap thanks to the preview window, and check the new crosshair styles. Additionally, the developers updated the default crosshair to “Dynamic Quad,” which better represents weapon accuracy.

Other Changes

The other changes aren’t less important. Still, to make it easier to check everything, we put them all together in one section so you won’t miss anything. In fact, there is a new music kit and returned clan tags. What’s more? Follow the parts below.

Engine

Valve updated the engine code to the latest version of Source 2.

Maps

There are slight changes on different maps:

• Ancient
  • Fixed holes in world in Long A Main Hall.
  • Adjusted door geometry and grenade clipping inside Jaguar.
• Cache
  • Fixed some gaps and adjusted clipping around the blue doors in Mid.
• Mirage
  • Reinforced scaffolding by balcony in A site.
• Train
  • Blocked pixel gap in crates on bombsite A.

MISC

Valve returned Clan Tags for players who are members of Steam Community Groups. Now’s the perfect time to show everyone you’re on Team Vitality or NaVi (not literally, of course). To set it or change it, check your Player Profile in the main menu.

Also, players can apply stickers to C4; earlier, this was only possible for charms. The bomb can now be more unique, depending on which T holds it at the start of the round.

Another detail from the new CS2 update is the Starjunk 95, Industrial Sunset Memories Music Kit. The new music kit is available in the Store Tab and comes in standard and StatTrak versions. It also has a rare MVP Anthem.

Continuing the music topic, players can now adjust music volume per game mode.

The Rush Hour update fixed a case where players could avoid a kick ban. Lastly, halftime scoreboard stats now fully reflect the previous round’s results.

Workshop

There are also changes for Workshop:

• Added “minimap_volume” entity which enables a custom minimap image when a player is within the volume.
• Added “sky_camera_volume” and “sky_camera_volume_target”, which enable custom location-specific skybox rendering.
• Added “point_deathcam_bounds” entity that constrains the player death camera.
• Added “env_shake_volume” entity that allows camera shake only within a specified volume.

Scripting

The last detail in the new CS2 update belongs to scripting:

• Added CSRadarPoint entity.
• Added CSObservablePoint entity.
• Added AddTeamMoney API method.
• Added OnPlayerTeamChanged callback.
• SetDialogVariableString now accepts a localization string.

Conclusion

Every adjustment makes the game experience more comfortable, exciting, and fun. While we’ve been waiting years for some of them, others are new and haven’t been explored much. Whether you are a casual player or a ranked pusher, the Rush Hour update brings new features that could be useful for both. Now is the perfect time to start your next match and get a chicken egg from the Weekly Drop.

Want to know more about CS2, skins, and strategies? Then check out other materials on the blog. Learn and play together with us!